Why the 2019 Asheville Christmas Jam was canceled

Joel Burgess | The Citizen-Times

Show Caption Hide Caption Video: Christmas Jam 2017 The 29th Christmas Jam was held December 9, 2017 in Asheville

ASHEVILLE - The decision to pull the plug on the 2019 Warren Haynes Christmas Jam — a benefit concert that has featured renowned artists, drawn thousands of attendees and raised millions for affordable housing — came late, and was due in part to logistics, according to some involved.

Haynes, a Grammy-winning, Asheville born rocker, announced Nov. 12 what he said would be a one-year hiatus, canceling this year's installment of the Jam just a month before its scheduled date at the city's U.S. Cellular Center. The break would let organizers build "even further upon the Christmas Jam's charitable reach," a release from Haynes' spokeswoman said.

"After three decades, and an amazing two-night 30th anniversary last year, it feels like the right time to take a brief moment to press pause," Haynes said in the release.

The absence of the annual concert will leave many fans feeling like something is missing from their holidays. On Nov. 12 after hearing the news, Asheville resident Andrew Gayheart posted on Facebook, "If this is true, my heart is broken." Others quickly replied to commiserate.

But the effect will go beyond fans and hit big pocketbooks, too.

Cancellation's financial ripples

It will put a dent in what would have been a sky-high year for city revenues, the Cellular Center director said. And Asheville Area Habitat Humanity will be left without expected annual revenue, though a recent $400,000 donation from the 2018 concert more than doubled what the nonprofit normally receives from the Jam.

"There won’t be proceeds from this year," Andy Barnett, Asheville Habitat executive director said Nov. 13. "But what was given would certainly be one of our largest single donations. It’s great to see a very strong signal of commitment for the impact that Habitat has in this community."

According to Barnett, about 40% of Asheville Habitat's $8 million budget comes from donations.

What was behind the cancellation?

Barnett, as well as a spokeswoman for Haynes, said the cancellation was not related to the firing of the musician's brother Brian Haynes. The city councilman worked 13 years at Habitat but was let go Sept. 27 for refusing to take a drug test as part of what he said was a protest against a new anti-marijuana policy.

"They’ve been very clear that this is unrelated, that this is just a logistical decision on their part," Barnett said. "There were just challenges in putting the concert together. They wanted to take a year off and refocus after 30 years of what has been a tremendously successful event."

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Warren Haynes spokeswoman Carla Senft said the musician was touring and unavailable to comment. But Senft said Haynes' commitment to Asheville Habitat "remains strong."

'Warren has previously commented about his feelings on this particular matter involving his brother, and decisions made regarding the Christmas Jam were and are completely independent of Brian."

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Brian Haynes, the former owner of popular downtown music store Almost Blue, was elected in 2015 on a platform that included affordable housing and cost-of-living issues. The brothers together came up with the idea to make the jam a benefit concert for Habitat, raising more than $2.7 million since 1998. The two-day 2018 lineup had dozens of musicians and featured Dave Grohl, Phish bassist Mike Gordon, contemporary-jazz instrumentalist Marco Benevento and Gov't Mule.

Senft declined to comment directly on any problems in putting this year's one-day concert together but said "plans are already underway for next year’s lineup, and it will be a big show."

More: Asheville councilman said he was fired for protesting Habitat for Humanity drug test policy

Christmas Jam-like events go on

Even without its signature concert, some jam-related events are happening to benefit Habitat. They include the Christmas Jam Session Ale, the Christmas Jam Pop-Up Store with the homeless aid group BeLoved Asheville and a Dec. 14 Christmas Jam By Day show with Kevn Kinney at Jack of the Wood.

WNCW, a public radio station that has partnered with the jam for decades, also intends to stage a benefit concert Dec. 13 at the Orange Peel in place of the annual "Pre-Jam." Details will be announced by Nov. 19, station operations director Dave Kester said.

Barnett said it was Nov. 8 before he knew about the potential for a cancellation, though Cellular Center Director Chris Corl said by October he "could sense it was leaning that way" after talking with organizers.

Still Corl said he didn't find out officially until Nov. 8. He left the concert on the center's website until the announcement.

U.S. Cellular Center impact

The jam normally sells out the center's 7,200 arena and is a regular top-money maker for the city, primarily through beer and other concession sales. Corl said he hadn't yet calculated the impact but is sure it will be more $100,000. In many years that could put a serious hole in the center's $4.8 million budget that could require filling with city tax dollars.

But an unusually large number of arena shows — 11, compared to fiscal years with as few as five — will keep revenues up, Corl said. Big artists are featured, with folk rock band The Lumineers playing two winter dates in Asheville to kick off its world tour as well as a two-day booking by Sturgill Simpson and Tyler Childers, both country music singer-songwriters.

"It would have been a great, great, great budget year," Corl said. "And we’ll still have a good year. It just won’t be as good as it could have been."