March 14th was the final night of Gov’t Mule’s tour with special guest John Scofield. Having played the night prior at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY, fans flooded shoulder to shoulder to see the show. The closing night of what has only been a fantastic tour was naturally going to draw a crowd.
Mule kicked off their first set with “Steppin’ Lightly,” “Unring The Bell (which featured a little Get Up Stand Up tease),” “Endless Parade,” a cover of Phil Lesh and Friends’ “Patchwork Quilt,” and a cover of The Grateful Dead’s “Loser.” Each song performed with such precision. It was as though you could feel every ounce of energy that Mule was kicking into those songs.
When Scofield joined the band towards the end of the set, he was greeted with applause and shouting. Together the two finished the set playing through a version of Scofield’s own “Tom Thumb,” a cover of Roosevelt Skyes’ “Night Time Is the Right Time,” “Flip Wilson,” and “Devil Likes It Slow.” John Scofield was on fire! The bluesy riffs that he played during “Night Time” were legendary.
After a brief intermission, Mule appeared back onstage with Scofield. They began to play Scofield’s “Boogie Stupid,” followed by a jazzy cover of Duke Ellington’s “Things Ain’t What They Used to Be,” and a cover of Billy Cobham’s “Stratus,” where both guitarists’ seemed to let their inner jam take over. After the three song jam session, Haynes thanked Scofield and finished out the set.
Haynes laid down some licks that teased “Soulshine” before pulling the trigger and laying int it. I’ve seen many versions of the song played, Allman Brothers versions, Warren solo and acoustic, but nothing will top the Gov’t Mule version of the song. Complete with a Van Morrison’s “Tupelo Honey” followed by a “Soulshine” reprise, the moment was pure magic.
After a mellow moment, Haynes began playing the reggae-style riff of Mule’s version of Al Green’s “I’m a Ram.” It’s a great tune that shows the band’s free-form abilities, and Haynes took a moment to thank everyone for coming out to the Capitol Theatre.
For the encore, Mule brought back out Scofield and played the first couple of chords of “Little Wing” arpeggio style and teased the HELL out of the song, but eventually led into Jeff Beck’s “Freeway Jam.” Here, Scofield and Haynes were trading solos and shredding to finish out the show and the tour. Great show, great music – hopefully they tour together again soon.
