Fans of the Grateful Dead canon certainly have something to celebrate, as guitarist Warren Haynes has been performing orchestral tributes to Jerry Garcia throughout the country. The “Jerry Garcia Symphonic Celebrations” all have a special facet, as Haynes plays one of Garcia’s actual guitars: Wolf.
With a show coming up tonight at the Clay Center in Charleston, WV, Haynes spoke to WOUB about the experience of playing with a symphony, of honoring the Dead legacy, and of using the same instrument that Garcia himself once played.
About the shows themselves, Haynes shows his appreciation, saying, “I have a long association with the band and all the individual members, and I’ve played a lot of these songs throughout the years, but it was an opportunity to not only work with a symphony for the first time but to take this incredible body of music and pick the songs that I thought would work best with an orchestra and arrange those songs the way that I wanted to arrange them and give them to orchestral arrangers to take from there. It allows me to present the songs in a completely different light than people are used to hearing them.”
He also spoke about playing the guitar itself, saying, “It’s a beautiful instrument and I was looking forward to trying it two and a half years ago when I first played these shows. And I instantly felt like I was very comfortable and at home with that instrument, especially in the context of playing these songs, I feel like it puts me even closer to the music. It instantly gives me a sound that is more associated with Jerry Garcia and therefore kind of inspires me to play with even more of his influence than I usually would.”
Well said, Haynes. Don’t miss this tour!