Warren Haynes Joins Dave Matthews Band at MSG

Dave Matthews Band kicked off a three-show run at New York’s Madison Square Garden last night. The stand will close a short fall tour that included the band’s return to the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT on Tuesday. During his encore, Matthews debuted his take on The Magnetic Fields’ “The Book of Love” from their 1999 album, 69 Love Songs, as a tribute to his dog, which recently passed away.

At the Garden last night, Matthews welcomed out his old friend Warren Haynes for a pair of Neil Young covers partway through his show. Haynes, who first sat in with DMB at New York’s Wetlands in 1993, emerged to help the group through their first take on “Down by the River” since 2015. He then remained on stage for “Cortez the Killer,” a tune he frequently joins them on. Notably, he played the song with Dave Matthews Band in Central Park in 2003, flying across the country on a day off from Phil & Friends tour for the high-profile appearance.

DMB will return to the Garden tonight. They will also appear at the Garden on Sunday as part of Soulshine, an all-star benefit for hurricane relief in the Southeast featuring Goose, Warren Haynes Band, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Trey Anastasio, Mavis Staples, Derek Trucks, Susan Tedeachi and more. The Asheville, NC-bred, New York-based Haynes was one of the key figures who put the benefit together.