Gov't Mule • Mule Tracks '07

Gov't Mule
Wanee Festival
04.13.07
Live Oak, FL

As dependable as the rising of the sun, the Wanee Festival in Live Oak, Florida brings forth a Mule rested from winter slumbers. Warming in the spring sun, the Mule shook its coat free of the settled glistening dew in a colorful kaleidoscopic cascade that began with a constructive Hammer and Nails that built the framework for a rousing return to the road. Thorazine Shuffle shuffled into the second song slot and the Mule style cover of Bob Marley's Lively Up Yourself found itself batting cleanup behind Patchwork Quilt. The bases having been cleared, A Million Miles From Yesterday, the title track of The Million Miles Tour, laid down a smooth and sultry groove befitting the setting of live oaks and lively crowd. Benmont Tench of Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers stylishly made his presence known during That's What Love Will Make You Do. Endless Parade, in all of it's soaring glory, wound it's way into If Loving You Is Wrong, I Don't Want To Be Right; a beautiful cover penned by and dedicated to the recently passed Luther Ingram. Unring The Bell blazed with all the ferocity of a Wanee campsite fire but yielded to the night's set closer, Blind Man In The Dark. Although three months may have passed since the band shared a stage, and the saddle may have been a bit stiff from lack of use, it didn't take long for the Mule to work up a lather and go galloping off down the trail towards what looks to be an exceptional 2007; if tonight's show is any indication.

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Gov't Mule
Wanee Festival
04.13.07
Live Oak, FL

Tell me, who's that rocking? It's John The Revelator kicking of the second night's set. Months have passed, and my wintertime searches for apropos adjectives has come up short, so I find myself unable to properly convey what transpired on day two. Needless to say, the Mule is back and tunes like Time To Confess displayed just that, in dazzling brilliance. Streamline Woman and Bad Little Doggie hit hard and fast, but in contrast, the next offering of Lay Your Burden Down possessed a low down funk that surreptisiously slid into Smokestack Lightning and back to a short reprise of Lay Your Burden Down. The High & Mighty album gave up the next triumvirate of songs in the form of Brighter Days-> Like Flies and some mezmerizing work on the 12 string during So Weak, So Strong. Love Me Do has returned in the middle of it's good friend and partner, I'm A Ram, and was well received, but the jewel in the crown of tonight's set was about to arrive. Ron Holloway put his horn in all the right spots during Mule, which also featured Andy Hess' bass playing prowess in no small way; and the show closer Soulshine was just as radiant as one could hope. The sentiment "It's good to be back" was voiced by band, crew and fans alike and the last two nights at Wanee were a brilliant platform from which to begin the year.

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Gov’t Mule
House Of Blues
Myrtle Beach, SC
04.16.07

Bad Little Doggie led the way into a Perfect Shelter provided by the Myrtle Beach House Of Blues. Mr. High High & Mighty blazed a trail that wound through its album mate, Brand New Angel. An homage to Mr. Porter, Three String George boogied on to a ferocious rendition of Banks Of The Deep End, also penned for a great Bass Player. The blues came to town in the form of I Believe To My Soul and the namesake of the Spring Tour, A Million Miles From Yesterday made a spectacular appearance only to be followed by a foot-stomping Slackjaw Jezebel to finish the set. Set Two began with Child Of The Earth and an incomparable Rocking Horse that was larger than life and was followed by Larger Than Life which seemed to fall into Hendrix's If 6 Was 9. The post-Drums highlights are many, but the peak belongs to Effigy. With a huge guitar tone and a Cash-style Folsom Prison Jam in its possession, Effigy may have won the gold star for the night if not for the set closing Thirty Days in The Hole. Before we start handing out gold stars, we should probably let the encore have a chance to compete. So I submit for your review Little Wing. You decide who wins the gold star for the day.

