Haven't seen much talk around here about the x-mas jam. Who's going? Anyone know if P&F will be doing 2 full sets or just one? I'm pretty sure we're going to make the drive from St. Louis...I'd appreciate any feedback regarding prior x-mas jams, I've never been to one.

Hey Eric, WE're going, that's me and my hubby. Asheville is a great town, you'll like it, go downtown while your there and check out all the cool stores and restaurants, etc.
I don't know any info about the show, never been to a christmas jam either. I hope Phil plays two sets, my theory is that he will because it's warrens night and that's warrens band too. We should meet up and hang out.

I'm going.

and we're all just a bunch of x-mas jam virgins.

muadib, where do you want to meet up? We should meet somewhere before the show. A brew pub or something.

What time are you leaving? I might be driving down alone from PA unless I can talk one of my friends into going with me.
I'm not familiar with the area at all. Who knows the area down there?

Muadib, we are leaving on thursday as we have to drop the kid off in charlotte with his grandparents and tehn head on to asheville on friday. We will be there for the whole weekend as a little mini getaway and to see some asheville friends too. email me your phone number so I can call you and tell you where we are gonna be staying and all. I can also give you directions to get there, etc., etc..
Do you have hotel reservations yet? We got a great deal that had to be booked 30 days in advance, so you would have to book tonight to get in on that deal. It was like 60 or 70 dollars and like three blocks from the civic center and in the middle of downtown where all the cool stuff is.
I'm rambling, sorry....

I love you Liberty so much!!!

& methinks Muadib needs to change his *occupation*...

I'm only working under that table now.

Hey guys! I'm going and have already spoke to Jill, Mike and sent you an email Lib!
Come on down to the Best Western!
For those of you who haven't heard...call BW res. it's the BW-Central on Woodsin Dr. Its right behind the Civic Center and across the street from the Music Zone.!!! I'm also a virgin Xmas-jammer and sooooo look forward to meeting you guys!!!!

*~*~*~PEACE*~*~*~
Noelle

Hey folks -- as an Asheville resident and attendee of several past Xmas Jams, I can say pretty safely that P&F will probably only play one set. The show will begin promptly at 7 pm -- don't dawdle -- and with Drivin' and Cryin', Blues Traveler, and Gov't Mule sets on the bill as well as a guaranteed acoustic set with Warren, Kevn Kinney, and Edwin McCain plus "special guest" Col. Bruce and others, there will be a lot of music packed into one long stretch.

The drum sets and keyboard setups remain the same -- musicians bring only their axe and plug in -- there is no setup time between acts and rarely more than a 5 minute stretch break. Curfew is normally at 12 am but may stretch until 1 . . .

Enjoy your trip to Asheville -- avoid the Days Inn! Y'all take care . . .

Daydream~way to be on top of things there, sistah!!!

(;

Hey, ONE of us has to have our shit together!!!

~this will be one phun time y'all~

I don't have my shit together. Never do.

thanks peachtruck, for the info.

>Hey, ONE of us has to have our shit together!!!

Yeah...especially when one doesn't know when they're arriving in San Fran!!! ; )
Just jokin' sister!

Can't wait to party it up and boogie down!!
Daydream

hey now!

just call it a *pisces II* thing...

Daydream so you are polling to see if'n you need to get 2 adjoining rooms?? ya know, for the freewheelin' orgy...

oh wait, that's nye...

what? no orgy for the xmas jam? I'm selling my tickets then...

>oh wait, that's nye...

Drunken, Dionysian, Caligula-esque orgy.


Show these west coast mambie pambies how the east gets their swerve on.

I was a figurin' on 1 room for the orgy! That way we all HAVE to stay on top of each other!!!
; )

I don't think we'll need 2 rooms with the amount of folks that'll be there...or the amount of sleep we won't get!

Liberty is staying at the Renaissance...so it'll be me and 4 of us N. Carolinians, Jill, and Maubid. Possibly Phlow?!? We can make room and save dough for the NYE fiascos!!!

won't be like a "regular" phil show. should be a fine night of music.

Hey now! AFter reading the posts I still haven't figured out if there's going to be a central meeting place for Zoners or not. I'd definitley love to meet a bunch of y'all, some of you I've traded with but most I've just read your posts. I'm driving from Winston (east of Asheville about 2-2.5 hours), won't be staying the night but want to party with some of you guys! Any word on a spot near or at the show grounds to meet??

HERS THE SCOOP GUYS!!!I LIVE HERE IN ASHEVILLE.!!! THE TOWN IS VERY MELLOW AND HEAD FREINDLY THEY ALLOW THE "LOT" TO GO OFF BUT PLEASE GO AND CHECK OUT THE LOCAL FOOD AND BEERS BECAUSE A LOT OF OLDER HEADS HAVE SETTLED HERE AND OWN/WORK AT A LOT OF THE LOCAL PLACES AND ITS NOT LIKE GIVING MONEY TO "THE MAN". WARRENS BROTHER OWNS A RECORD STORE RIGHT DOWN TOWN, LOTS OF HIPPIE STORES AND MASSAGE AND HEALTH FOOD AND STUFF!! THE COPS ARE COOL, BUT STILL COPS SO DONT BE BLATANT IDIOTS AND YOU WILL HAVE A SWEEEEET TIME. DRINK AT "GREENMAN" "BIER-GARDEN" "COLLEGE STREET PUB" AND EAT AT "LAUGHING SEED" OR "MELLOW MUSHROOM" ALL PLACES HERE HAVE OUTSIDE SEATING. !!!!DO NOT DRIVE DRUNK--YOU WILL END UP IN JAIL, OR WORSE!!!!!I LOVE YOU PHOOLS!!!
SONNYLITTLETREE@HOTMAIL.COM SUNDAWG!!!!

hey buddy
what kinda massages are we talkin about
how much $.kinda like the red light district of asheville of what.

sounds like a plan Daydream...we got one room, one night of debauchery!!! Liberty, you'll HAVE TO make a guest appearance, natch... (drag Dirty Sanchez along!!)

