photo: Andy J. Gordon

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Warren Haynes had completed three dates in Northern California on the solo portion of his “Winter of Warren 2026” tour before arriving at the newest Blue Note location in Hollywood, California on February 17 and 18. The fabled Sunset Strip’s newest club was a perfect location for fans to enjoy the intimate, stripped down shows. The supper club feel with excellent sound and viewing angles from every seat afforded attendees an up close and personal experience with the legendary performer.

On the first night in LA, Haynes embraced the friendly crowd during the show, offering quips and stories between songs. He also reacted with grins, laughs and witty responses to their shout-outs requesting songs, asking about his guitars as well as offering words of encouragement. Haynes was extremely humble, expressing self-doubt about doing solo shows. He said, “It’s been intimidating. I haven’t played some of these songs for years. It’s a lot for me to do this. Some of these songs are really hard to do by yourself. Thanks everyone for being part of this. It’s very special.” Members of the audience responded with loud applause, shouts of “you’re doing great,” among other words of praise.

In keeping with the promises made leading up to this tour, Haynes drew from his vast catalog of music including songs from The Allman Brothers Band, Gov’t Mule, Warren Haynes Band, his solo material and artists that inspired him along the way. Both the early and late sets opened with Haynes on a Guild acoustic guitar. He chose folky and softer songs for this segment of the sets. The first set’s acoustic numbers included “Indian Sunset” from his 2003 solo release The Lone EP, “Gordon James,” the Gov’t Mule tune featured on their 2009 album By a Thread, “Wine and Blood,” from Gov’t Mule’s 2009 album Déjà Voodoo and “Is it Me or You” from his 2015 solo album Ashes & Dust.

The second set’s acoustic songs were Van Morrison’s “Listen to the Lions,” “Blue Maiden’s Tale” from Ashes & Dust and “Dreams and Songs” from Gov’t Mule’s Revolution Come…Revolution Go. Once he switched to electric guitars, the sets ramped up in volume, but the intimate aspect remained, as the sound was nowhere near the level of his full band performances. The crowd was generally quiet during each song and the acoustics in the Blue Note are great, offering clear, crisp sound that accentuated Haynes’ emotional, passionate vocals along with his stellar guitar playing.

Highlights from the electric portion of the sets included Gov’t Mule’s “Beautifully Broken” and U2’s “One” that he performed with his Gibson Big Red guitar. “This Life as We Know It” and “Back Where I Started,” both from his 2024 solo album Million Voices Whisper, were done with a Classic golden sunburst Gibson Les Paul. He ended the first set with The Allman Brothers’ “End Of The Line” showing off his slide guitar technique. He used that same sunburst Gibson for the encore, Robert Johnson’s “Come On In My Kitchen,” that featured more incredible slide work and expressive vocals.

The second set of electric tunes included The Allman Brothers’ “Come and Go Blues,” “Your Wildest Dreams,” from Haynes’ 2011 album Man In Motion and “Catfish Blues,” a traditional blues song, first recorded by Robert Petway in 1941. All three of those were done using his Gibson Big Red. Haynes switched to Blondie, a gorgeous, blonde 1959 Custom Gibson ES-335 Reissue for “Til I Can Make It On My Own” and “From Here On Out,” both from Haynes’ 2025 solo follow up, The Whisper Sessions. He stayed with that guitar for George Harrison’s “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)” and his signature song, The Allman Brothers’ “Soulshine,” that ended the set.

Haynes broke out his 12 string Epiphone electric guitar called Fearless for the encore. The rare instrument added a lush, full sound to the room on “So Weak So Strong,” from Gov’t Mule’s 2006 High & Mighty album. As the lucky people in attendance filed out, they were probably thinking how amazing it wast to hear and see a brilliant musician in a setting that seemed like a concert in someone’s plush living room. It was a spectacular conclusion to a special evening with Warren Haynes who truly knows how to bring joy to an audience through his music.