Getting Behind the Mule: Gov't Mule at the Beacon Theatre

The current concert tour by Gov't Mule celebrates the 30^th anniversary of the Southern rock jam band. This feat can be summarized as remarkable, in that the band was a spinoff of the Allman Brothers Band in 1994 and was intended to last one album and one tour. The Gov’t Mule tour included its traditional December 30 and 31 performances at New York City’s Beacon Theatre, and will conclude on February 25 in Houston, Texas.

At Gov’t Mule’s opening night at the Beacon Theatre, founding members Warren Haynes (vocals, guitar) and Matt Abts (drums) kept the production simple, with only a few fancy lighting tricks and two additional musicians. Keyboardist Danny Louis, who has been in the band since 2002, and newest member Kevin Scott, who officially joined the band in 2023, completed the blues-rocking quartet. New to Gov’t Mule fans, Scott is a member of the music community in Gov’t Mule’s home base of Atlanta, Georgia, and previously played in Col. Bruce Hampton’s band until Hampton’s death in 2017.

On night one, Gov't Mule performed two sets over the course of three hours with a half hour intermission. The set included several of the band’s fan favorites, starting with “Revolution Come, Revolution Go.” The concert also featured several cover songs; surprising the fans, the band played Blind Faith’s “Presence of the Lord” for the first time since 2018. The show also featured two guest guitarists; Rick Lollar, another disciple of Col. Bruce Hampton, played on “Sco-Mule” during the first set, and local legend Oz Noy, an annual guest of Gov’t Mule, shredded on “Devil Likes It Slow” during the second set.

Haynes’ guitar playing and singing was so solid that he could do it all with his eyes closed, literally. In fact, he seldom opened his eyes throughout the show, and when he did, he usually looked across the stage only to signal another musician. Haynes was an unlikely front person for the band in that he hardly moved from his post and did not work the audience like an entertainer. Instead, he let his music command the spotlight, and he did this extremely skillfully. His playing was masterful, especially on his improvisational fretwork during the extended jams. His husky, passionate vocals matched the intensity of his guitar leads. Abts, Louis and Scott were more than supportive; they were an explosive nucleus, as each brought the top of their game to the improvisations.

Southern rock is not the trend in contemporary music, so the audience leaned on the senior side. The upper balcony was empty. With strong concerts like this, however, Gov’t Mule is guaranteed a faithful niche audience tour after tour.

The Beacon Theatre is the New York City home for Gov’t Mule, much like it was for Haynes when he played in the Allman Brothers Band. Gov’t Mule has been playing on that stage since 2002. Expect Gov’t Mule to return to the Beacon Theatre for many more New Year’s Eve runs.

All photographs by Jon Carmelli/MSG Entertainment

Setlist

1. Set 1
2. Revolution Come, Revolution Go
3. Game Face
4. Presence of the Lord (Blind Faith cover)
5. Dreaming Out Loud
6. Sco-Mule (with guest guitarist Rick Lollar)
7. Unring the Bell
8. Endless Parade
9. Mr. Man

Set 2

1. Traveling Tune
2. Devil Likes It Slow (with guest guitarist Oz Noy)
3. Soulshine (The Allman Brothers Band cover)
4. Banks of the Deep End
5. Doing It to Death (The J.B.’s cover)
6. Time to Confess
7. No Need to Suffer
8. Railroad Boy ([traditional] cover)

Encore

1. Make It Rain (Tom Waits cover)

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The Manhattan Beat reports on New York City's live music circuit. All articles are written by Everynight Charley Crespo. All photographs are taken by Everynight Charley Crespo, except when noted otherwise.

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