After co-headlining five shows together over the summer, Tedeschi Trucks Band and Gov’t Mule reconnected on Saturday for one last stop together in the hallowed adopted homeplace of the Allman Brothers Band, Macon, GA. The lead guitarists for both bands—Derek Trucks and Warren Haynes, respectively—famously spent nearly 15 years as fraternal fretboard brothers for the ABB, and their return to the town where the Allman Brothers famously took up residence after forming in Jacksonville, FL, was justifiably the most highly anticipated show of the joint run.
To make it even more of a family affair, Dickey Betts’ son Duane Betts and his band Palmetto Motel were on the bill to help add to the show’s “family reunion” vibe. And like any good family reunion, a distant relative popped in unexpectedly, in this case in the form of funk icon and The Meters bassist George Porter Jr.
Macon has long taken pride in the Allman Brothers Band and its influential Southern rock legacy, welcoming tens of thousands of fans each year to visit the band’s former home, The Big House, which was turned into a museum in 2009. Tourist maps of Macon are dotted with landmarks relating to the band, where they ate, played, and slept. Few bands have dutifully represented their communities as the ABB, and that adoration flows both ways from the town back to the band and all the fans that have followed them through nearly 60 years.
Starting off the night was Duane Betts, who is more than just the spitting image of his father, co-founding Allman Brothers guitarist Dickey Betts. The blues guitar scion has his dad’s sound seemingly imprinted on his DNA and his gold-top Gibson Les Paul. Though their set wasn’t very long, Betts and his band made the most of their limited time with a mix of material old and new, pulling from his Derek Trucks-produced 2023 solo full-length debut, Wild & Precious Life. A set-closing cover of “Jessica” had Betts and his Palmetto guitar partner Johnny Stachela working overtime, much to the approval of the late-arriving crowd.
Duane Betts & Palmett Motel — “Jessica” (Allman Brothers Band) — 10/11/25
[Video: Steve Maurer]
Warren Haynes kicked off Mule’s set with Son House‘s wise words, “Don’t you go minding people grinning in your face,” an ode to being above easy provocation that we could all use these days. From that choice advice, Haynes launched a deep, grooving blues-drenched set of driven jams, joined by Danny Louis on keys and Kevin Scott on bass. Behind Haynes, New Orleans beat master Terence Higgins continued to keep Matt Abts‘ stool warm, as Mule’s longtime drummer sits out the Back In The Saddle Tour to recover from a lifetime’s worth of drumming-related wear-and-tear.
Plenty of highlights followed in Mule’s 11-song, single-set performance, including a “Thorazine Shuffle” that made the most of each of the band’s pieces. Higgins ticked the beating heart of the song while Louis provided wide organ washes, and Scott got down and funky as he so often does. All that place setting gave Haynes plenty of space to wrench blues riff after riff from his tortured Les Paul.
Gov’t Mule — “Thorazine Shuffle” — 10/11/25
[Video: Steve Maurer]
Though it is a regular thing for guitar hero Haynes to sit in with other bands, never let it be said that he doesn’t reciprocate in full. Venerable bass and funk icon George Porter Jr. came out of nowhere to join Mule for a couple of tunes, including a slowed-down and brutal version of Prince‘s “When Doves Cry”. Warren then tossed the lead vocal duty over to Porter for a wild take on funk touchstone “Just Kissed My Baby”. Settling in, Haynes got down and dirty, providing a slide-based burst of transformative energy that had the now-filled amphitheater up, head bopping, and grooving along.
Porter then departed, and Mule closed out its set with some of its own funky material. After that jam with George, Derek Trucks couldn’t resist the siren call of the stage and came out to get loose with his ABB bandmate for a run through “Desdemona”—a song Haynes and Trucks both recorded with the Allmans on their last studio album, 2003’s Hittin’ the Note. If Trucks wasn’t already limbered up for the night, the fierce guitar duel he and Haynes engaged in during surely got him warmed up and ready to spit fire and truth through his strings when he came back out later in the evening.
The grins exchanged between Trucks and Haynes as they traded blues licks showed that far beyond a simple working relationship, there was a bond of love between them that transcended simple friendship. Through years of playing together in a band built on brotherhood, these two have become relatives in everything but name and blood. Closing out the set with the always welcome “Soulshine”, Susan Tedeschi joined the sit-in alongside her husband, adding to his soulful fills with her own licks and vocals, providing a solid tease for the show still yet to come.
Gov’t Mule, Derek Trucks — “Desdemona” (Allman Brothers Band) — 10/11/25
[Video: David Flamm]
Gov’t Mule, Derek Trucks, Susan Tedeschi — “Soulshine” (Allman Brothers Band) — 10/11/25
[Video: David Flamm]
Calling the massive group of musicians that is the Tedeschi Trucks Band a “band” almost seems like a disservice. They are the closest thing to a blues-rock orchestra touring today that does not adhere to a strict dress code of tails and tuxes. They are, in full: Gabe Dixon (vocals/keys), Kebbi Williams (saxophone), Emmanuel Echem (trumpet), Elizabeth Lea (trumpet), Mike Mattison (vocals), Mark Rivers (vocals), Alecia Chakour (vocals), Isaac Eady (drums), Tyler Greenwell (drums), Brandon Boone (bass), and, of course, Derek Trucks (guitar) and Susan Tedeschi (guitar/vocals). To put it succinctly, the Tedeschi Trucks Band has impeccable talent at every position.
