Gov’t Mule Debut Aerosmith Classics with Guests at Mule-O-Ween Shows
Gov’t Mule, photo by John Patrick Gatta
Over the weekend, Gov’t Mule capped off their Back in the Saddle Tour with two special performances in Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia. The celebrated Southern rock quintet’s shows at the Warner Theatre and the Metropolitan Opera House on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 brought the long-awaited resurrection of Mule-O-Ween, their holiday tradition that was last presented in 2022. In keeping with the annual custom, Gov’t Mule’s special shows included full tribute sets, this year honoring Aerosmith.
Gov’t Mule’s Mule-O-Ween followed a shared format: after an opening set centering their own discography, the group re-emerged for a total of 12 tracks that were originated or notably covered by Aerosmith. On Friday, the band’s first frame began with “Same as it Ever Was” and closed with “Time to Confess,” while Saturday was set off with “Bad Little Doggie” and sprinted into the set break with “Mule.”
On Halloween proper, Mule tore into their Aerosmith set with “Make It” and Rufus Thomas’ “Walking the Dog,” both of which were recorded by the Steven Tyler-fronted hard rock outfit on their self-titled 1973 debut. After “Lord of the Thighs,” “Same Old Song and Dance” and “Seasons of Wither,” the group amped up their tribute with a sit-in from Dirty Honey vocalist Marc LaBelle. LaBelle lent his high-flying falsetto to some of Aerosmith’s most memorable cuts, leading supercharged versions of “Back in the Saddle,” “Last Child,” “Sweet Emotion,” “Dream On” and “Walk This Way” before the core quintet closed their set with “Mama Kin.”
All 11 songs featured in Gov’t Mule’s Aerosmith set were live debuts on Friday and shared again in the same sequence on Saturday. On night two, the band substituted their guest vocalist for Living Colour’s acclaimed frontman Corey Glover. Both shows concluded with a cover of Tiny Bradshaw’s “The Train Kept A-Rollin’,” an essential entry in Aerosmith’s discography that hadn’t been played by Gov’t Mule since their 2018 New Year’s Eve performance.
Gov’t Mule will appear at Warren Haynes’ Christmas Jam on Dec. 13, then cap off a long year on the road with their three-night New Year’s celebration on Dec. 28, Dec. 30 and Dec. 31. Find tickets and more information at mule.net.
