Gov't Mule at the Beacon Theatre

Warren Haynes (left) and Jimmy Vivino

Born and raised in Asheville, North Carolina, Warren Haynes began playing guitar at age 12. In 1980, at age 20, he joined David Allan Coe's band for four years. Shortly after, Haynes worked with the Nighthawks, and began working with Dickey Betts of the Allman Brothers Band in 1987. In 1989, The Allman Brothers Band reunited, and Betts recruited Haynes to join the band. In 1994, Haynes formed Gov't Mule (pronounced Government Mule) as a side project during breaks from the Allman Brothers Band. Haynes left the Allman Brothers Band in 1997 to focus solely on the side project, but in 1999 joined Phil Lesh and Friends for three years and also rejoined the Allman Brothers Band from 2000 to the band's breakup in 2014. Gov't Mule presently consists of Haynes, keyboardist Danny Louis, bassist Jorgen Carlsson, and drummer Matt Abts. The band released its 10th and most recent studio album, Revolution Come… Revolution Go, on June 9, 2017, although since then nearly every concert that Gov't Mule has played was recorded and sold online.

Gov't Mule brought its 20th anniversary tour to the Beacon Theatre for two nights, where the band typically plays on and before New Year's Eve. The band performed old and new songs and a few covers, but it hardly mattered what song was being performed. Haynes sang sharply with bluesy gusto, but these brief lyrical structures largely proved to be simply launching pads for Haynes to wail on extended guitar solos and for the band to flesh out the jams. The sets largely pivoted on numerous hard riffing songs, but occasionally a sweeter, softer jam would land the plane, a fleeting reprieve while preparing for another high flying takeoff. Improvisational virtuosity fueled the performance, and local musicians Danny Draher, Oz Noy, Jimmy Vivino, and Paul Ill added to the fire by jamming with Gov't Mule at different times during the night. The second set included the band's recent single, "Stone Cold Rage," inspired by the current political climate. Gov't Mule followed that song on a lighter note with "Thorazine Shuffle," featuring the Thorazine Shuffle Dancers, women from the audience who were invited to dance at stage right. Showing the band's influences, the night ended with a cover of Derek & the Dominos' "Why Does Love Have to Be So Sad." Had Derek & the Dominos not split in 1971, the band might have come to sound like Gov't Mule today.

Visit Gov't Mule at www.mule.net.

Setlist

Set 1:

1. World Boss
2. Lola, Leave Your Light On > Mr. High & Mighty
3. Mr. Man (with Mule tease)
4. Pressure Under Fire
5. Slackjaw Jezebel
6. Things Ain't What They Used To Be (Duke Ellington cover, with Danny Draher)
7. Funny Little Tragedy [with teases of The Bed's Too Big Without You (The Police cover), Runnin' Down a Dream (Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers cover), and Message in a Bottle (The Police cover)]

Set 2:

1. Larger Than Life
2. Thorns of Life
3. No Need to Suffer
4. Unblow Your Horn
5. Red Baron (Billy Cobham cover, with Oz Noy)
6. Stone Cold Rage
7. Thorazine Shuffle (with the Thorazine Shuffle Dancers)

Encore:

1. Why Does Love Got to Be So Sad (Derek & the Dominos cover, with Jimmy Vivino & Paul Ill)