The Day Eric Clapton Finally Played Live With the Allman Brothers

Eric Clapton had by no means been on stage with the Allman Brothers previous to 2009.

“Folks might discover that onerous to imagine, however it had by no means occurred,” Warren Haynes tells UCR, relating to the assembly, which lastly came about on March 19, 2009 on the Beacon Theatre in New York. It is only one unimaginable second of many for the longtime guitarist whose personal band, Gov’t Mule, is about to have fun its thirtieth anniversary in 2024.

Whether or not working with the Allmans or the Mule — and even on his personal for another person’s undertaking, Haynes has witnessed loads of historic summits. A variety of them have occurred at his annual charity profit, Christmas Jam in Asheville, N.C., which is marking its thirty fifth yr. The most recent installment is occurring this weekend with a flurry of particular visitors together with Slash and Myles Kennedy, Billy Gibbons and Clutch.

It is usually a prolonged expertise, a live performance extravaganza that runs within the neighborhood of seven or eight hours at minimal. Spontaneity is an enormous a part of the sport, so whereas there are issues which are deliberate, there are additionally different moments that simply occur.

Immediately (Dec. 8) Haynes can be releasing The Profit Live performance Quantity 20, an expansive assortment of performances from the thirtieth anniversary Christmas Jam in 2018. All proceeds from the discharge, which is accessible in plenty of completely different codecs, are being donated to Habitat for Humanity.

The Profit Live performance Quantity 20 collects highlights from the particular two-day occasion, which discovered Haynes welcoming mates like Mike Gordon of Phish, guitarist Joe Bonamassa, Grace Potter, Jamey Johnson and Eric Church. Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl additionally made a notable look, performing his instrumental epic “Play” for the primary time ever, increasing the composition right into a 36-minute opus. So far, it stays the one time that Grohl has performed it reside.

Haynes lately joined UCR by way of Zoom to debate plenty of subjects, together with the jam with Clapton — and what’s forward for Gov’t Mule’s thirtieth anniversary.

One in every of your visitors on the Christmas Jam this yr is Slash. What’s your favourite expertise you have had with him over time?
Effectively, we’ve identified one another for a very long time, however we’re normally simply hanging in passing. This yr was the primary time we’ve truly performed collectively. Myself, Slash and Billy Gibbons and Paul Rodgers did this Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute for the CMT Video Awards in Austin. That was the primary time that Slash and I had performed collectively. It could be the primary time he and Billy had performed collectively. I’m unsure. Gibbons and I’ve performed collectively many, many occasions by way of the years. Nevertheless it was such a blast, doing this Skynyrd tribute with the three of us because the three guitar gamers, every having his personal form of sound and character, it was actually enjoyable. Slash and I had been speaking for years about him coming to Christmas Jam. I introduced it up and he stated, “You realize, I believe it would truly work out this yr. That will be superior.” I’m form of psyched to see the place it’s all going to go.

Attending to be part of that Skynyrd tribute, you have received varied components of the DNA of that band in your sound, so it is good to get a second to honor an essential affect like that.
It was stunning — and likewise, having Paul Rodgers there, who’s considered one of my all-time favourite singers. There’s a full circle closure a part of that complete factor, as a result of Paul goes means again with the Skynyrd guys. All the guys in Lynyrd Skynyrd have been large followers of Free. They at all times talked about how they noticed Free when [the band] got here to America for the primary time. You’ll be able to hear it of their music. Skynyrd, clearly have been large followers of that music they usually turned nice mates by way of the years. It was proper after Gary Rossington had handed, so it was a really emotional time and an amazing reminiscence for me.

READ MORE: See Slash and Billy Gibbons Lead All-Star Lynyrd Skynyrd Tribute

Past you being a fellow musician and participant, what do you like about what Billy Gibbons brings to the guitar?
I’ve at all times been an enormous fan. You realize, Billy is at all times holding extra playing cards than he’s enjoying. He’s at all times able to greater than he provides you. He’s understanded, not fairly to the extent as say, David Gilmour. Nevertheless it’s in the same means, the place each notice is ideal and what he performs, you don’t envision the rest in that area aside from what he performed. He’s simply the grasp of enjoying the suitable shit. His tone is at all times impeccable. I’ve been a fan from the very starting, however I believe the primary time I heard “Blue Jean Blues,” I used to be like, “Wow.” His blues enjoying is simply high shelf, as is every part he does. However we’ve been mates for a protracted, very long time. We performed collectively many occasions, however I catch myself typically going, “Effectively, I copped this from Gibbons, I copped that from Gibbons.” [Laughs] He’s an enormous affect.

This new album showcases a bunch of nice highlights from the thirtieth anniversary of the Christmas Jam. One of many issues that occurred was that Dave Grohl carried out his composition “Play” for the primary time. Do you know he was planning to try this?
Yeah, that was one thing we’d been speaking about for a couple of months upfront. I’d been reaching out for a couple of years in a row about him presumably coming to Christmas Jam. When it seemed like he may do it, it made good sense for him to deliver “Play” to the Christmas Jam, as a result of he’d by no means carried out it reside. He’d solely carried out the recording the place he performed all the devices himself. It was an ideal alternative for him to do one thing [like that]. You realize, “Play” was a charity undertaking and Christmas Jam is a charity undertaking, so I believe in his thoughts, it was the proper purpose [to do it there], the proper storm. And since we’re speaking in regards to the good storm, we received snowed in.