& we can all only hope that Phlow accompanies our dear Muadib... (for the phreaky phun factor, among his other many and varied attributes!!)

Sundawg thanks for the scoop~sounds like we need to make some pre-show meeting for real!!! surely there must be a brewpub in town?? methinks TC & myself hit one on our springtime adventures...(?!?)

anyone think Phil's gonna do XMas tunes??? Anyone familiar with whatall goes down at this here jam-bo-ree???

~Love to Y'all~ (going and not going)

Hey everyone, does anyone know if the show is sold out yet?

Is the show sold out?

Just check ticketbastard and they don't seem to have any tickets left.

I'll sell Phlow's ticket to the highest bidder.

Start the bidding at 2 bits.

MORE PEEPS COMING THAN WE EXPECTED....ANY EXTRAS??????EMAIL ME. SONNYLITTLETREE@HOTMAIL.COM

Hey AugustWest...check this page out and start getting psyched - lots of photos, audio etc from x-mas jams gone by. Should turn out to be a great night of music! Can't wait.... ))

http://www.mulezone.com/xmasjam/index.html

you might want to check emule - there are probably some tickets still rollin round for those who may still need em.

we have 2 free rooms at the travelodge because they were so friendly the last time we were there *Sarcastic* but nevertheless with New Years expenses coming I cannot turn down 2 free rooms.


I have last years jam and it fills up 5 cds and as for Asheville they usually have a pretty good shakedown as long as you are not clausterphobic (sp)

Hey Gang---Cant wait for X-MAS JAM!!!!!!!

Wow..this Fall Tour went by FAST. From Chicago to NYC seems like a blink. I'm glad X-mas jam will be long and so many bands. I usually dont like seeing phil share a bill, but this is not a tour show, and fall tour went by so fast I really just want to be back in a venue puffing down with my friends and dancing.

BY THE WAY---Parking is tight downtown here. Lots of meter parking and paylots. DONT GET TOWED!!!!! The event parking lots are usually 5$. Downtown is kind of small. If there is anything going on at the MUSIC ZONE or STELLA BLUE after the show--check it out!! PLEASE COME TO ASHEVILLE EARLY AND TAKE A LOAD OFF AND RELAX IN OUR TOWN. ITS A GREAT SCENE.

see ya in the ZoNe!!

*~*~*~WOO~HOO~*~*~*

y'all...

Can't wait!!!! Only ten days away!!! We're heading out from St. Louis next Thursday and will be staying at the Rennaisance hotel. Anyone else staying there? And then we're on to SF for NYE (Phil on the 30th and SCI on the 31st)!!!!!

Heading down from NJ with my buddies is there a place yet where evryone is meeting up. Let me know
See everyone there. Don

Hey eveyone, it is about 2:00pm et Monday December 17th, and the best thing just happend, hope some of ya'll will be able to take advantage. Unfortunaly I was unable to get tickets before the show sold out. Although ticketmaster has just released tickets in the section listed as obstructed view. Only $15.00 gets you in. Hope this helps someone out. see you in asheville. Peace and love to all.

THANK YOU PETE!

Beth and I will see you all there!

AGAIN, A BIG THANK YOU!

RIGHT ON Y'ALL!!!!

For those of ya goin' I have a room under my name...Noelle Mondi at the Best Western right behind the Civic Center!

Stop by and say hello or call and we can get a group together for some fun b4 the show!!!

WHOOOOHOOOOO!!!!~!

Love,
Daydream!

UPDATE......

I'll be at my hotel by 3pm on Friday along with Jill, Maudib, Phlow, and Ron.

Hope to see some of ya there!

YES LIBERTY that's you too!!!! ; ) Hey - or at least call us...you're right down the street!!!


PEACE,
Daydream

Phlow is good peeps...then again any friend of Muadib is a friend of mine.

he'll have the entertainment factor on high..

>he'll have the entertainment factor on high..

yeah, but it was you who broke out the guns, cryp

I wish I had a picture of that hunter we scared out of the tree stand.


Too funny.

NO GUNS IN ASHEVILLE PLEASE

But then again...to see a frightened hunter would be hysterical!

You'd be pooping in your union suit too if you saw 3 drunken weirdos squeezing off rounds at 10 am in a nearby sandpit

Considering it was YOU Crypt...I'm sure he crapped his, his wife's and the neighbors pants!

; )

But you don't scare ME!

>>>drunken weirdos squeezing off rounds at 10 am
*the essence of life*...

see y'all there, except, of course, for "mr. lame"

Cryp~you ain't allowed to play if ya ain't coming down to the festivities... (;

(Boshapn, you, mais oui, are forgiven)

Cars packed and im leaving early in the morning AND I FORGOT TO ASK THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION OF ALL!!!!!

Do they serve beer and other goodies?
Or should I wear my baggy pants and make a depot stop? gonna be a long night, must come prepared!

Daydream, call my cellphone tomorrow afternoon for a roadside report! We might be traveling with yet another heathen from Joisey. I'll have to swing by Newark and pick his Old ass up in the morning. Usually Beth and I just throw him in the car. His name is Jim, we call him the reverend and he looks like SATAN himself when he gets lit up. Should be the perfect ingredient for a Christmas cake!

"whiskey river take my mind,
don't let a memory talk to me,"

ASHVILLE BOUND---->
schmegg

*ASHEVILLE-
damn Yankees

they have snacks in the civic center and drinks are like 3.50 for booze and up I guess. have fun kids..be safe..dont tear my little town up too bad, k??

