Gov’t Mule – Best Buy Theater – New York City – September 17, 2013
By Oliver Burkat
To support the release of their new (double) album SHOUT! which drops this Tuesday, Gov’t Mule treated their fans at Best Buy Theater in Times Square on Tuesday to an intimate performance that many won’t soon forget; having become a staple of the North American music festival circuit, Warren “the hardest working man in rock and roll” Haynes’ band deftly controlled the room with equal parts technical perfection and 100+ combined years of soul.
From the first a cappella croon of “No Reward” to the final crescendo’d vamp of Howlin’ Wolf’s “How Many More Years”, Gov’t Mule delivered a heavy dose of their southern blues rock to an eager and full house. While tourists and locals alike endured the painful shuffle of Times Square above, those lucky and enlightened enough were thrilled to be stories beneath in Best Buy Theater’s subterranean music palace, absorbing the fruits of four world-class musicians’ life-long labor.
The first five songs of the night came from the forthcoming SHOUT!, but these tracks all sound as if they’ve been in Mule’s catalogue for years. “No Reward” enjoys deep bass grooves from Jorgen Carlsson, while “Scared To Live” lays back on a playful reggae backbeat from drummer Matt Abts. Next came “World Boss”, the lead track off of SHOUT!, and as if there were any doubt, this slamming rock tune ain’t about Tony Danza! “Whisper In Your Soul” begins with ominous tom work by Abts, developing effortlessly to giant rock refrain carried by Haynes’ golden voice, echoing the sentiments of all in attendance: “I feel fine.” “Captured”, the first ballad of the evening, conveys a beautiful sentiment lyrically, while the ethereal melody aligns the heart and soul of the listener with this elegantly crafted piece of “sweet music,” as Warren sings it in the first verse. Keyboardist Danny Louis at times would strap on a guitar as well as sing back-up vocals, adding great compliments of both to Mr. Haynes’ iconic musical gifts, especially highlighted in this beautiful song.
“Game Face” included teases of both “Birdland” and “Mountain Jam,” much to the delight of the crowd, while “I Think You Know What I Mean” sandwiched a mean take on “When The Levee Breaks” to end the first set.
Set two began with “Funny Little Tragedy” which Warren dedicated to Elvis Costello, one of the many collaborators on the second disc of “SHOUT!” – The Mule still provides the music on disc two, but guest vocalists Ben Harper, Elvis Costello, Dr. John, Jim James, Grace Potter, Toots Hibbert, Glen Hughes, Ty Tyler, Dave Matthews, Myles Kennedy and Steve Winwood all get to take a stab at one track and reinterpret the vocal arrangement that Warren offers on disc one; quite the stable of “friendly contributors,” one might say. It is safe to say that SHOUT! will require some serious attention and promises to be an extremely unique album. Next came another beautiful ballad, “Forsaken Savior”, also off of SHOUT! which made its live debut on the Best Buy Theater stage. After an expert fade-out, Warren invited tour-mate and vocal angel Alecia Chakour and Soul Brother #1 Nigel Hall for another live debut off of SHOUT!, the powerful and funky “Stoop So Low”. The combined vocal presence on stage was enough to make a blues fan’s head explode. Eventually the band acquiesced to Mr. Abts’ obligatory drum solo before rounding the turn to the final tunes of set two, all of which were classic Mule.
The bust-out filled four-song encore was definitely the icing on the musical cake, starting with an Alecia Chakour-assisted “Soulshine”, followed by Son House’s “Grinnin’ In Your Face” segued directly into “Mother Earth” which featured Mule brother-in-arms Hook Herrera bringing the house down with his harmonica, at points shredding as if on a guitar, and at others, getting the band so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. The audience hung on every note. Closing out the finale, Herrera stayed on stage to rip his harpoon on Howlin’ Wolf’s “How Many More Years”, a fantastic close to such a diverse aural deluge.
Set 1
No Reward
Scared to Live
World Boss
Whisper In Your Soul
Captured
Temporary Saint
Game Face (with Birdland and Mountain Jam teases)
I Think You Know What I Mean>
When the Levee Breaks(Memphis Minnie & Kansas Joe McCoy cover)>
I Think You Know What I Mean
Set 2
Funny Little Tragedy
Forsaken Savior (first time played)
Stoop So Low (first time played; with Alecia Chakour & Nigel Hall)
Drums
Fool’s Moon
Time to Confess
Lola Leave Your Light On
Brand New Angel
Broke Down on the Brazos
Encore:
Soulshine (Larry McCray cover)
Grinnin’ in Your Face (Son House cover)>
Mother Earth (with Hook Herrera)
How Many More Years (Howlin’ Wolf cover) w/ Hook Herrera
Check out some photos from the show, courtesy of Matthew Enbar. For a full gallery of pictures, click here: (All photos courtesy of Menbar Photos)
