Home Music Gov’t Mule Hosts 2018 Red Rocks Show

Gov’t Mule Hosts 2018 Red Rocks Show

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On Friday night Gov’t Mule took over the famed Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado. The evening featured a rare solo acoustic performance from Warren Haynes along with two full band sets. The jam-titans showcased their own material first and then presented their tribute to the music of Pink Floyd – Dark Side Of The Mule.

Haynes got the evening going on his own as he offered up a seven-song set that featured a mix of tunes from his work outside of Mule. A cover of Jesse Colin Young’s “Before You Came” from the former Youngblood’s lead singer’s 1996 release Sweatwater opened things up. From there he would dip into his 2015 release Ashes & Dust. Haynes served up three tracks from the record delivering takes on “Blue Maiden’s Tale,” “Spot Of Time” and “Hallelujah Boulevard.” Warren rounded things out with “The Real Thing” from one of his contributions to There And Back Again, the lone Phil Lesh & Friends studio album, along with a pair of songs that originated from his days in the Allman Brothers Band serving up “Old Before My Time” and his signature tune “Soulshine.”

Gov’t Mule took to the stage next as they opened things up with a meaty, improv-heavy run that saw them string together “Bad Little Doggie” with “Broke Down On The Brazos,” which featured its traditional “Tributary Jam.” From there, the Southern rock and blues act would mix material from five of their studio efforts. Old-school classics were represented with “Rocking Horse” and “Mule,” while they leaned heavily on their latest release Revolution Come…Revolution Go. The four-piece delivered the album’s title track along with “Dreams & Songs,” “Thorns Of Life” and their cover of Blind Willie Johnson’s “Dark Was The Night, Cold Was The Ground.”

For their third frame at Red Rocks, Gov’t Mule dug in on the music of Pink Floyd with help from Torbjörn “T-Bone” Andersson, Ron Holloway, Machan Taylor, Mini Carlsson and Sophia Ramos. Their Dark Side of The Mule set got rolling with “Echoes (Part 1)” from the British band’s 1970 release Meddle. After a take on “Have A Cigar,” the ensemble offered up the entire A-side of Dark Side Of The Moon in order. The band then looked to Wish You Were Here as they broke up the record’s first two tracks, “Welcome To The Machine” and “Shine On You Crazy (Parts I – IV),” with Animals’ closing number “Pigs On The Wing (Part 2).”

Deep cut “The Nile Song,” which was debuted earlier this summer at Jones Beach followed. The back half of the set was highlighted by a monster, jam-heavy stretch that saw them string together “Us & Them,” “Any Colour You Like,” “One Of These Days,” “Fearless,” “Echoes (Part 2),” “Comfortably Numb” and “Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts VI – IX).” Gov’t Mule brought their six-plus hour evening to a close with “Wish You Were Here,” Floyd’s tribute to their founding member Syd Barrett.

Watch pro-shot video of the opener from each set below:

[Before You Came]

[Bad Little Doggie]

[Echos (Part 1)]

Setlist (via Gov’t Mule/Facebook)

Warren Haynes

Set I: Before You Came, Blue Maiden’s Tale, Old Before My Time, Spots Of Time, The Real Thing, Hallelujah Boulevard, Soulshine

Gov’t Mule

Set II: Bad Little Doggie > Broke Down On The Brazos > Tributary Jam, Banks Of The Deep End, Rocking Horse, Revolution Come Revolution Go, Thorns Of Life, Dreams & Songs, Mule, Dark Was The Night Cold Was The Ground

Set III*: Echoes (Part 1), Have A Cigar, Speak To Me > Breathe > On The Run > Time > Breathe Reprise, The Great Gig In The Sky, Welcome To The Machine, Pigs On The Wing (Part 2) > Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts I-V), The Nile Song, Money, Us & Them > Any Colour You Like > One Of These Days > Fearless > Echoes (Part 2) > Comfortably Numb > Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts VI – IX)

Encore: Wish You Were Here

* Dark Side Of The Mule with Torbjörn “T-Bone” Andersson, Ron Holloway, Machan Taylor, Mini Carlsson & Sophia Ramos