Gov’t Mule hit the midway point of their three-night swing through Texas on Thursday. The four-piece act made their way from Austin to Dallas for a gig at the House Of Blues. The show featured a tease-heavy first set and a guest spot from a pair of local guitar-slingers during their encore.
Warren Haynes & Co. got their night going with back-to-back selections from their 1995 self-titled debut serving up “Mule” and “Temporary Saint.” The band then looked to Shout! for “Whisper In Your Soul.” Mule next dug in on an improv-heavy run that saw them pair “Game Face” with “Mountain Jam” — which both featured teases of “Birdland” — before they returned back to finish off the Dose track. The old-school vibe of the set rolled on with a “Monkey Hill” that included The Beatles’ “She’s So Heavy” ending. The Fab Four references continued during “Revolution Come, Revolution Go” as the quartet worked in a jam on “Eleanor Rigby.” Billy Cobham’s “Stratus” and Blind Willie Johnson’s “Dark Was The Night, Cold Was The Ground” brought the first set to an end.
“Bad Man Walking” opened the second set with Howlin’ Wolf’s “Smokestack Lighting” dropped in the middle of “Lay Your Burden Down” next. The venerable jam act then offered up “Girl With No-Self Esteem” with a double-dose of the Allmans following as they worked in a tease of “In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed” during “Kind Of Bird.” The ABB references continued during “I’ll Be The One” as Mule delivered a jam on “Blue Sky” in its midst before “Broke Down On The Brazos” closed out the frame.
When the rock and blues act returned for their encore, they were joined by a pair of guests as guitarists Wes Jeans and Lance Lopez emerged. The augmented ensemble looked to Ann Peebles’ “Feel Like Breaking Up Somebody’s Home” to bring the night to an end.
Watch clips of the encore taken by Jacob Horton and Marla Wells McCaffrey:
Setlist (via Gov’t Mule/Facebook)
Set I: Mule, Temporary Saint, Whisper In Your Soul, Game Face > Mountain Jam > Game Face, Monkey Hill, Revolution Come Revolution Go, Stratus > Dark Was The Night Cold Was The Ground
Set II: Bad Man Walking, Lay Your Burden Down > Smokestack Lightning > Lay Your Burden Down, Girl With No Self-Esteem, Kind Of Bird, I’ll Be The One > Blue Sky Jam > I’ll Be The One, Broke Down On The Brazos
Encore: Feel Like Breaking Up Somebody’s Home*
* w. Wes Jeans and Lance Lopez
