Dave Matthews Band, Warren Haynes Band, Goose and Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats Join Forces for SOULSHINE Benefit Concert at Madison Square Garden (A Gallery + Recap)

Photo Credit: Marc Millman

Last night, Nov. 24, a cast of the biggest artists in the world of jam, rock, Americana and more joined forces in SOULSHINE, the highly-anticipated benefit concert produced by Dayglo Presents in conjunction with Live Nation for relief and recovery in the wake of Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton

Spearheaded by the proud Asheville, N.C. native Warren Haynes (alongside longtime Christmas Jam producer Stefani Scamardo, Relix publisher and Dayglo Presents founder Peter Shapiro and more), the event endeavored to respond to the devastation in Florida and Western North Carolina by mobilizing fans through the power of music. With an all-star team of performers onstage before a sold-out crowd at New York’s legendary Madison Square Garden, SOULSHINE was a triumphant success and a testament to the values of the jam community.

Through the efforts of Haynes and Dave Matthews, SOULSHINE built into a revue-style music event centered on performances from four titanic bands: Goose, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, the Warren Haynes Band and Dave Matthews Band. Much like Haynes’ annual Christmas Jam, this bill was filled out with acoustic collaborations slotted between full-group sets. The host of special guests that joined in the excitement underscored the tight-knit ties of the improvisational rock landscape, amounting to a staggering four and a half hours of non-stop music. Read on for highlights, and check the official setlist below for further information.

SOULSHINE commenced with a video that reminded attendees of the reason for the gathering. On camera, Haynes spoke to the widespread destruction wrought by the twin storms and testified personally to the unprecedented crisis in his hometown, leaving the audience inspired by the region’s fight to recovery. After this message of resilience and reminder of Western North Carolina’s role as a hotspot for jam music, Haynes took the stage and expressed his gratitude for the packed-in crowd that showed up to support their “brothers and sisters who are in need.” On that emotional note, the iconic guitarist, singer-songwriter and bandleader welcomed Matthews to the stage for a stirring duet on his beloved original “Soulshine.”

Goose was the first of the four bands to take the stage, stepping into the spotlight with the classic “Arcadia” to the sound of countless fans shouting “Gooooooooooose!” Sunday marked the 10-year indie groove quintet’s first-ever performance at The Garden, and the band made the most of its milestone staging with a top-shelf five-song set. After its opener, each of the following entries welcomed a new guest: pedal steel virtuoso Robert Randolph supported “Give It Time,” storied Southern rock torchbearer Derek Trucks ripped into “Hungersite” and storied singer-songwriter Susan Tedeschi joined her husband and the band for Marvin Gaye’s “Baby Don’t You Do It,” in the style of The Band.

To conclude the frame, the band invited a final sit-in from Matthews, who brought his acoustic guitar and rich harmonies to Bruce Hornsby’s “The Way It Is.” As the band and their legendary guest departed from the stage, Matthews brought the crowd to a roar again with one last “Gooooooooooose!” As the stage was being reset for the next band, Tedeschi, Trucks and Haynes strode out to the spotlight for Tedeschi’s 2006 original “700 Houses.” In the chorus, the trio repeated, “What can be done? Another storm to overcome.”

The Warren Haynes Band stepped up next to issue five songs; Haynes was backed by a variation on his new WHB lineup, featuring bassist Kevin Scott, drummer Terence Higgins, saxophonist Greg Osby and ​​keyboardist Matt Slocum in the seat recently filled by John Medeski, as well as backing singers Saundra Williams and Mayteana Morales. This top-tier team delivered rousing renditions of recent Haynes originals “Man in Motion” and “This Life as We Know It” (the latter featuring Randolph) before broaching the Grateful Dead’s “Shakedown Street,” with the added force of doubled percussion from Joe Russo.

Trucks reprised his role on “These Changes,” then Russo rode again for a towering treatment of the Allman Brothers Band’s “Whipping Post” to close the set. After this explosion of energy, the atmosphere was brought back down to a simmer by a soulful duet of John Prine’s “Angel from Montgomery” by Matthews and Tedeschi.

Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats rallied next, returning to The Garden after rave reviews for its New York stop on the South of Here tour in the spring. The third extended staging of the evening maintained an anthemic, celebratory tone as the ensemble tore through 10 tracks in rapid succession, highlighting such beloved gems from their catalog as “Look It Here,” “Heartless,” “I’ll Be Damned” and “Love Don’t.” A true highlight from the evening arrived at the set’s midpoint, when the legendary vocalist and activist Mavis Staples stepped onstage to add her inimitable talents to Pops Staples’ classic “Friendship,” when she wasn’t bantering with Rateliff. The set’s relative lack of features was more than made up for by the massive group behind the set-closing “S.O.B.,” which saw sit-ins from Randolph, Trombone Shorty and Preservation Hal Jazz Badn’s Ben Jaffe.

Once again, Matthews emerged after Rateliff and company had left the stage, this time bringing the crowd to a potently emotional moment with a duet with Haynes on James Taylor’s “Carolina In My Mind.” The duo kept on this stripped-down tone with a cover of Tom Petty’s “Southern Accents,” then Matthews invited iconic Phish frontman Trey Anastasio to compliment his Phish essential “Waste.”

Matthews moved into his full-band set with a true crowd of accompanists, tapping Anastasio, Rateliff and Tedeschi for “The Weight”; Matthews memorably lit up a cover of The Band’s classic with Tedeschi and Trucks at The Garden last November. A ripping sprint of five DMB classics followed en route to Jimi Thing, which was elevated with improvisation from Trombone Shorty and Jaffe, who also brought the funk to an exuberant go at The Commodores’ infectious “Brick House.” Anastasio then emerged again for a medley of “Lie In Our Graves” and Eric Clapton’s “Wonderful Tonight,” with Haynes and Trucks adding their Southern rock credentials to the mix for the Allmans’ “Melissa.”

After an unforgettable evening, the artists and organizers brought on one final surprise with the grand finale. All four bands and eight guests joined in a company-wide rendition of The Beatles’ “Come Together,” inviting the audience to sing along in one final radiant symbol of the spirit of connection that enabled this tremendous event. 

Fans who missed out on Sunday’s performance can relive the magic through the livestream linked below. Those inspired by the staging and looking to support hurricane recovery efforts can donate to the Soulshine Concert Fund at soulshinemsg.com. Get an inside look at the show in the gallery below, courtesy of photographer Marc Millman.