tore through Asheville<\/a> and resulted in 108 casualties and $60 billion in damages in just Western North Carolina \u2014 Christmas Jam returned as a much-needed symbol of normalcy.<\/p>\n\n\t\u201cI think this one is probably the most meaningful,\u201d Haynes says. \u201c[With] everyone having gone through what this town and this part of the world went through, it\u2019s really emotional. And it feels great to be doing it again for so many reasons \u2014 the big one being the community.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tFor its 33rd installment, Christmas Jam also invited Daniel Donato\u2019s Cosmic Country, MJ Lenderman & the Wind, Maggie Rose, and Edwin McCain, among others. Beside the Warren Haynes & Friends set, which offered an all-star cast (Duane Trucks, Jeff Sipe, Kevin Scott, to name a few), there was also a tribute to the late Phil Lesh of the Grateful Dead.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cIt just keeps gaining steam,\u201d Haynes says about the Jam\u2019s growth throughout the decades. \u201cIt\u2019s due to the musicians, the bands, and the artists that have supported it through the years, and continue to support it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tAlongside its longtime charitable partner, the Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity, Christmas Jam also tapped local nonprofit BeLoved Asheville to be a co-beneficiary of the event. To note, BeLoved Asheville was a critical boots-on-the-ground operation following Hurricane Helene, bringing much-needed supplies and resources to Asheville and surrounding mountain towns.<\/p>\n\n\n
\t\tEditor\u2019s picks<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n
\n\t\u201cWhen you see something as tragic as what happened here, you\u2019re instantly thinking, \u2018How can I help?\u2019\u201d DeLeo says of accepting Haynes\u2019 invitation. (All acts performing at Christmas Jam donate their time for the charity.)<\/p>\n
\n\tHeading into the weekend, there was an array of Friday pre-parties around Asheville. A fiery live music bastion, the city goes into overdrive when Haynes returns to town this time of the year, especially at the One Stop on College Street, which featured Gill Francis & Friends. \u201c[Christmas Jam] has become the ultimate family reunion for musicians in town,\u201d Francis says.<\/p>\n
\n\tAround 8:30 p.m. on Friday, the Orange Peel\u2019s \u201cPre-Jam\u201d show was in full swing, with cosmic-country guitar wizard Daniel Donato chugging along with Gov\u2019t Mule bassist Kevin Scott and Duane Trucks on drums. Dubbed \u201cTriple Wide,\u201d the impromptu power trio shredded through renditions of \u201cNew Minglewood Blues,\u201d \u201cAll Along the Watchtower,\u201d and \u201cBig River.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cThis is a beautiful cause, and with so many beautiful memories through the years,\u201d Trucks says of his appearances at Christmas Jam, most notably with the late Col. Bruce Hampton in 2009. \u201cHere, it\u2019s all about these once-in-a-lifetime moments. If Warren asks, I\u2019m there, and that\u2019s always been the vibe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cChristmas Jam is\u00a0an event that is transformative for everyone involved, both on and off the stage,\u201d Donato says.<\/p>\n
\n\tOn Saturday afternoon, \u201cChristmas Jam by Day\u201d overtook the Asheville Music Hall, One Stop, and Jack of the Wood, where a slew of hometown acts including Red Clay Revival, the Snozzberries, and Nick Mac & the Noise, jumped behind the microphone as a warmup for the main event. A Celtic pub on Patton Avenue, Jack of the Wood is an anchor point for Christmas Jam, hosting the \u201cSongwriters in the Round\u201d set and featuring local artists like Hannah Kaminer, Kevin Smith, Melissa McKinney, and Ashley Heath.<\/p>\n\n\n
\t\tRelated Content<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n
\n\tHeath is a native of nearby Marshall that was obliterated during Helene when the French Broad River buffering the community bulldozed downtown. \u201cI watched my hometown get hit hard, and I\u2019ve seen resilience and heart that came out of it,\u201d she says. \u201cWe\u2019re all collectively taking a deep breath, remembering what we\u2019ve lost, celebrating what we still have, and creating new memories together through music and tradition.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tBy 7 p.m. Saturday, the house lights finally dimmed at the Harrah\u2019s Cherokee Center and Christmas Jam was under way. The main festivities kicked off with a rollicking set by Donato, followed by Lenderman and his indie-rock stylings, along with more than a few Haynes cameos.<\/p>\n
\n\tIn the most hard-charging set of the night, Stone Temple Pilots, with vocalist Jeff Gutt, roared onto the stage and blasted through a 50-minute set of timeless hits: \u201cWicked Garden,\u201d \u201cDead and Bloated,\u201d \u201cVasoline,\u201d and \u201cBig Bang Baby,\u201d among then.<\/p>\n
\n\tThis month marks the 10th anniversary of the death of STP\u2019s original frontman Scott Weiland, who played one of his final performances in Asheville. The band recently crossed the 35-year mark as a group. \u201cI always believed in the power of songs. That\u2019s really what my attention always was,\u201d DeLeo says. \u201cThese songs have lasted this long and it really, honestly, blows me away. It\u2019s powerful and humbling when you\u2019re up there onstage and for people to be singing [the songs] back to you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tImmediately following their set, STP reappeared on the small side stage with Haynes and launched into covers of Mountain\u2019s \u201cMississippi Queen\u201d and Eddie Floyd\u2019s \u201cKnock on Wood,\u201d the latter melody an ode to Steve Cropper who co-wrote the tune and died<\/a> on Dec. 3.<\/p>\n\n\tThe Lesh tribute, meanwhile, \u00a0featured Lesh\u2019s son, Grahame Lesh, alongside Jason Crosby, John Molo, and Haynes. Guest vocalist Maggie Rose soared during a heartfelt take on the Dead\u2019s \u201cSugaree.\u201d \u201cIt\u2019s important to remove ourselves from the center of our art and realize that it\u2019s all part of a bigger tapestry that connects us to one another,\u201d Rose says. \u201cThe Dead have done that immaculately.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tRose also made an appearance during the \u201cWarren & Friends\u201d set, providing background vocals alongside singer-songwriter Edwin McCain in \u201cRiver\u2019s Gonna Rise.\u201d For McCain, Christmas Jam is a homecoming of sorts. Based just down the mountain in Greenville, South Carolina, McCain has been a consistent performer at the gathering, going all the way back to the 1990s when it was held at the long gone Be Here Now rock club on Biltmore Avenue.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cIt\u2019s a testament to Warren and all the people that love him,\u201d McCain says. \u201cHe has a personal connection with everybody that plays here. It\u2019s the outpouring of grace and honor toward somebody we\u2019ve all looked up from the very beginning.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n
\t\tTrending Stories<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n
\n\tBut this year, the Christmas Jam was also a chance to heal.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cWe\u2019ve all been trauma-bonding since Helene,\u201d says Ethan Heller, guitarist in the Snozzberries. \u201cEven one year later, we\u2019re still reeling from what we all went through, so getting together this year meant the world. It\u2019s the big bear hug we all needed.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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