“The fourth time’s a charm.” That was how Warren Haynes acknowledged the odyssey of cancellations that led to Gov’t Mule’s first show at the Beacon Theatre since 2019 on December 30, 2023. Along with all his appearances with the Allman Brothers Band, Haynes has played the venue more than any other musician. These Beacon dates were originally scheduled for December of 2021 and were postponed due to COVID. Then in April 2022, the Mule were forced to postpone their entire spring tour after Haynes fractured his scapula after slipping on a wet surface while on vacation in Costa Rica. Then in December, the stand was shelved after a “medical emergency” that followed Danny Louis having to miss the annual “Christmas Jam” in Asheville.
So it was no surprise that the band was more than ready to deliver the goods on Friday night at Beacon on Saturday. Opening with “Bad Little Doggie,” the Mule was off and running. These were the first NYC shows with bassist Kevin Scott and his thundering rumbles from the bottom end were immediately noticeable. The band has returned to the heavy sound of the original trio with the late Allen Woody.
Haynes immediately slammed into “Blind Man In The Dark,” with his vocals through the bullet mics. “About to Rage” brought the tempo down but it gave the guitarist a platform to tear it up. The set featured a trio of new songs from the band’s most recent album, Peace…Like A River, with the first guest appearance of the evening sandwiched in.
“Sco-Mule” featured jazz guitarist Nir Felder, while frequent collaborator Jimmy Vivino joined in on the Allman’s “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed.” After a little confusion that left the keyboard solo at the front of the song, Haynes and Vivino dueled until the song segued into what sounded like the Beatles’ “Tomorrow Never Knows.” However, the jam kept going until dropping into the Grateful Dead’s “Fire On The Mountain,” which thrilled the Saturday crowd. A second jam, which sounded like a funkified “Fire,” closed out the set. Drummer Shawn Pelton was also on stage to Matt Abts’ right to provide additional percussion for the final two songs
The second set opened like the first with a classic Mule original, “Rocking Horse.” Haynes ripped off a bunch of blistering runs on the song as he always has on both his own band’s versions and the ones he did with the Allman Brothers Band after rejoining in 2001. “Game Face” was also its usual blazing self, even without the “Mountain Jam” the band often plays in the middle. Since they had dusted it off the previous night in Philadelphia, they simply played straight through the song’s finale. “Revolution Come, Revolution Go,” the title song from the album of the same name, really allowed Scott to show off his chops on bass. It was clear that the band was having fun and the crowd was grateful to have them back in the building.
The JB’s “Doing It To Death” is another tune with a deep history for the band, as it has been a part of their set since their first decade. Ann Peebles’ “Feel Like Breaking Up Somebody’s Home” has been covered by Albert King, Bob Seger, and Etta James, but the Mule has made it their own since adding it to their catalog, as guitarist Oz Noy joined in as well.
By this point in the set, Gov’t Mule had showcased all of their different styles with both original and cover songs. It was a testament to how much the band had the crowd in the palm of its hands that no one batted an eye when Haynes started singing an acapella version of Son House’s “Grinnin’ in Your Face.” Everyone was along for the ride and was willing to go wherever the music took them. On this night, however, the band simply teased the song and segued into Howlin’ Wolf’s “I Asked Her For Water (She Gave Me Gasoline).” This was an especially hot version and would have been worthy of being a set closer on most nights. However, this wasn’t most nights. Vivino returned to the stage for a closing “Whipping Post.” Was the version as good as so many that this reviewer has seen by The Allman Brothers Band? No, but it was damn fun and was the perfect punctuation point for the show.
The encore was Tom Waits’ slow shuffle “Get Behind The Mule,” another song you would think was an original even beyond its name. It was eerie and haunting and completely fitting, with Shawn Pelton providing additional drumming once again. Having seen many of the shows that immediately precede the New Year’s concert, it often feels like the band holds back a little for the next night. This was not the case as they gave the crowd, many of which had been holding tickets for all four rescheduling phases, exactly what they came for. Maybe even a little more.