Hey eveyone, does anyone know how the show will run. Is drivin n' cyrin doing a set then blues traveler then gov't mule and phil and friends all doing there own sets. Never been to one of these Christmas Jams before. I luckily was able to get some seats after the show sold out behind the stage but will I be able to walk around and check things out or is security really tight. I appreciate any info. Peace and love

Hi Everyone!!!
I just learned that I won't be able to make it
to Asheville tomorrow.
I have 2 tickets available (Sec 123, Row g, seats 9 and 10) $64.00 and they're yours!!!
If you can get to Charlotte I'll be glad to part
with these little jewels.
Please contact me at malger@abxusa.com and
we can make arrangements!!!

Phil and Friends is something special!!! See
them every chance you get!!! Both Charlotte shows this year were fabulous!!!! We'll always
miss Jerry,,, but Phil can proudly carry the torch!!

Happy Holidays to everyone on the Zone
Mike Alger

I woke up today expecting to see at least 1 review
of Phil's set last night.It certainly looked worthy of a review judging by the setlist.
Golden Road,Soulshine,Loose Lucy,Tenn.Jed,GDTRFB,
Angel Band,Night of 1000 *'s, and Lovelight.
Would love to hear from someone who was inside.
C'mon guys and girls, this IS the Philzone show review discussion board. Anxiously awaiting your prompt reply!!

Yeah, I want to hear how "Smokin' and Rockin'" that Loose Lucy - Tenn Dread was! C'mon people, make my day!

What a fantastic night! Phil set was pretty hot with the highlight a smokin' Soulshine and killer jam in the Lovelight. The list is wrong though. Robert Randolph was also on stage for the Lovelight which made for some interesting guitar play between Jimmy, Warren and Robert. During the dreaded "Technical Difficulties" before they could start Lovelight, Rob started the "Beer Barrel Polka" was joined by Phil & crew then a joke about "Who actually got in the Barrel" from Phil. Warren closed the show, which ended at 2:15AM,with a Govt. Mule set that smoked and was loaded with guest including Mike Gordon,Dave Schools and more.

Hey, my first ever post here. I thought the whole show was great. It started about 7:30 with Drivin n Cryin. They played four or five songs and sounded good. Blues Traveler played a set and Warren joined them on the Mountains Win Again (I think). Phil sounded good. The Soulshine was really hot, Col. Bruce handled the vocals for lovelight. Mule was really hot. They started with Oteil on bass, then Mike Gordon for a song or two, Schools closed out the set on bass duties. They encored with Rockin in the Free World, with Warren ad libbing some lines. I think that Robert Randolph, Kevin Kinney and Audley Freed all came on for the encore. Overall, a wonderful evening of music.

", this IS the Philzone show review discussion board.."

THIS SHOW SMOKED YOUR SISTERS ASS!!!!

-I just got back from a twelve hour drive (24 hours 1400mi. round trip), I have a head cold and I got 5 hours of sleep in the last 48. Im going to pass out for a couple of days, then write a review. Sorry about my promptness,,,,,,??????

The show was awesome. Robert Randolph was definitely a treat. After seeing him in the Go 4 Room, he always brings a special smile to your face. Phil was incredible and who would of thought that he would of jammed into "Soulshine"...expected by the MULE. Oteil and the boys (Popper) came together with an incredible "Thorazine Shuffle" into "Mule"....with a little Burbidge rap, which always sounds nice!!! Schools is always the man on the other side, with such a great bass line that you gotta love. The two master minds (Haynes and Schools)look like family that were meant to be. I give great respect to both of those two who play their style the best and please everyone. PLEASE PLAY ON!!! School Zone!!! Warren you are GOD!! Needless to say, if you miss the jam, then you definitely miss out. USA is #1...Rockin' in the Free World!!!

Sorry for double post....other post belonged here. These were my comments yesterday afternoon:...still apply today!

7:30PM til 2:15AM!!!!!! I am still hungover as shit here at 3:30PM EST!

It was a lot of fun...here is a quickie from my perspective...

1. Drivin and Cryin should have saved the gas and stayed home.

2. Blues Traveler was good, but I never thought they would finish their 1:15 min set! Popper has lost a BUNCH of weight, but still plays the harmonica like he weights 300 pounds.

3. Acoustic set with a bunch of folks was an ok interlude and allowed folks to pee, get food and more beer (and boy did it flow last night)

4. P&F rocked, but I wante SO much more. Right at 90 minutes of music. Set list is on this site. Tenn Jed was awesome and had the crowd really reeling! Soulshine was expected. Angel Band was unexpected and excellent. Lovelight w/Col. Bruce Hampton and Robert Randolph was just killer HUGE jams. As usual they left us wanting much more.

5. Govt Mule took the stage around 1AM and blew smoke for over an hour!!! "Rockin in the Free World" grand finale. Bass players in order were Othiel Burbage(sp?), Mike Gordon and Dave Schools.
A very nice and powerful set. My ears were still ringing this morning.

I had a blast. Was the most music I had seen for 25$ ever. If the truth be known P&F and Govt Mule could have easily carried the whole show. Just my 2 cents.

peace and merry christmas

Just to let you know how tired I was after getting home last night. Beth supposedly called me from Florida at 3 in the morning and had a full conversation with me while I was sleeping! HA! Weirdness! I really don't remember one god damn thing, but she said I had allot to say. Scary shit!

