Warren Haynes Unearths Little Feat’s “Roll Um Easy” and Dormant Originals in Houston
Warren Haynes, photo by John Patrick Gatta
Last night, Warren Haynes took the stage at The Heights Theater in Houston, Texas for the penultimate show in his Winter of Warren solo tour. The Gov’t Mule frontman and Southern-rock singer-songwriter’s first outing of 2026 has exploredthe far reaches of his live repertoire with nightly setlist surprises, and the second-to-last show stuck to a high standard with a few unexpected originals and covers.
Haynes set off his Tuesday performance by looking back on his time in the Allman Brothers Band with “Old Friend,” the track he wrote and helmed to close their 2003 studio album Hittin’ the Note. He saluted another torchbearer of the Allmans’ legacy with a cover of his close collaborator Derek Trucks’ “Back Where I Started,” then progressed through reliable originals like “King’s Highway” before arriving at a cover of Little Feat’s “Roll Um Easy,” which he’d last put his spin on in Jan. 2019. The next unexpected twist came with Gov’t Mule’s Dose b-side, “I Shall Return,” delivered solo for the first time since June 2021 and followed shortly afterwards by his first performance of the Ashes & Dust solo cut “New Year’s Eve” since March 2022. A stripped-back and soul-stirring version of Tampa Red’s blues standard “It Hurts Me Too” capped off the first frame.
To commence his second set, Haynes returned to Ashes & Dust with “Is It Me or You.” The evening’s latter half stayed closer to expectations with a mix of originals like “Angel City,” “Till the Sun Comes Shining Through” and “Endless Parade,” interspersed with covers like Van Morrison’s “And It Stoned Me,” Jim Croce’s “Roller Derby Queen” and Jimmy Cox’s “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down And Out.” The reliable show closer of “Soulshine” brought it all home, then an encore of the traditional ”Railroad Boy” brought that radiant anthem’s energy back down to an intimate, reserved and impactful finale.
Haynes will conclude his solo tour tomorrow, Feb. 26, with a show at The Caverns in Pelham, Tenn. On the following evening, he’ll set off on a six-night run with the Warren Haynes Band. Find tickets and more information at warrenhaynes.net.