After a couple of opening numbers that got the fires started, Mattison provided an impressive turn, as always, on a swampy rendition of NOLA funk grigri Dr. John‘s, “I Walk On Guilded Splinters”. After that, trumpet player Emmanuel Echem—subbing in for Ephraim Owens—nailed a jaw-dropping intro on the subsequent “Until You Remember” that bewitched the audience into stunned silence.
Though every member of the ensemble had multiple chances to shine, TTB’s best moments always seem to be when they blend themselves into an unshakeable whole. Whoever steps out front, even for a second, has the fully committed, beautiful backing of this blues collective. From Wet Willie’s booty-shaker “Keep On Smilin” to Susan Tedeschi’s transcendent take on John Prine’s “Angel From Montgomery” blended effortlessly with the Grateful Dead’s “Sugaree” to full band rave-ups on “Made Up My Mind”, the way the players supported each other was downright impressive.
Tedeschi Trucks Band — “It Ain’t Fair” (Ben E. King) — 10/11/25
[Video: Steve Maurer]
You can’t keep Warren Haynes off a stage too long, and he got a warm welcome back from the crowd as he slipped out to join Tedeschi Trucks Band for a three-song, set-closing sit-in.
After starting with TTB’s own “Pasaquan” came the titanic dual-guitar intro of ABB’s “Mountain Jam”, with jams as outsized as the guitar playing was collaborative. The show-stopping Joe Cocker-fueled take on The Beatles‘ “With A Little Help From My Friends” was equally massive and a beautiful way to close out a wonderful night. Seeing Tedeschi pour so much of her heart and soul into a call-and-response with Haynes was worth the price of admission on its own.
“Love each other. We’re better together than apart.” Those wise words from Susan Tedeschi closed out the evening’s entertainment and the Tedeschi Trucks Band/Govt Mule co-headlining mini-tour. As pairings go, the two acts complemented each other perfectly. With ticket prices soaring, fans certainly got their money’s worth out of every single note, night in and night out. All that value, musical bliss, and a positive message, both embodied and spoken to boot? Who could ask for anything more?
Off on their separate ways, TTB and Gov’t Mule will stick around the Southeast for individual headlining shows in Florida, North Carolina, Virginia, and South Carolina. Visit Tedeschi Trucks Band and/or Gov’t Mule’s websites for dates and tickets. nugs All Access subscribers can rewatch the doubleheader from Macon at no additional charge. Find out more here. [Editor’s note: Live For Live Music is a nugs affiliate. Ordering your subscription via the links on this page helps to support our work covering the world of live music. Thank you for reading!]
Check out a gallery of images from Tedeschi Trucks Band, Gov’t Mule, and Duane Betts & Palmetto Motel in Macon, courtesy of Emily Butler, along with videos and audio.
Tedeschi Trucks Band — Atrium Health Amphitheater — Macon, GA — 10/11/25 — Full Audio
[Audio: vwmule]
Tedeschi Trucks Band — Atrium Health Amphitheater — Macon, GA — 10/11/25 — Preview
Gov’t Mule — Atrium Health Amphitheater — Macon, GA — 10/11/25 — Full Audio
[Audio: vwmule]
Gov’t Mule — Atrium Health Amphitheater — Macon, GA — 10/11/25 — Preview
Setlist: Duane Betts & Palmetto Motel | Atrium Health Amphitheater | Macon, GA | 10/11/25
Set: Waiting On A Song, Colors Fade, Shinin’, Saints to Sinners, Jessica (Allman Brothers Band)
Setlist: Gov’t Mule | Atrium Health Amphitheater | Macon, GA | 10/11/25
Set: Grinning in Your Face (Son House), Mule, Banks of the Deep End, Game Face, Thorazine Shuffle, When Doves Cry (Prince) [1] > Beautifully Broken [1] > When Doves Cry [1] > Beautifully Broken [1], Just Kissed My Baby (The Meters) [1], Time to Confess, Desdemona (Allman Brothers Band) [2], Rocking Horse [2], Soulshine (Allman Brothers Band) [3]
[1] w/ Georger Porter Jr.
[2] w/ Derek Trucks
[3] w/ Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi
Setlist: Tedeschi Trucks Band | Atrium Health Amphitheater | Macon, GA | 10/11/25
Set: Crazy Cryin’, Anyhow, Do I Look Worried, I Must Have Done Somebody Wrong (Eddie Kirkland), Who Am I, I Walk on Gilded Splinters (Dr. John), Until You Remember, Keep On Smilin’ (Wet Willie), It Ain’t Fair (Ben E. King) [1], Devil Be Gone, Angel From Montgomery (John Prine) > Sugaree (Grateful Dead), Made Up Mind, Pasaquan [2], Mountain Jam (Allman Brothers Band) [2], With a Little Help From My Friends (The Beatles) [2]
[1] “Dreams” (Allman Brothers Band) tease
[2] w/ Warren Haynes