Anyway, we pulled into Asheville around 11:30 Thursday night (12 hour drive to the minute). I immediately spotted my friend Dave from fall tour. "Welcome to AssVegas! Park your car and let me take you for a tour. My house is one block from here." We immediately did just that, and through out a 3-1/2 hour span hit 3 watering holes and got really lit up. One very cool thing about bars in Asheville is that they play Dave Nelson Band! We eventually went back to Dave's friend Mike's house where we continued slamming Oatmeal Porters till the sun rose. Beth passed out around 2-3ish and I caught a couple hours of sleep on the couch. The following morning we finally got a Hotel room and freshened up allitle. Bret had just called and plans were in the making. After a 2 hour power nap in the hote', we headed off for food and festivities. We meet up with Bret, Shakergirl, TC and two other fellows (my memory sucks) at Barleys and mixed and mingled over pizza till it was show time. Due to the fact this show was a scheduled 6 hours long, we made a call to Daydream and Jill and paid a quick visit to the Orgy going on in the Best Western. (dudddeee, we need a light bulb! ). Realizing I was on a completely different tangent then the rest of the room, I regretfully slipped off and hauled ass back to the lot to find my Jersey friend Rob. Rob too was enjoying some fine Asheville brew and cheers, so all plans to reconvene back with Jill somehow failed. Sorry guys! Anyway, all said, Beth, Rob and I regrouped and went in.. ->

We got into the show while Blues Traveler was on stage. Upon first glance I didn't even recognize John Popper. Man, he lost allot of weight! I've always been a big BT fan but hadn't seen popper play in over 8 years. Last time I saw him he weighed in close to 300 and was using a cain. The whole band was different looking. The absence of Bobby, Chan's hair cut, and the drummer wasn't wearing his signature cowboy hat. Anyway, they sounded great. Warren came out and played Mountains with them and John again dedicated the song to good friends (Alan-Bobby tribute). NYC prophet was rockin, John may have lost the weight but THE FAT MAN STILL CAN SING. The set closed with three new songs I didn't recognize, or really cared for, but overall where allot of fun.

After BT exited the stage, Rob and I carefully watched the 10 minute turn over. This was amazing! You really have to give Warren's rodie credit. The man has to be one of the hardest workers in show business. He conducts a stage turnover like Phil conducts his band.

Outcomes Danny Barns with an Acoustic guitar. Danny proceed to bring a really BIG smile to my face with "im alone for Christmas". Kind of an upscale blue grass number. It reminded me of Dylan's subterranean homesick blues. Really great stuff. Fast, Tight appalachian style picking going on. I looked over at Beth, who the next day was off to her mothers house in Florida, and we started laughing. Immmmm allloneee for Christmas! Man, if this keeps up this will really be a great night! Danny closes out his tune and announces to the crowd its his 40th B-day, everybody gives him a warm cheer. Then Warren comes out and tells us this man flew in from Seattle to play that song on his birthday! Everyone REALLY gives a big cheer! Danny, with a Big grin, takes his bow and exits. Keep in mind, while all this is going on Warrens roadie is in the back ground scrambling. Then Alvin Hart came out with a steel guitar and laid Momma Don't Allow on us. NOW THIS IS A CHRISTMAS JAM! Allitle country bluegrass shaker to real five finger picking slide blues! Popper came back on the stage and joined Alvin in another blues number Devil Got My Woman. Alivn got a big applause and exited. Popper stayed out there and was joined with McCain, Otiel, Jimmy (w/acoustic guitar) and birthday boy Danny Barnes. This had a full Wassabie feel. I don't know if any of you remember the Wassabie jams w/ popper at the Wetlands years ago. Unrehearsed- raw! Alone was simply magical. It really brought back a killer smile. I haven't heard the song played in so long that to hear it on a night like this was incredible. Poppers harp flew notes threw the air. Some of which made your spine tingle. AWESOME! By the time they where through I totally had forgotten Phil was up next!

...cont.


I cant say anything I haven't said already about phils band. With the last tour I start getting scared at just how good these guys really are. I think my friend Rob summed it up best "Phils warming up for eternity". Anyway, they came out to a huge applause. Phil did a dance and jingle and started up the Jam. Know one really knew what to expect. I was think more on the lines of a Warren tune, possibly comes a time. But with the amount of time and the field of musicians they had to work with for this gig anything was possible. The opening Jam was blistering with very heavy Lesh tones. Phil was pounding away, thump-thump-thud, bo-bo-booomm. Warren looked so relaxed. He really is in his element here. Visibly PLQ is a band of 5. Warren sits back, does his part in full acceptance of 4 other parts being played. I think this no pressure scenario has got to make PLQ such an incredible band to play in. Anyway, Phil was just smoking up the opening jam! I looked over at Rob and Beth and we where off to find the sweet sounding spots. We found this really cool corridor place in the rear of the balcony where we could hear Phil better. Golden Road was a real party. Phil's presence was still VERY loud and Warren was having fun throwing out his merry-go-round lyrics. Hey-A-HEY! Back into jam and then Soulshine. This is Warrens Song! Fat ending, Warrens PA was turned up real loud. So the band kind of cracks their knuckles look over at Rob and take off Loose Lucy. I've seen them play this in Maine and over at the Beacon, but this version Takes the Cake. Rob was singing his lungs out and I thought he was going to kick his bench over. By this time our little corridor has turned into a Philzone of Party Animals. One girl swings over and spins me, another mom has her 4 year old doing his hip shake. PHIL BOMBS FILL THE AIR! We are balls out rockin! The band falls back into a short jam and then T.Jed. Tennesseee, Tennesseeeeeeee, There aint no place Id rather be! The whole balcony is now up and grooving. My guess, T.jed is a big hit down these ways. Anyway, strong closer and again its time to wipe the sweat off and take a breath. wew! I look over at my friend Rob, "did they really just play that". He laughs at me. GDTRFB came out strong, Warren screams "water taste like wine" vocal and the place again goes nuts. Home Town Crowd! Goin down ends big and glides right into Angel Band. Ok, This is now Warrens set guys. "......on your snow white wings". Great Christmas carol. Into 1000 stars. "full moon rising over Alcatraz". I get chills and a big Greek Theater flash back. Just when we thought the set ended Warren came back out and introduced the band. Its was kind of neat seeing Warren do this instead of Phil for once. They close off with a sick lovelight joined by Robert Randolph and the Col., who sung the lyrics. Incredible set, incredible time. If New Years comes close to holding a stick to that set you all will be in for an incredible time.

After Phil, superman Haynes comes back out with Rob and Matt and Otiel and does a cool Rocking Horse and Thorazine Shuffle. Later, Mike Gordon comes out for a couple of songs. Immediately, this kid next to be starts freaking out. "now we are going to party!!!" he disclaims to no avail. Duh! Anyway, I feel bad for Mike Gordon, having idiots like this following him around. Mike plays well and receives ampel applause as he exits. The show is finally summed up with Almost Cut my Hair (you have to hear this one). And then encored with Masters of War and Rockin in the Free World.

To say this was anything BUT an incredible night of music is crazy. The fact this ticket only cost me 15 bucks is crazy! We exited the venue had a quick beer and passed out. On the long drive home the following morning my head was still buzzing. Thank you Asheville for an incredible time! Your little town nestled in the mountains is beautiful. I hope to see you all in the spring.

As for the rest of you,
merry christmas and a happy new year!
-greg and beth

The Book that is the review for ~ Warren’s Christmas Jam - 12/21/2001 – Asheville Civic Center
There is NO way to make this any shorter for me it was The Highlight of the year so far…..There is a little party out in Oakland that may just top it so, anyway, here it is…………

What a 36-hr. ride(r/t), I left Columbus at 6:30 am on the 21st and headed to Dayton to catch a ride down to Asheville with my taping compare Brain (not a misspelling). He had worked an overnight shift and was just getting off work as I pulled up. This meant that driving down was up to me, no sweat. The drive down through Kentucky & Tennessee, and then the Carolina Mountains was beautiful. After about 7 hrs. of driving we pulled into Asheville. Once there I headed to the Builtmore Gift Shop for some of the wine that comes from their Vineyard. This is one of LadyTC’s favorite vineyards and I was scoring points bringing these X-mas gifts home. From there we headed over to the venue to start the party. However my partner wanted NO part of the pre-show festivities choosing instead to catch up on some more sleep till the show. So I headed out to find some Philzoners and have some beers & chow. I headed over to Barley’s and found all of the above-mentioned things & after 6 “Organic” Oatmeal Stouts & a slice of pie I was primed and ready for the show. Oh Yeah, to those of you who think NYC pie is the best, AGAIN, I say bite me. CHI-TOWN Pie is what all others are judged by. I digress………

After hooking up with Gentle Ben & Kim who we’d be spending the show with, we got all of the tickets straightened out and headed in. (Thanks for the X-Mas gift of the 1st Row ticket Ben!). There was a search of sorts to get in; open the bag, “What’s that?” a tape deck, close up and head in. No problems, hell we didn’t even have the reportedly necessary taper ticket. Once inside we went directly to the tapers section and found it FILLED to the brim. Finding a suitable location we set up the gear and started the party.

Set 1: Drivin’ & Cryin
Somebody has to open these things and this was the choice for tonight. Should they have been there? Warren thought so & I being in the minority (I think) thought so to. I remember many of their songs and had seen them before opening for some mid-eighties alternative band. Tonight’s show although short was still entertaining, I don’t think the crowd caught on until “ Straight to Hell” which was their only song with radio play. They only played roughly 30mins and were done. A side note right here: What a GREAT job the crew did with the change of bands and the addition of extra musicians during sets. It was fast and flawless each time. Well almost…

Set 2: Blues Traveler
John Popper the ultimate master of the harmonica is THIN! You may have seen this or heard it on many of the media outlets but until you see him up there it doesn’t really sink in. Anyway, with that said and keeping in mind that this was the X-mas Jam, I knew their set would be short. The first 4 songs were great, Carolina up first which was perfect for the evening. Then a triple threat Slow Change, Freedom & Reach Me. This trio was Hot & showed how well these guy’s play together. The transitions were some of the best I’ve heard, outside of the Dead & Phil & Friends. It was really something, also Popper Voice is Amazing, losing the weight hasn't changed that one bit. Next Warren came out to guest on Mountains win again and Popper said, “ I guess this ones permanently dedicated to old friends”. I will say that Warren’s slide was simply chilling and the contrast with the harp was very cool indeed! Warren left the stage & then the band transitioned again into Proph. After about 4 min. into the tune there was a P.A. burst to end ALL P.A. bursts. ATTENTION: Note to Venue staff; Make sure to check and tighten all the bolts that connect the ceiling together, them may have loosened in last night’s event. During the next tune, which was yet another powered up blues number, there was a drum & bass jam from Brendan Hill & Tad Kinchla that was PHAT as hell. Between tunes Popper steps up to thank the folks who came out to the show and let us know that we’d be seeing him again. There final tune Pattern is a cool funky, jazzy number that had every ass in the house shakin’ and had a little Joy to the World thingy stuck in there for tonight’s celebration. Notes: 1. If my tune names are screwed up it’s that I don’t know BT that well and I think the setlist might be off as I listen to the tape. 2. If you haven’t seen BT get your smelly butt off the couch and get out there & check em’ out you won’t be disappointed. 3. And finally, there set went about 60 minutes

Set 3: Acoustic Set w/a constantly changing lineup

Danny Barnes came on first, solo, and did an amusing I’m Alone for Christmas. This was a ripping fast tune and as I watched from the rail I could see that this dude was getting off in a big way playing to this sold out crowd. At the end he wished himself a Happy Birthday, and the entire place responded with a big cheer for him. Very Cool!

