When Warren Haynes joined the Allman Brothers Band as slide guitarist 35 years ago, he never imagined the journey ahead — including 25 years with the Allman Brothers and over 30 shows at the iconic Red Rocks Amphitheater.
“When I joined the band (in 1989), it was for the 20th anniversary and they wanted to do a reunion tour,” Haynes told The Denver Gazette. “I never thought it would be 25 years.”
On Tuesday, Sept. 10, Haynes takes the stage at Red Rocks with his Warren Haynes Band, joined by the Colorado Symphony. The performance will fuse his signature blend of rock, blues and soul with orchestral magic, showcasing a rich selection from his decades-long musical repertoire.
Widely regarded as one of the country’s top guitarists, Haynes is known for his roles in iconic jam bands — famed for their live improvisation, instrumental dynamics and expansive solos — including the Allman Brothers, The Dead and Gov’t Mule, which he founded in the 1990s.
Red Rocks, with its “profoundly beautiful” setting and exceptional sound, is probably Haynes’ favorite venue in the United States.
“It’s just a magical place to play. I’ve played there over 30 times and never had a bad show,” he said, noting he’s also sat in the stands and experienced the venue from the audience’s perspective. “Colorado audiences are very geared toward live music. We just always felt this connection.”
Haynes’ latest project with the Colorado Symphony wraps up his “Now Is The Time” tour, showcasing symphonic performances across the country.
His live orchestral experiences began while touring with the Jerry Garcia Symphonic Celebration, scored and arranged by the Colorado Symphony.
“Red Rocks is the only place where I actually have done this three times in the past,” Haynes said.
The upcoming concert will feature two sets with the band and orchestra, followed by a third with just the band.
“It’s a really long night of music, and we have so much great stuff to choose from,” Haynes said.
“I’m not always a big fan of marrying orchestra music with rock music or pop or jazz or blues or whatever. It’s a song by song basis,” he added. “But there’s enough songs to choose from that work extremely well. I’m really proud of the song selection.”
Izabel Zambrzycki, the artistic general manager for the Colorado Symphony, agrees.
“You have to be very selective. If a song won’t translate well to the orchestra, depending on how much improv there is, then maybe they should do that without the orchestra,” Zambrzychi told The Denver Gazette. “But they’re going to ad lib a lot in their music, so you have to create avenues for them to do that with the orchestra.”
The band either improvises while the orchestra drops out until they’re signaled to return, or they improvise over scored orchestral music. Occasionally, they’ll score previously improvised sections for the orchestra.
During Haynes’ time on the Jerry Garcia tours, the song “Dark Star” featured seven minutes of improvisation arranged specifically for the symphony.
“The symphony was reading and performing music that was originally improv,” Haynes said. “That’s carried over to what we’re doing now.”
This creative approach allows the band to maintain their improvisational spirit while infusing symphonic elements into the performance.
“I grew up listening to so many different types of music. It’s always been important to me to express myself in as many different ways as possible,” Haynes said. “I always like the challenge of bringing out influences that have always been there, but maybe I haven’t brought to the surface in the past.”
This versatility is reflected in Haynes’ work with the Colorado Symphony, which has blended diverse musical styles with many artists since 2012, including Wu-Tang Clan, Al Green and Naz.
“I’ve worked with a lot of orchestras, and the Colorado Symphony is used to playing many different genres,” Zambrzycki said. “With a show like this with Warren, who comes from so many different genres, the orchestra is totally game and capable of doing it.”
These symphonic collaborations have fueled the Colorado Symphony’s growth since the pandemic.
“My hope is that, if somebody comes to see the Warren Haynes show, they see the orchestra and they say, ‘That’s really cool, what else is the Colorado Symphony doing?’” Zambrzycki said. “We’re thriving right now. The Colorado Symphony is in its best years that we’ve ever had.”
While Haynes’ passion and creativity thrive on-stage, he remains a prolific studio artist, with new songs inevitably making their way to the stage.
His upcoming release, “Million Voices Whisper,” which drops on Nov. 1, continues the genre-merging tradition with influences of soul, funk, rock, blues and jazz.
It includes “Real, Real Love,” a song started by legendary Allman Brothers co-founder Gregg Allman, who showed it to Haynes prior to his death in 2017.
“After he passed, I finished the song,” Haynes said. “I made a point of always looking at it like, how would Gregg approach this section? Because he started the song so I wanted it to turn out in a way he would be proud of.”
It’s one of three tracks to feature guest guitarist Derek Trucks, another Allman Brothers alumnus.
“Gregg and I wrote a lot of music together,” Haynes added. “There’s something about that bond that you have as songwriting partners that is just very profound.”
Jimmy Sengenberger is a weekly opinion columnist for The Denver Gazette, host of the “Blues Business” podcast, and leader of the Jimmy Junior Blues Band, where he plays harmonica under the moniker Jimmy Junior.