2010: A BIG YEAR FOR THE WHO

By now, everyone knows that The Who are playing the Super Bowl in January. (When I first wrote about it, it was a rumor, now it has been confirmed.) And they are supposed to be putting out a new album and touring as well. But I just found out that on March 2, there's going to be a big tribute concert to The 'Oo at Carnegie Hall in New York City, featuring Gov't Mule, Living Colour, Frank Black of The Pixies, Bob Mould, The Smithereens, The Gaslight Anthem and... Bobby McFerrin. I wonder if the organizers will go after any of the artists who paid tribute to The Who at The Kennedy Center Honors last year (including Chris Cornell, Joss Stone, Jack Black and Dave Grohl) or the VH1 Rock Honors show which featured Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters, Tenacious D and Flaming Lips.

Anyway, proceeds from the show go to six different charities, which you can learn about at the concert's webpage.

Meanwhile, Roger Daltrey who has been doing a solo tour this year, will be doing at least some dates next year: Eric Clapton said Roger would be opening some shows for him. I heard Roger's shows have been pretty cool. I wonder if he will put out a live album. What I really would love to hear is his version of The Who's "Blue, Red and Grey," which he wasn't originally on (Pete Townshend sang that one, and it is one of The Who's most underrated songs).

WARREN HAYNES: BUSIEST MAN IN ROCK?

As if splitting a touring schedule between The Allman Brothers Band and The Dead (the band featuring surviving members of The Grateful Dead) wasn't enough, Warren Haynes recorded a new album with Gov't Mule, By A Thread, which comes out next week. He also did a solo album with a backing band that includes Ivan Neville, George Porter Jr. of The Meters and Ian McLagan of The Faces. I've interviewed Warren a few times, it's always a pleasure, and his love for music comes from a very pure place. He's not cynical, he's not pandering, he's not trying to follow trends to get more popular. That's why he's great. And don't write him off as a "jam band guy" either, he may tour with many of those bands, and I'm sure he blows their asses off the stage on the regular.

THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND - BACK IN FULL EFFECT

After Gregg Allman had a health scare last year resulting in the cancellation of The Allman Brothers Band's annual Beacon Theater March Madness, things are back to normal this year. This year's March Madness starts in a few days, and the band will be headlining their annual Wanee Music Festival June 5 & 6 in Florida, which has a pretty killer lineup. The Allmans are playing, as is many offshoots of the band: Gov't Mule (featuring Warren Haynes), The Derek Trucks Band, Jaimoe's Jasssz Band, plus Oteil Burbridge is playing with both The Dead's Billy Kreutzmann and with a group called The Lee Boys. Also, family members: Susan Tedeschi (Derek Trucks is Mr. Susan Tedeschi) and Devon Allman's Honeytribe. Plus: the reunited Arc Angels (Charlie Sexton, Doyle Bramhall II, and the Double Trouble rhythm section of Chris Layton and Tommy Shannon), Toots & The Maytalls, The Wailers (peforming Bob Marley's Exodus), a great techno artist called Mocean Worker, The Drive-By Truckers, and more. Quite possibly the festival of the year, and I'm not even a hippie.

An embarassing moment for Rolling Stone's website though: their story about the festival features a picture of Bob Weir, who isn't in the Allmans and isn't on the bill (although he was last year).