Alvin Youngblood Hart was next up. As he walk on I noticed the National Steel guitar right away and was psyched to hear him get down on this thing! Mr. Hart then proceeded to Rip up the place, with “Mama Don’t Know?” If that weren’t enough then Popper comes out for a duet on Devil got my Woman. This was exceptionally sweet and I started getting this great vibe, knowing that this show would be the one that really made up for the fiasco that I had at my last P&F show at Promoworst Pavilion.

Edwin McCain headed up the lineup for the last couple of tunes in this killer set. He was joined by Oteil, Popper, Mr.Herring & Danny Barnes (on Banjo). First up was That sign on the Door. This tune was a mellow but Ultra sweet thing to have seen. Edwin had a great presence up and looked as though he was also having the time of his life up there. Oteil joined in heavily on this one adding a sweet scatty solo and then Edwin poured it on with his gritty voice to polish off the tune.
Without stopping exactly they went right into probably the highlight of the entire show for me, Alone. With both Edwin and Popper heading up the vocal we enjoyed watching a very playful exchange between these two. The “band” took this tune where I haven’t heard it before with the light acoustic flavor, and the Banjo added to this in a big way. Once again Oteil shows us his Jazzy spirit with and slightly longer and more potent solo than in the previous tune. As the band kicks back in Edwin and Popper really shine Vocally scatting back and forth. Then with a Huge impish grin on his face Popper teases Edwin with his harp which beg for a vocal response, they go back and forth like this a few times then popper takes control to finish it off. Holy Shit! This was an Awesome set to have seen, and I was only 2 bodies from the rail where I could really soak it in, Yeeee Haw!

Set 4: Phil & Friends

Right from the time the boys walked out you KNEW, this was gonna big BIG!!!!!!! Phil was dropping bombs during the tune up that had my change jingling. To open things up they slammed out an Other One Jam to die for. As I watched Phil I was blown away, here’s this 60+ guy gritting his teeth and pounding out like he’s in a punk band, No shit I swear it’s true. After a few minutes of this madness they slowed a bit to start working toward the opener. Phil’s bass was sooo up front tonight you just couldn’t believe it and as I watched him I just couldn’t believe the way he was playing. I know I’m being repetitive but I simply cannot help it. As they fired into Golden Road he was pounding out the bass riff in such a way that it should have been measured on a Richter Scale instead of a dB meter. AMAZING!!!(There was some static in the P.A. again which cleared up quickly. Please fix this before the best party of the year please) The Asheville Civic Center (A.C.C.) is now a full on Heavy-Duty party pit, rockin’ out hard & I’m getting what I drove all this way for. The Jam that followed showed why I love Warren so much more when he’s in the Phil line-up vs. Mule. With Phil there is a depth to his playing a sort of landscape in a way instead of power chord after power chord. Also during this jam everyone else shined and the interplay I was watching could only be achieved IMO by the best of friends not simply a band. The Jam petered out and after a short breather the A.C.C. was treated to a nice Soulshine, I knew this would be coming I simply hoped it might happen in the mule set instead. That aside I’d say it was better than others I’ve seen & certainly fit in on the theme for tonight this being a Benefit and all. Loose Lucy, was my delight, what a joy it was to hear this one after such a long absence. Rob’s Vocals were way over the top at first but then it settled down nice and tight. The tranny out of Lucy into the Jam that followed was as smooth as silk. The Jam itself was a hypnotic psychedelic romp, Phil leading the way with his Amp on steroids, Jimmy & Warren tossing complex little riffs back & forth and Rob & John dusting the edges with some fantastic rhythms for the boy’s to play with. The Sweet Jam melted into a Smoothie of a Tennessee. No other good way to put it. It was cool and mellow with chunks of goodness mixed in comprised of micro solos from all on stage. During this next break I called a GDTRFB, in a show with guest whether they play or not it seem that this is commonly played. Cha-Ching, the GDTRFB and my friends this puppy was smokin’ for sure. I was a little disappointed that we didn’t have guest for it but when they slid into Angel Band it made sense. This version of Angel Band was quite a bit bigger than the last one I saw. It was a full on tune, which was different from the near Acapella version I had seen before. The Harmony in this song is stellar, it shows the tightness of the band and I hope will seal their fate, which is to stay together in this current line up. I must state here that, “ Phil & Co. you all are the Angel Band, in so many ways from the charity work to lifting the spirits and minds of those folks you come in contact with” After a short break, BAM, Night of a Thousand Stars comes rolling around like steamroller. Warren belting out the vocals and Phil & Mt. St. Molo pounding out a mean rhythm that had my spine whipping around like a willow branch in a storm. It boggles my mind how far this song has come. Looking down at the timer on the deck I knew that this would be the last tune for sure a kind of encore of sorts.
As the break stretches out Phil gets on the Mic to say, ”As you can see we are experiencing the well known technical difficulties, However our crack equipment crew is on the problem and they are going to make it just exactly perfect. Then Rob starts up a breakout tuning (I think) for Phil & Co. with Roll out the Barrel, soon the whole band was in on it. Then Phil again speaks, “ I always wondered who’s turn it was going to be in the barrel when they roll it out.”
Then without further ado and with special guests Robert Randolph & Col. Bruce we get a nice Lovelight. Break out the Boogie shoes cause The Col. was made for this tune & I think it was a better version than in Richmond earlier this year. Warrens slide work on the Lovelight may have been the sweetest all night.