Watch Dave Grohl Carry out ‘Play’

We now have an afterparty after the primary occasion and it was turning into this brutal snowstorm. We received the phrase that no person was going to have the ability to fly out, that the snowstorm had hit and we have been all stranded. The very first thing Dave stated was, “Okay, we have to discover a membership and do a gig!” [Laughs] We went again to the Orange Peel and did a Snow Jam, the place it was simply impromptu. All people got here and we simply jammed. There was no time for rehearsal and there have been a variety of cowl songs being performed. However we performed to a small crowd of individuals. It was nice and it was his thought.

That is such a cool addendum to that exact weekend.
Yeah and it being the thirtieth anniversary, all of it simply form of makes the entire general story that a lot cooler. It’s not the primary time that we ever received snowed in, however it’s the first time that we turned it into that form of social gathering. [Laughs] Artimus Pyle, the unique drummer for Lynyrd Skynyrd, confirmed up. We performed “Easy Man” with Dave enjoying guitar and Artimus enjoying drums. They’d by no means met and it was only a actually particular second that occurred. These issues, you’ll be able to’t plan, .

You have shared the stage with so many legends. It nonetheless flooring me that Eric Clapton did not play with the Allmans till 2009 on the Beacon. A couple of years later, he was reunited with Duane Allman’s traditional 1957 Les Paul Goldtop once you all carried out collectively once more on the Crossroads Guitar Competition. What have been these experiences like for you? 
Effectively, we’ll begin with the Beacon. Eric sat in with us two nights on the Beacon. I believe one night time we performed six or seven songs and one night time, we performed seven or eight songs. It was simply implausible. He performed nice, he sang nice. It was historical past. It was the Allman Brothers and Eric Clapton enjoying collectively on stage for the primary time. Folks might discover that onerous to imagine, however it had by no means occurred. It occurred as a result of [the 2009 Beacon residency] was all devoted to Duane Allman. We rehearsed on stage on the Beacon the primary day and we received completed with all the stuff that we had mentioned upfront that we have been going to play. Eric stated, “Is there the rest we must always take into consideration?” We’re all wanting round and he stated, “What about ‘Little Wing’?” All of us checked out one another and stated, “Effectively, we’ve by no means performed it, however we all know it. Yeah, positive, we are able to do it.” So we did an impromptu rehearsal and performed it that night time and it was implausible.

Watch the Allman Brothers Band and Eric Clapton Carry out ‘In Reminiscence of Elizabeth Reed’

That was considered one of my finest recollections from that complete expertise. However listening to him solo on “In Reminiscence of Elizabeth Reed” was wonderful. He’d form of reached some extent the place I believe he thought he was carried out along with his solo and was going to form of finish it. However the rhythm part had different plans. [Laughs] They only saved going, so he was form of compelled to modify into gear six and it was wonderful. It was a particular factor for all of us to witness. Now, [as far as] the story about Duane’s guitar [and] Crossroads, the individual that had Duane’s guitar introduced it to the gig. Derek and I had each performed it earlier than, however we have been messing round with it. He stated, “You realize, Eric in all probability hasn’t seen this guitar in ages. Why don’t we go present it to him?” We walked again to Eric’s dressing room and as quickly as we walked within the door, Eric seemed up and stated, “Is {that a} reproduction of Duane’s previous guitar?” Derek stated, “No, that is Duane’s guitar.” He was like, “Oh my God, I haven’t seen that guitar since we did ‘Layla’.” It was simply unimaginable to witness that. He noticed it from throughout the room. And it’s a very visually distinctive guitar, however he may see from 20 or 30 toes away that that was what it was.

READ MORE: How Eric Clapton Opened His Coronary heart and Made a Masterpiece

What’s forward for Gov’t Mule in 2024?
Effectively, up to now six months or so, we’ve employed Kevin Scott as our new bass participant and he’s doing a tremendous job. Kevin had subbed for Jorgen Carlsson when he had COVID final yr. He did a tremendous job then and we stated to ourselves, “Wow, this man is implausible, if we ever wanted a bass participant, he can be the man to name.” Not realizing that we’d ever want a bass participant, however then because it turned out, Jorgen left the band. Our first thought was, “Let’s name Kevin.” He’s actually simply a tremendous participant in his personal proper, however he additionally loves Allen Woody’s enjoying and Jorgen’s enjoying and Andy Hess’ enjoying. He’s come into this as a fan of Gov’t Mule, however he’s bringing his personal factor and it’s actually labored out extremely properly. I’m wanting ahead to subsequent yr, which would be the thirtieth anniversary of the band. We’re going to discover the vaults and see what sort of recorded music we have now that we are able to make accessible and attempt to do some particular exhibits. I’m very enthusiastic about it.