“I hope you’re ready for a long night!”
With that warning, Gov’t Mule threw down a blistering two-set, three and a half hour performance on Thursday April 23rd in Shreveport, Louisiana. This was Warren Haynes and company’s first ever trip to Shreveport and they made the wait worth it for their southern fans. The set list spanned their extensive catalogue and kept a small, but zealous crowd engaged all night at the Shreveport Municipal Auditorium.
Mule kicked off the set with “World Boss” and “Whisper In Your Soul” from their most recent album, Shout, sandwiching a couple older cuts, “Brand New Angel” and “Bad Man Walking.” Haynes’ guitar prowess was on display early as the veteran virtuoso took advantage of the old venue’s great acoustics to expand on the tracks with extended jams that Haynes fans have become accustomed. The first set closed out with a ripping version of “Thorazine” into “Funny Little Tragedy” back into “Thorazine.”
In set two, Haynes had the crowd mesmerized as he slowed the pace for spellbinding version of “Captured” leading into Dose’s “Gameface.” Later in the set, the band covered Led Zeppelin’s “I Can’t Quit You Baby”, which sits right in Haynes’ wheelhouse vocally. It sounds as if the song was written for him as it highlights his emotional, blues-rock growl.
The highlight of the show was the band’s rendition of John Scofield’s “Hottentot” that was recently released as the first song on the Scofield-Gov’t Mule joint album, Sco-Mule. The band ended with “Blind Man in The Dark,” before succumbing to the crowd’s wishes for one more song, returning with classic blues tune “Good Morning Little Schoolgirl.”
Over three hours of incredibly skillful guitar playing and jaw dropping solos left the Shreveport crowd energized and showering the band with support as the encore ended. Gov’t Mule showed why they remain a staple in the live music scene. Haynes was right, it was a long night, but one that Gov’t Mule fans were sad to see come to an end.
Set List: Gov’t Mule ~ 4/23/15 ~ Shreveport Auditorium, Shreveport, LA
Set One:
World Boss
Brand New Angel
Bad Man Walking
Whisper In Your Soul
Banks Of The Deep End
Flip Wilson
I’ll Be The One
Thorazine Shuffle-> Funny Little Tragedy… -> Thorazine Shuffle
Set Two:
Railroad Boy
Captured
Game Face
Hottentot -> Drum Solo -> Hottentot (John Scofield Cover)
Lola Leave Your Light On
I Can’t Quit You Baby (Led Zeppelin cover)
Blind Man In The Dark
Encore:
Good Morning Little Schoolgirl (As Made Famous by Muddy Waters)