Photos by Joshua Hitchens Photography
Gov’t Mule managed to burnish the legacies of two bands during its two-night “Mule-O-Ween” run: its own and that of Aerosmith, whom the progressive southern rock quartet dedicated half of its performance to.
Gov’t Mule, led by guitarist and vocalist Warren Haynes, is part of the jam band world due to Haynes’ longtime membership in the Allman Brothers Band and his association with countless Grateful Dead offshoots, but seeing the group perform on Nov. 1 at The Met in Philadelphia served as a reminder that while the band can improvise with the best of them, its foundation is in riffs and songs. Case in point: Its first two songs of the evening, “Bad Little Doggie” and “Blind Man in the Dark,” totaled just 10 minutes, a stat line closer to AC/DC than Dead and Company or Phish.
The band, which also features long-time keyboard, trombone and guitar player Danny Louis, recent addition Kevin Scott on bass, and Terrence Higgins filling in for Matt Abts on drums, explored various genres and tempos and drew from its entire catalog, from the anthemic “Mule” form its 1995 self-titled debut to “The River Only Flows One Way” from 2023’s “Peace Like a River.” “Blind Man,” with Scott’s rumbling bass echoing founding member Allen Woody and Haynes’ guitar locking in with Louis’s Hammond organ, was punchy and crowd pleasing, while setlist staple “Sco-Mule,” an instrumental, gave Scott room to stretch out with a solo while Haynes nipped at his heels with chugging riffs.
Mule telegraphed its Aerosmith tribute by calling the tour “Back in the Saddle” and sharing imagery that incorporated the Boston band’s winged logo, which served as a backdrop for the second set. Bandannas on the mic stands were a fun nod to Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler.
READ OUR 2024 INTERVIEW WITH WARREN HAYNES
Haynes could probably play Aerosmith songs in his sleep, but the revelation was how well he sang the Tyler parts; it could be argued that he was more effective, and definitely more consistent, then the announced guest, Corey Glover of Living Colour. With a focus on early Aerosmith, Mule started from the beginning with “Make It,” the first song from the first album, and “Walkin’ the Dog,” also from the debut, with Haynes and company nailing the swaggering, Stones-on-steroids era of the band. The deep cut “Lord of the Thighs” showed off Aerosmith’s more musically adventurous side and featured Haynes playing a solo with digital delay, a rare effect from him. After dedicating the show to the recently passed Philly radio DJ Pierre Robert, Mule plunged into the hard swinging “Same Old Song and Dance” and another relatively obscure song, “Seasons of Winter,” Aerosmith’s take on Led Zeppelin-style mysticism.
Glover emerged for “Back in the Saddle,” “Last Child,” “Sweet Emotion,” “Dream On” and “Walk This Way.” Despite a less than perfect start, Glover found his sweet spot on the epic “Dream On,” delivering Tyler’s high notes with power and precision. Haynes took back lead vocal duties for “Mama Kin” and the Aerosmith love continued with the encore, “The Train Kept A-Rollin’.”
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