For those who attended any concert on the Warren Haynes Band's tour in support of the brilliant Man in Motion, this three-disc package -- one DVD and two CDs -- is your keepsake. The set features stretched-out versions of all but one track from that album performed live at Austin's Moody Theater in 2011. In addition, his killer sextet offers readings of two tracks from Haynes' first solo album, Tales of Ordinary Madness, a new version of Gov't Mule's "Frozen Fear," and a host of great covers: from Sam Cooke's "A Change Is ...
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For those who attended any concert on the Warren Haynes Band's tour in support of the brilliant Man in Motion, this three-disc package -- one DVD and two CDs -- is your keepsake. The set features stretched-out versions of all but one track from that album performed live at Austin's Moody Theater in 2011. In addition, his killer sextet offers readings of two tracks from Haynes' first solo album, Tales of Ordinary Madness, a new version of Gov't Mule's "Frozen Fear," and a host of great covers: from Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come" and Jimi Hendrix's "Spanish Castle Magic" to Steely Dan's "Pretzel Logic." Haynes' live band is a crack outfit. There is an augmented guest horn section on two cuts, and Ian McLagan plays guest keys on three. The performance is kinetic, long, engaged, expertly played, and raw. But as fine as these performances are, they highlight the vast differences between studio and live records. The songs from Man in Motion were written as expressions of his life-long love of soul, early funk, and R&B-drenched blues, and reflect their profound influence on him as a musician. They were also written with the great songs Haynes admired in mind: songs that were meant to be played on the radio. They're beautifully constructed, hooky, catchy, and laced with fat grooves. The grooves are still there and they're still fat on Live at the Moody Theater; only they're stretched -- with lots of guitar soloing, organ, and sax improvs -- to eight-, nine-, ten-, and even twelve-minute jams. As a result, the craft in the MIM songs get a bit lost inside all that killer jamming. That's not a complaint, it's reality. Thankfully, the amazing backing vocals of Alecia Chakour (somebody should sign and record her) and Ron Holloway's tenor sax playing keep the soul in this mix. The only real problem is the inclusion of "Soulshine"; it's on every live record Haynes has ever released. He should get over that tune -- everyone else has. The DVD in the set, which offers a visual of the entire show and two bonus rehearsals for "Patchwork Quilt" and "Hattiesburg Hustle," reveal a band that still pulls out all the stops, playing with maximum emotion as well as skill. If another high-quality live offering from Warren Haynes is what you seek, then Live at the Moody Theater will reward you abundantly. ~ Thom Jurek, Rovi
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