Throwback: String Cheese Incident + Friends Jam On "Quinn The Eskimo" At Christmas Jam (2012) January 21, 2016 15:39

Photo by David Oppenheimer

Today, we look back on one of our fondest musical memories, the Warren Haynes Christmas Jam in 2012.  The annual charity event, hosted by Warren Haynes, has been held in Asheville, North Carolina every year since 1988.  The first show was dubbed, "The Christmas Jam: Musician's X-Mas Reunion" and was held at 45 Cherry, a local club in Asheville, on December 22 1988. Some of the artists at the first Christmas Jam were Warren HaynesCrystal Zoo, The Stripp Band and the McBad Brothers Band.

This event has continued to grow every year and is now dubbed "Warren Haynes Presents: The Christmas Jam". The show sells out in a matter of hours every year. Because of the fantastic growth, it is currently held at the U.S. Cellular Center (formerly known as the Asheville Civic Center), and continues to feature artists and friends Haynes has played with over the years. In 2008 and 2013, the event has featured two nights of music, in celebration of the 20th and 20th anniversaries.

This particular year was the 24th Annual Christmas Jam, boasting a lineup featuring The Blind Boys of Alabama, Sheryl Crow, The Avett Brothers, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, the String Cheese Incident, and the Warren Haynes Band.  Special guests for the evening included Anders Osborne, Nigel Hall, Karl Denson, Mike Barnes, Count M'butu, and Kevin Kinney.  

After a smoking hot set of Cheese, where many of us heard songs like "Rosie" and "Song In My Head" for the first time, the band returned to the stage with Haynes (guitar), Nigel Hall (keyboards), Karl Denson (sexophone), Count M'butu (percussion), and Mike Barnes (guitar) for a family-style superjam on the Bob Dylan classic, "Quinn The Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn)."  This one never gets old, and we hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Watch String Cheese Incident & Friends perform "Quinn The Eskimo" here: