Last Friday, Gov’t Mule brought the Friday-the-13th vibes to Madison, Wisconsin for an excellent rock-n-roll concert. No bells, no whistles, no openers, and despite recent trends on this fall 2017 tour, there were no guest sit-ins. It was a straightforward rager that demonstrated how decades into their career, Warren Haynes and company still emphatically deliver.

The first set began with the Mule classic “Bad Little Doggie.” Other old-school Gov’t Mule tunes popped up in the first set, including a solid “Sco-Mule” and an excellent albeit standard version of “Patchwork Quilt.” Mule did a nice job of mixing up old with the new, as they played plenty of tracks off their newest album like the title track “Revolution Come, Revolution Go.” The tune featured the versatility of band member Danny Louis, as he spent portions of the song on keyboards, trombone, and guitar. “Funny Little Tragedy” closed out the set with teases of some hits of The Police.

Gov’t Mule’s first set was good, but the group’s second set was fantastic. It fit the mold of second sets in the jam band world- lots of improvisation and jamming. The Beatles’ “She Said, She Said” was rocking and eventually gave way to a very psychedelic and exploratory “Tomorrow Never Knows.” Taking it way out there, the band nailed this John Lennon classic. The strange yet always familiar and unmistakable 12/8 time signature signaled “The Other One” was dissolving into the set. Haynes’ guitar wailed as they jammed out a torching edition of the song without lyrics. “Catfish Blues,” a song that has been covered by many in rock history, was tested by Mule and it was one of the highlights of the set. They closed it out with a solid “Blind Man in the Dark” with a “Machine Gun” instrumental sandwiched inside.

Fan favorite “Soulshine” was played in the encore slot, complete with a cover of “Tupelo Honey.” Gov’t Mule will continue their Revolution Come, Revolution Go tour across the pond with fall dates across Europe before returning to New York for New Year’s Eve. You can check out photos below from Friday’s Gov’t Mule show, courtesy of Daniel Ojeda.

Setlist: Gov’t Mule | Orpheum Theater | Madison, WI | 10/13/2017

Set One:  Bad Little Doggie,  Bore Down on the Brazos, Tributary Jam,  Pressure Under Fire,  Banks of the Deep End,  Little Bit of Love,  Sco-Mule,  Patchwork Quilt,  Revolution Come Revolution Go,  Funny Little Tragedy,

Set Two:  Burning Point, She Said She Said, Tomorrow Never Knows, Fallen Down, The Other One Jam, Stone Cold Rage, Catfish Blues, Lola, Leave Your Light On, Blind Man in the Dark, Machine Gun (Instrumental) Blind Man in the Dark

Encore: Dreams & Songs, Soulshine, Tupelo Honey, Soulshine