Set 5: Gov’t Mule and Friends
Coming down here I knew what to expect, and with the addition of Rob hanging out and joining in on the keys we got more than we had bargained for. Here Comes the Power Chords right out of the box. Rocking Horse opened the set, I really dig this tune in fact I’d say it is my fav from the mule catalogue. Warren tore this MoFo up! Without stopping and after a quick greeting from Warren, they slid into the Thorazine Shuffle; this moody tune brought on another very hypnotic jam to the plate this evening. About this time it became apparent what a Monster Matt Abbs is, Too bad we didn’t get a drumming duo with Molo & Abbs together! On Mule, Rob and Oteil came on strong, but when Popper came out it really added some dimension & depth. Before you knew it Warren & Popper start dueling and Holy Crap was it HOT! Sco Mule started out light and very Jazzy, but soon turned into another hot rocker. Did I say that Rob had shined in this set? If so it was nothing like the show he put on during ScoMule that’s for sure. This is a perfect example of how he’s stepped up in the Jamband world. For banks of the Deep End and Time to Confess we get a change on the bass with Mike Gordon stepping up to the plate. Deep end is a catchy tune that never jams out too hard which was a relief. Time to Confess is very similar to Deep end in tempo and the overall feel of it, but has a better solo from Warren and a slightly more snappy bass line from Gordon. I gotta say right here that on a night with some heavy hittin bass players Mike was BassLite and Less filling for sure, his bass was really flat and there wasn’t any snap to it at all. Then Warren steps up to introduce Schools, from his first note you KNEW things were gonna be different in the Bass Dept. BTW I’d also note here David Schools was always big, but man this cat is as big as a School Bus now. In his first tune Bad Little Doggie which trannied into Blind Man it was immediately apparent. Schools brings a different flavor and a lot more power, his Bass walks on the funky side of things.

>>This Review is long and if you made it this far your to be congratulated. ! I know it’s getting tiring. Believe you me if you think its tiring reading this, know that we in attendance were tired as Hell by this point. Worse than that by looking at the watch you could see the bars closing. Warren even mention it at this point by letting us all know that we were to be commended on sticking it out.<<

The last tune of the set was worth staying put for in itself, Almost cut my Hair was simply put, Killer! I wish Phil & Friends would do this tune, Warren sounded Great, his guitar sounded Great. On top of that add Schools funky Assed bass and Robert Randolph’s Peddle Steel & Barraco’s stellar ivory work and man…I was Blown Away!

Encore: For the encore there was Audley Freed from the Crows, Schools, Barraco, & Abbs. Warren started it up with the Haunting vocals for Masters of War & then, Oh My F’in God! Rockin’ in the Free World comes blasting out from the P.A. to completely finish me off. Everyone on stage pounding it out with a vengeance, and THIS my friends was what turned out to be THE highlight for the evening. If you left early and missed it, Boo-Hoo on you, better find one of the hundreds of copies of this thing that will be floating around soon. If you missed the show entirely my condolences, Jump on the tree for it a.s.a.p. and then cross your finger for Phil to show up at next years X-Mas jam and get your ass down there!!

See you all at NYE!!!

Here's what the poster and shirt looked like.

"Oh Yeah, to those of you who think NYC pie is the best, AGAIN, I say bite me. CHI-TOWN Pie is what all others are judged by. "

- You will eat those words!
Merry Christmas Brother!

Here's a couple of Photos till they get up on the photo page

This one one of the most fun shows ever. You could sit ANYWHERE you want. My friends and I scored the box seats on the floor closest to the stage. A zone within a zone!!Security was awesome. The sound was good and loud. All the bands were good. Phil was the headliner for me and the zoners, but it was still nice to have more music after Phil was done. Thank you everybody for a great year and lots of fun. Be safe and healthy everybody. I'll be in the chat for new-years. Saving up for spring tour!!!! Love and peace everybody!!!!!!!Mike Gordon sat in the crowd for a while--that was cool!!God bless ya Phil!!!!!

merry xmas y'all. tapecat's review pretty much gave the play by play and color, just wanted to add some personal encounters that made this a truly amazing, wonderful treat of a night. As my wife and I were boarding the elevator at our hotel around 7ish, who should step in with us but Rob Barracco. He was a truly down to earth, genuine dude who said the quints realize how precious the chemistry is they've achieved with this line-up and they're as into it as we are. Way cool!!!

got to our seats as they were setting up for BT and I noticed the hardest working guy on stage was Warren Haynes, our host!! He was up there busting his ass to accomodate everyone else, while he still had a full night's work before him.

music was awesome, for me, obvious highlights were P&F, jamming into a killer Golden Road (my new buddy Rob hammerin') then into another sick jam that had hints of wheel, other one, terrapin before melting into Soulshine, this song has grown on me both musically and lyrically, and my face was at this point plastered with this huge shit eating grin. You can just feel the love pouring out of these guys. I was in a somewhat obstructed view in that I could only see full Phil and Warren (Jimmy's guitar neck, the back of Rob's tye-die, none of Molo) so I really focused on the two guys in front when I wasn't dissolving into the jams. Phil was bombing from the get-go, rsnaking and rolling and booming along. My solar plexis was vibrating non-stop. Night Of A Thousand Stars is really becoming a strong song, my opinion of it getting stronger with each version, especially after Bethlehem and 11/26 Beacon epic, so it was totally right on as Robert Randolph and The Colonel came on for a smoking Lovelight.

