All shows on this tour will be conducted by Rich Daniels of Chicago’s City Lights Orchestra, who will lead locally sourced orchestras.
Haynes has had a prolific career. He’s performed in three of the greatest live bands in rock history — Allman Brothers Band, Gov’t Mule and Grateful Dead — and is an acclaimed solo artist, making him one of music’s most treasured storytellers. The Now Is The Time Tour gives audiences — and Haynes — the opportunity to reflect on the guitarist’s storied career and give the songs new life backed by symphonic orchestras.
“I’m normally not a fan of marrying symphonic music and rock music or pop music,” Haynes said. “Even most of my own songs, I don’t think necessarily are crying out to be merged with a symphony. But thankfully the stuff that works works incredibly well. Between all those sources, there’s just a massive amount of material to draw from, which leads to a really cool retrospective for me and a very interesting night of hopefully unique symphonic music done with the combination of the band and the symphony.”
The Dreams and Songs Symphonic experience follows the hugely popular Jerry Garcia Symphonic Celebration, which featured 30 shows from 2013 to 2016. Those beloved productions allowed Warren to interpret and celebrate the music of Jerry Garcia and ultimately served as inspiration to create his own symphonic event.
In March 2019, Haynes premiered his show “Dreams & Songs – A Symphonic Journey” to rave reviews with two sold-out shows with the Asheville Symphony Orchestra in Warren’s hometown of Asheville, NC.
This new show will explore the music of Gov’t Mule, Allman Brothers Band, The Dead, Jerry Garcia, Haynes’ solo albums and more, set to never-before-heard arrangements for all songs. Haynes will also revisit compositions from the Jerry Garcia Symphonic Celebration tour.
“Initially I had some concerns about whether or not ‘Whipping Post’ would lend itself to an orchestra,” Haynes said. “But David Campbell did a really great arrangement of it and it allows for the band to improvise. The symphony lays out in places and comes back in on cue. And so it’s a really effective merger of those two worlds, which turned out great.”
During the pandemic, the music business changed and it wasn’t certain it would return to normal. And the Now Is The Time Tour comments on that idea.
“I think all of us feel like the time is now to do what you really love and do what’s important to you, in life and in your career,” Haynes said. “I think we all learned the same lesson, which is the things that are important in life are the things we need to focus on. Let the other stuff go.”
The Warren Haynes Band just got off of a European tour, and will also be a part of the S.E.R.P.E.N.T. Festival with Slash this year. Gov’t Mule has a handful of shows this year as well but is mostly taking a well-deserved break after two albums and two tours, back to back.
And while there will only be a few Dreams and Songs Symphonic Experience shows this year, Haynes says there will be a lot more in 2025. A new solo record is in the works, as well as a live concert album from the Warren Haynes Band with the Asheville Symphony Orchestra.
“My passion has always been music and still is,” Haynes said. “I’m very fortunate and grateful that I have the opportunity to express myself in different ways. Having an opportunity to do things differently is one of the things that keeps me going for sure.”
How to go
What: The Warren Haynes Band & The Dreams and Songs Symphonic Experience
When: Saturday, July 27. Doors at 6:30 p.m. Show at 8 p.m.
Where: The Rose Music Center, 6800 Executive Blvd., Huber Heights
Tickets: rosemusiccenter.com
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