Warren Haynes is bringing a brand new symphonic event dubbed Warren Haynes Presents Dreams & Songs – A Symphonic Experience to debut at Asheville’s Thomas Wolfe Auditorium on Saturday, March 16th and–due to popular demand and a quick sell out–a second night on Sunday, March 17th.
The hometown event will see Haynes teaming up with the Asheville Symphony Orchestra, keyboardist John Medeski (Medeski, Martin & Wood, bassist Oteil Burbridge (Allman Brothers Band, Dead & Co., The Aquarium Rescue Unit), and drummer Jeff Sipe (Aquarium Rescue Unit, Leftover Salmon). Rich Daniels, the versatile musical director of The City Lights Orchestra in Chicago and music director for FOX’s hit show Empire, will conduct. Daniels has appeared with some of the greatest names in music including Ray Charles, Garth Brooks, Dionne Warwick, and many more.
Warren Haynes Presents Dreams & Songs – A Symphonic Experience has added special guest Greg Osby on saxophone, as well as Edwin McCain and Jasmine Muhammad on background vocals. According to the announcement, the band will perform a different extended encore each night, following their two-set performance with the Asheville Symphony.
Edwin McCain, known for his 1997 pop hit “I’ll Be” has been absent from the jam community for decades, following his brief stint with Butch Trucks’ Frogwings, an Allman Brothers Band side-project that included Derek Trucks, Oteil Burbridge, Jimmy Herring, Count Mbutu, Marc Quinones, and John Herbert, alongside Edwin McCain in the mid-90s. When McCain left the band to pursue his solo career, he was replaced by Blues Travelers’ John Popper. Later iterations of Frogwings featured Kofi Burbridge, and often times included sit-ins from Warren Haynes, and others.
The press release for Warren Haynes Presents Dreams & Songs – A Symphonic Experience notes that fans should look for Warren and the ensemble to offer, “a symphonic take on his classic, career-spanning material,” as well as material from Gov’t Mule, Allman Brothers Band, Grateful Dead, Haynes’ solo catalog, and more.
Although Warren has never devoted the entirety of a symphonic show to focus in on his own music, he is no stranger to playing beside a symphony. In years past, Haynes has paid his respects to the Grateful Dead master himself, Jerry Garcia, with a unique symphonic tribute highlighted by Warren rocking out on Garcia’s Tiger and Wolf guitars.
For all ticketing details, please visit Warren Haynes’ website.