Three bleary eyed hours later after dancing my ass off and watching Warren belt out rocker upon rocker (including Mike G. on bass for Banks of Deep End, wow) me and the missus headed back to our hotel for some rest finally. Apparently, this was groupie central cuz Warren had everyone staying at the hotel we were at. After three security checks we got on the elevator with an exhausted Robert Randolph, some girl asked if he was going back down for the party and he said "man, I just want to get to my room and in bed." At this point it's like 3 am. We get off at our floor and who to my wandering eyes should appear but the man of the hour, Mr. Warren Haynes. Night of A Thousand Stars, no shit!! The poor guy looked exhausted. I wanted to say a milliion things, but kept it to Thank you for EVERYTHING and Merry Christmas Warren Haynes! He waved and said thanks and Merry Xmas back. Guy's a total class act. We'll be back next year for 14 and "Thank you, for a real good time!"

I really cant wait to get a clean sounding dub of this show! If anyone is in possible doubt of just how hard phil was thumping, listen to the new audio! HOLY COW!


http://www.mulezone.com/xmasjam/xmas2001audio.html

Just a little shout out and props to some crew guys. Warrens guitar-tech and general do-all guy is Farmer. He looks alot like Warren (long red hair sililar bod)and is always confused for him near the stage or on stage fixing guitars. I wonder if he plays??? To all the others..thanks a heap...to the light peeps...thanks a bunch too. Can't wait for Phil 2002!!!!!

kinda like "Bizarro Warren"?? That could come in handy at meet and greets, etc... thanks for the edification. To all you lucky stiffs heading to Oakland, Hippie New Year!!!

reposted to consolidate:
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By Mark Gibbs (Gibby) (152.163.207.199) on Saturday, December 22, 2001 - 12:45 pm: Edit

7:30PM til 2:15AM!!!!!! I am still hungover as shit here at 3:30PM EST!

It was a lot of fun...here is a quickie from my perspective...

1. Drivin and Cryin should have saved the gas and stayed home.

2. Blues Traveler was good, but I never thought they would finish their 1:15 min set! Popper has lost a BUNCH of weight, but still plays the harmonica like he weights 300 pounds.

3. Acoustic set with a bunch of folks was an ok interlude and allowed folks to pee, get food and more beer (and boy did it flow last night)

4. P&F rocked, but I wante SO much more. Right at 90 minutes of music. Set list is on this site. Tenn Jed was awesome and had the crowd really reeling! Soulshine was expected. Angel Band was unexpected and excellent. Lovelight w/Col. Bruce Hampton and Robert Randolph was just killer HUGE jams. As usual they left us wanting much more.

5. Govt Mule took the stage around 1AM and blew smoke for over an hour!!! "Rockin in the Free World" grand finale. Bass players in order were Othiel Burbage(sp?), Mike Gordon and Dave Schools.
A very nice and powerful set. My ears were still ringing this morning.

I had a blast. Was the most music I had seen for 25$ ever. If the truth be known P&F and Govt Mule could have easily carried the whole show. Just my 2 cents.

peace and merry christmas

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By David Gerrard (Richmtndave) (63.124.245.38) on Sunday, December 23, 2001 - 03:22 pm: Edit

OK, here's my take. If you didn't make it, booooooooooooooo, you made a royal screw up. I missed Driven & Cryin (oh well). The last time I saw Blues Travler was when they opened for the Stones at Ericson Stadium. Oh my God. You must run, not walk, to the next BT show anywhere nearby. They are a totally reinvented band. Popper goes without saying, but the set would have been great even without him (thanx for the Carolina opener boys). The Phil set was great, not astronomical, but great. Golden Road set the tone for the rest of the evening. Now to the Mule. Anyone who reads this and is going to CA for NYE, I sincerly hope will join in with me, in when Phil gives intros, standing on your seat and screaming, for Warren, the Mother F***ing Man, Haynes, as load as you can untill your voice box exits your throat and lands squarely on the floor in front of you. What a finale to the year Govt Mule has had. Absolutely broght the house down. I never thought I would hear myself saying this, but they put P&F to shame. Every lick Warren played was filled with the heartfelt emotion that shines so bright both on The Deep End, as well as the other stellar performances I have been fortunate enough to see them give this year. It goes without saying thta Banks of the Deep End was an absolute show stopper, and I don't think there could have been a more appropriate encore for the music Mecca of the south than Rockin in the free world, but the biggest suprise for me was ScoMule, Deeeeelicious.
Don't get me wrong, next to the Dead it's a vicious battle between Phil and Phish as to who my favorite band is, but 15 minutes into the Mule set friday night, I forgot Phil was even there. (not really, I was royally pissed he didn't give us a preview of his tune on Deep End vol. 2).
Hate it if you didn't make it, but maybe you'll get to kick it Cali style.
Merry Christmas and Be Good Phamily,
Dave

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By Joel Jordan (Scaldeddog) (66.57.77.21) on Thursday, December 27, 2001 - 08:40 am: Edit

This was my first Xmas jam and what a great way to begin! I actually enjoyed the Drivin and Cryin set. Good solid music from some local musicians. Blues Traveler on the other hand didnt do much for me. Popper has lost a lot of weight but I dont think it has helped his harp playing at all, which I never cared for anyway. Many people had to go outside because of his piercing sound. It hurt! IMHO, BT should have played 30-45min and split. Anyway, the acoustic set was a nice interlude before P&F came out. Excellent set from Phil. The Tennessee Jed was fantastic and the Angel Band blew me away. I've loved this song since i first heard it on Old & in the Way and the vocals sounded very powerful and solid. Lovelight was just a romp with Col Bruce preachin the word. By the time the Mule took the stage everyone was tired but it didnt take long for Warren to perk them back up. A blistering set centered around "On the banks of the Deep End." I told my friends that they would play it for us but they didnt believe me! Ya gotta have faith!! Fun time for all and some excellent music. My vote for next year though, is a whole lot less Blues Traveler and a whole lot MORE Phil!