On Friday night Gov’t Mule wrapped up a three-city swing through The Lone Star State with a gig at the White Oak Music Hall in Houston. The venerable jam act offered up a two-set show that featured the live debut of a track from their 2018 Record Store Day release.
Warren Haynes & Co. got their night going in Space City with “Slackjaw Jezebel” from their 2004 release Déjà Voodoo. From there the quartet would reach back for the old-school “Thorazine Shuffle” before delivering back to back selections from High & Mighty with “Million Miles From Yesterday” and “Child Of The Earth.” The classic “Birth Of The Mule” found the band working in a tease of John Scofield’s “Hottentot” from A Go Go his 1997 collaborative release with Medeski, Martin & Wood. “Funny Little Tragedy” featured Haynes delivering lyrics from The Police’s “Message In A Bottle” with “Pressure Under Fire” and “Time To Confess” bringing their penultimate set in Texas to a close.
By A Thread track “Inside Outside Woman Blues” was tapped to open up the second stanza. Mule then mined their most recent studio release Revolution Come…Revolution Go for the first time all night for “Burning Point” and “Sarah, Surrender.” “Trane” kicked off an improv-heavy run as the four-piece worked their way into “Eternity’s Breath” and a jam on the Grateful Dead’s “St. Stephen.” The biggest surprise of the night came next as Mule served up the live debut of “Bed Of Lies.” The tune is one of two unreleased tracks from the Revolution Come…Revolution Go sessions that the band put out as a single earlier this year for Record Store Day.
The Southern rock and blues act then paired two from The Beatles’ psychedelic-era with “She Said, She Said” and “Tomorrow Never Knows” with fan-favorite “Soulshine” bringing the frame to an end. Gov’t Mule closed out their night with a two-song encore delivering Robert Johnson’s “Come Into My Kitchen” and “Gonna Send You Back To Georgia.”
Setlist (via Mule.net)
Set I: Slackjaw Jezebel, Thorazine Shuffle, Million Miles From Yesterday, Child Of The Earth, Birth Of The Mule, Funny Little Tragedy with Message In A Bottle lyrics, Pressure Under Fire, Time To Confess
Set II: Inside Outside Woman Blues, Burning Point, Sarah Surrender, Trane > Eternity’s Breath > St. Stephen Jam, Bed Of Lies, She Said, She Said > Tomorrow Never Knows, Soulshine
Encore: Come On Into My Kitchen > Gonna Send You Back To Georgia
