Gov’t Mule has a long relationship with the state of New York, including a pair of concerts that were professionally recorded and filmed in Port Chester for the Bring On The Music CD/DVD. Yet the band’s most recent release is Heavy Load Blues (released November 2021) which is technically, the album they are supporting on the current summer tour: though it’s hard to tell with them. Like the Grateful Dead, their setlist doesn’t change THAT much when they have a new release out. Between COVID-19 and Warren Haynes’ shoulder injury back in March, fans could even be excused for not knowing exactly which tour the band is currently on.
As always, it didn’t matter. Long Island has many Mule fans and they arrived with their game faces on at The Paramount in Huntington NY on 8/7. The band came out to John Williams’ theme from “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial,” although Warren Haynes and Matt Abts did not recreate the famous flying bicycle escape, sadly. The band started the show with “Traveling Tune,” which showcased the soulful singing and fiery guitar that are the band’s trademarks. Warhorse “Blind Man In The Dark” really kicked things off and got the crowd going. The first set highlight was the “Mountain Jam” in the middle of “Game Face.” It was very clear how many in the crowd were also Allman Brothers Band fans once those notes became familiar. Of course, with the Allmans, Haynes played opposite Dickey Betts or Derek Trucks, which makes these Mule versions with him as the only guitar player all the more impressive. Allmans fans also got “Come And Go Blues” a bit later and a full “Whipping Post” jam out of “Kind Of Bird” to end the first set. Especially since The Paramount is a bit smaller than most of the places the band plays, you could really feel them tearing it up on Sunday.
The band started the second set with a quartet of blues-based tunes, beginning with “Blues Before Sunrise,” which also kicks off their new album. They really kicked into another gear with “Birth of the Mule” from their Dose album. Even though it’s a jazzy instrumental, it also has a searing solo and the stage for “Monkey Hill” from their self-titled debut. “Stone Cold Rage” followed and its incendiary lyrics about hope for a divided and angry America are as poignant now as when they were written before the 2016 presidential election. “Larger Than Life” had Jimi Hendrix’s “If 6 Was 9” tucked perfectly into the middle of it and really got the crowd moving. “Thorazine Shuffle” was the perfect closer and like “Blind Man In The Dark” in the first set, a perfect reminder of the band’s long history of fantastic original songs.
The encore was an awesome “Fallen Down” from Life Before Insanity, which had a ripping “Other One Jam” in the middle. Haynes has been playing it since the Allmans used to do it out of “Black Hearted Woman,” but this version (during “The Days Between,” no less) ignited the countless Deadheads in attendance. Just as he did in Westville Bowl last May when the band fully emerged from lockdown, there was a verse of “Gimme Shelter” thrown in at the end. The band will actually be back in New Haven on Saturday, along with Oteil Burbridge and Friends and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band. If you’re free, I wouldn’t miss it. Gov’t Mule are doing Gov’t Mule things right now and it’s a pleasure to watch and listen in person.
