Gov’t Mule Celebrate 2,500 Shows in Charlottesville, Va., Welcome Ryan Clackner in Maryville, Tenn.
Gov’t Mule’s Warren Haynes, photo by Dino Perrucci
Since their formation three decades ago, Gov’t Mule have earned a reputation not only as the foremost torchbearers of improvisational Southern rock, but also as inexhaustible road warriors. On Sunday, Oct. 26, the storied quartet honored this legacy as they rode their fall Back in the Saddle Tour into Charlottesville, Va.’s Ting Pavilion, where they marked a whopping 2,500 shows with an electrifying performance.
Gov’t Mule’s landmark show opened with a set from Andy Frasco & The U.N., who welcomed Mule frontman Warren Haynes for a sit-in on their debut cover of David Bowie’s “Fame” and the original “Keep On Keepin’ On.” The headliners commenced their show with the traditional “Railroad Boy,” followed by “Game Face,” which acknowledged the band’s deep roots in The Allman Brothers Band with an extended detour into “Mountain Jam.”
Through their set, Gov’t Mule turned up a litany of hits from throughout their expansive catalog, including “Banks of the Deep End,” “Sco-Mule” and an early “Soulshine,” which primed the audience for a soul-stirring treatment of The Allman Brothers Band’s “Dreams,” accented by a quote from The Beatles’ “Norwegian Wood.” The quartet, augmented by Warren Haynes Band drummer Terrence Higgins in place of founding backbeat Matt Abts, proceeded with staples including “Revolution Come, Revolution Go,” Bob Marley & The Wailers’ “Lively Up Yourself” and Howlin’ Wolf’s “I Asked for Water (She Gave Me Gasoline)” before wrapping their set with a fiery “Mule” and an encore of Neil Young & Crazy Horse’s “Cortez the Killer.”
Two nights prior to their big 2,500th show, which happened to fall on National Mule Day and was commemorated backstage with a cake, the band began another weekend of performances at Maryville, Tenn.’s The Shed. Continuing the momentum of a tour that’s been packed with surprises, the band opened up their Rolodex once again to extend a surprise guest spot to Ryan Clackner. The celebrated rock and free-jazz guitarist lent his talents to a dynamic set-closing cover of Humble Pie’s “30 Days in the Hole,” including quotes from Mountain’s “Mississippi Queen” and Humble Pie’s “I Don’t Need No Doctor,” then returned for an encore of The Marshall Tucker Band’s “Can’t You See.”
Tonight, Gov’t Mule’s tour will continue with a performance at Reading, Pa.’s Santander Performing Arts Center. They’ll wrap the run with three further dates through Nov. 1, then conclude a long year on the road with Hayne’s Christmas Jam and a three-night New Year’s Eve series in New York. Find tickets and more information at mule.net/tour.
