Beloved Southern rockers Gov’t Mule set up shop at NYC’s The Beacon Theatre, playing the second of two sold out shows to ring in the New Year. Unlike years past, Mule remained very tight-lipped about their New Year’s plans, only adding suspense to what was sure to be a historic celebration. In the end, the band would pay tribute to countless musical legends who passed on in 2016, everyone from David Bowie to Prince to Bernie Worrell to Maurice White and more.
The first set of the night was all Mule, as the band worked through a number of their original tunes like “Thorazine Shuffle,” “Child Of The Earth” and more. They also welcomed guitarist Oz Noy on “Birth Of The Mule” and “Sco-Mule” getting warmed up for the festivities ahead.
It was set two that began the tributes, as the band came out of the gate with a trio of Parliament Funkadelic songs in honor of Bernie Worrell. The first song included percussionist Marc Quiñones as well as the Chronic Horns, who were then joined by Jasmine Muhammad & The Sweet ’16 Singers for some soulful backup vocals. The ensemble would stay on stage as the band moved into a tribute to Leon Russell with “Tight Rope” and “Delta Lady.” The Eagles’ Glenn Frey was the next focus, with heartfelt covers of “Take It Easy” and “Already Gone” played in his honor.
The horn and vocal sections remained on stage during a fabulous tribute to Ms. Sharon Jones, with performances of “100 Days, 100 Nights” and “Midnight Rider.” They kept things going with a performance of “Lucky Man” by Emerson Lake and Palmer, in honor of both Keith Emerson and Greg Lake who passed away this year. Perhaps one of the most soulful moments of the show came in honor of Leonard Cohen, with performances of “Hallelujah” and “Bird On The Wire” played in memory of the brilliant songwriter and singer.
The show continued with “Angel Band” in honor of Dr. Ralph Stanley, a legend of the bluegrass genre, as well as “Mama Tried” in honor of Merle Haggard, a legend of the folk genre. Two Americana heroes that truly deserve recognition for their dedication to their craft. “Shining Star” and “Getaway” both followed, as Gov’t Mule honored the late Maurice White of Earth Wind & Fire with a guest filled celebration. They then brought out “Descending,” a Black Crowes song, in honor of keyboardist Eddie Harsch who recently passed on.
David Bowie got his due next, as the band welcomed out Jimmy Vivino for a guitar-fueled take on the classic ballad “All The Young Dudes.” They kept up the energy for “Rebel, Rebel” before shifting their sights onto a Prince tribute, closing out the set with “Kiss” and “Let’s Go Crazy.” They would ultimately return for an encore, with Marcus King in tow, and resume their Bowie/Prince tribute with “Purple Rain” and a reprise of “All The Young Dudes.” What a show! So many remarkable musicians were honored at this show, each spanning such a unique subset of the music community as a whole. Mule put together a tremendous show for New Year’s, honoring the past and moving ahead into 2017 with a gusto.
Check out videos from Sean Roche and the full setlist below.
Set 1:
New Year’s Eve (Warren Solo)
Larger Than Life
Thorazine Shuffle >
Funny Little Tragedy > with Message In A Bottle lyrics
Thorazine Shuffle Reprise
Child Of The Earth
Which Way Do We Run
Brighter Days
Birth Of The Mule with Oz Noy; Hottentot tease
Sco-Mule with Oz Noy; Smoke On The Water tease
Set 2:
Maggot Brain > with Marc Quiñones & Chronic Horns; Auld Lang Syne theme
Flash Light with Marc Quiñones, Chronic Horns, Jasmine Muhammad & The Sweet ’16 Singers; First time played
Red Hot Mama with Marc Quiñones, Chronic Horns, Jasmine Muhammad & The Sweet ’16 Singers; First time played
Tight Rope with Marc Quiñones, Chronic Horns, Jasmine Muhammad & The Sweet ’16 Singers; First time played
Delta Lady with Marc Quiñones, Chronic Horns, Jasmine Muhammad & The Sweet ’16 Singers
Take It Easy with Jasmine Muhammad & The Sweet ’16 Singers; First time played
Already Gone > with Jasmine Muhammad & The Sweet ’16 Singers; First time played
100 Days, 100 Nights with Chronic Horns, Jasmine Muhammad & The Sweet ’16 Singers; First time played
Midnight Rider with Marc Quiñones, Chronic Horns, Jasmine Muhammad & The Sweet ’16 Singers
Lucky Man > with Jasmine Muhammad & The Sweet ’16 Singers; First time played
Hallelujah without Matt Abts & Jorgen Carlsson
Bird On A Wire with Chronic Horns,, Jasmine Muhammad & The Sweet ’16 Singers
Angel Band > with Jasmine Muhammad & The Sweet ’16 Singers
Mama Tried with Jasmine Muhammad & The Sweet ’16 Singers; First time played
Shining Star > with Marc Quiñones, Chronic Horns, Jasmine Muhammad & The Sweet ’16 Singers; First time played
Getaway with Marc Quiñones, Chronic Horns, Jasmine Muhammad & The Sweet ’16 Singers; First time played
Descending with Marc Quiñones,
All The Young Dudes with Jimmy Vivino, Chronic Horns, Jasmine Muhammad & The Sweet ’16 Singers; First time played
Rebel Rebel with Jimmy Vivino & Marc Quiñones; First time played
Kiss with Jimmy Vivino, Marc Quiñones, Chronic Horns, Jasmine Muhammad & The Sweet ’16 Singers; First time played
Let’s Go Crazy with Jimmy Vivino, Marc Quiñones, Chronic Horns, Jasmine Muhammad & The Sweet ’16 Singers; First time played
Encore:
Purple Rain with Marcus King, Jimmy Vivino, Marc Quiñones, Chronic Horns, Jasmine Muhammad & The Sweet ’16 Singers; First time played
All The Young Dudes (Reprise) with Marcus King, Jimmy Vivino, Marc Quiñones, Chronic Horns, Jasmine Muhammad & The Sweet ’16 Singers; First time played
Chronic Horns (Pam Fleming, Jenny Hill & Buford O’Sullivan)
Jasmine Muhammad & The Sweet ’16 Singers (Tamara Jade, Tesia Kwarteng)