The Bama Theatre welcomes Warren Haynes tonight at 8 p.m., but not the way most would expect. The musician will not be playing with his regular bands Gov’t Mule or The Allman Brothers. Instead, he will front his eponymous Warren Haynes Band.
The band, which is a departure from the southern rock jamming of Gov’t Mule, features more old-school R&B soul music.
“It’s more reminiscent of what used to come out of Muscle Shoals,” said David Allgood, manager of the Bama Theatre.
Backed by a stable of musicians, Haynes focuses less on gritty guitar solos and more on stable grooves, giving the band a more melodic and song-driven sound. The current tour is backing the album “Man in Motion,” Haynes’ first solo album in 19 years. The band is also releasing “Warren Haynes Band Live at the Moody Theater” on April 24.
Dale Fudge, a senior majoring in special education, said he was never crazy about Gov’t Mule, but he saw Haynes performing with The Allman Brothers in Huntsville and has been a fan ever since.
“He’s a really great performer,” Fudge said. “His music, especially his solo stuff, has got a lot of soul.”
This is Haynes’ first trip through Tuscaloosa in the nine-year tenure of Allgood, and he says he wasn’t expecting the call.
“Well, we didn’t have anything planned until Red Mountain Entertainment called me and asked if we were available, so really all I had to do was pick up the phone,” Allgood said.
Red Mountain Entertainment, which is run out of Birmingham and books shows for the Tuscaloosa Amphitheatre, is putting on the show.
“We think it’s going to be a very special night for Tuscaloosa,” said Betsy Kiser, the marketing director at Red Mountain Entertainment.
Red Mountain has put on shows at the Bama Theatre in the past, bringing NEEDTOBREATHE in November to a sellout show.
“The Bama is such an intimate venue,” Kiser said. “Shows there are always special.”
Tonight’s show has not sold out yet, but Kiser said it is definitely a possibility.
“We are hoping to sell out, but right now there are still plenty of tickets available,” Kiser said.
Tickets can currently be bought online for $32.75 through Ticketmaster; however, the box office will open tonight at 6 p.m., and tickets will be $26.
