Warren Haynes @ The Factory,Sydney (23/4/11)

Tue 26th Apr, 2011 in Gig Reviews

Warren Haynes is a guitar god and a soul singer and someone who can transport you to many places over a two hour set. Man In Motion, his latest solo record, is a testimony to the power of soul music and the fabulous instruments that this man has at his disposal. With a five piece band made of Danny Louis on keys, Terrence Higgins on drums, Ron Holloway on sax, and Ron Johnson on bass, Warren had the proper tight groove for the songs he has recently recorded.

Man In Motion takes you back to the Memphis/Stax sound and River’s Gonna Rise is a funky soul flavoured gumbo and these were the first two songs of the night to get the crowd in the mood. Danny Louis, who plays with Haynes in Gov’t Mule, provided a perfect complement to the stinging guitar that Haynes can deliver. Unfortunately due to some conflict, Ruthie Foster was unable to deliver the backing vocals as billed. Her singing with Haynes on the record is dazzling.

Hattiesburg Hustle, which sounds like a Mule song, was rolled out prior to the band introductions. Haynes then reached back 18 years or so for a rocking Fire In The Kitchen from his first solo album, Tales Of Ordinary Madness. This gave the band a chance for everyone to solo and go off on a nice extensive journey. This was followed by On A Real Lonely Night where Warren got to sing and rip some fine solos and he was joined by Joe Louis Walker on guitar. Joe Louis and his band were a perfect complement to the styling of the Warren Haynes Band on this evening.

For the encore, Haynes broke into Allman Brothers Band territory with an endearing version of Soulshine. Soulshine segued into a honey drenched Tupelo Honey before returning to the closing chorus of Soulshine for Warren and the band and the audience to bring it all home. This was a magical night from start to end and one that I hope we get to revisit in the not too distant future.