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Gov’t Mule
Innsbrook Pavillion
Glen Allen, VA
04.18.07

Amongst the verdent and rolling fields of Virginia's heartland sits Innsbrook Pavillion. It was here, that under the white domed roof aglow of Kenny's lights, Bad Man Walking thrust forth from the PA and proceeded to lay waste to the countryside with a raging Streamline Woman right on its heels. She Said, She Said once again segued beautifully into Tomorrow Never Knows and laid a foundation that Birth Of The Mule built upon. Unring The Bell continues to morph and change as it grows up, and from the look of things, he's going to be a handsome, smart boy. Blind Man In The Dark, slated to end the first set, saw what was to be the second set follow immediately behind. Due to time constrictions, the Mule abandoned their mid-show break in order to deliver two sets worth of material in record time. 32/32 Blues and Time To Confess bookended Matt's Drum Solo, but it was the end of the night that left so many mouths agape. Mule smoked with a Les Brers tease weaving in and out and Soulshine ended the set with the Allman Brothers' Jessica being teased (musically) as well. No small feat in attempting to top that run of songs, but tonight's encore may have done just that. Goin' Out West wound it's way into T-Rex's Bang A Gong for a first time pairing of the two before sliding back into Goin Out West.

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Gov't Mule
Legends
Boone, NC
4.19.07

Legends, situated in the mountainous environs of Boone, NC was the local stable for tonight's Mule. Warren began the show a cappella with Grinnin' In Your Face followed by a rabid Bad Little Doggie. The intensity of the set rose like a phoenix with tremendous playing during Gameface->Mountain Jam->Gameface; a stunning Don't Step On The Grass, Sam that rolled right into Mississippi Queen and a Sco-Mule for the record books. All of this culminated in the one-two punch of Banks Of The Deep End and Thorazine Shuffle to close the set.

Picking up right where they left off, Lola Leave Your Light On was first out of the gate for round two and was followed by a version of Livin' Lovin' Maid that would make Jimmy Page envious. Luther Ingram's If Loving You Is Wrong I Don't Want To Be Right was tastefully tacked on the end of Endless Parade prior to Like Flies that slid into Drums. It got a bit purple after Drums when When Doves Cry and Beautifully Broken were seamlessly intertwined as was the follow-up of I'm A Ram and Love Me Do. Mule was the evening's set closer and Reggae Soulshine rounded out the night in the encore slot. I wonder why they call it Legends?

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Gov't Mule
Soul Kitchen
Mobile, AL
04.20.07

It's 4.20 and something's cooking in the Soul Kitchen that smells like Baked Mule. Lighting the fire on this evening's festivities was Blind Man in The Dark and Mr. High & Mighty. Lay Your Burden Down featured the crowd in a lead role as they all sang along during verse and chorus. Homage was paid to the green goddess, Mother Earth with a song of the same name, but the big rocker for the set may have been the combo of I Think You Know What I Mean and When The Levee Breaks. Boogie'n through to the end found us in the midst of Slackjaw Jezebel and Soulshine before a well deserved rest.

Break's Over! and It Hurts Me Too kicked it up a notch to start the second. Not heard in many months, As Long As I Can See The Light made a glorious appearance before passing the duchie on to Lively Up Yourself. Unring The Bell was the post Drums song of choice, and rightly so at that. Brand New Angel closed out the set, but not the night..... The printed set list had ??????? in the encore slot, so when the band returned and started into Simple Man, the crew was just as surprised as everyone else in the room. This show was so good, it makes me wish that it was 4.20 everyday!

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Gov't Mule
The Jupiter
Tuscaloosa, AL
04.21.07

Tonight's show was out of this world, which is only fitting seeing as how the venue was named The Jupiter. Bad Little Doggie kicked off the evening's festivities with a rockin' Mr. High & Mighty in close tow. Rocking Horse continues to achieve new heights in rockitude with every performance this year as does the next offering Banks Of The Deep End. Larger Than Life, more powerful than usual, wound down and slipped into Tom Petty's Breakdown which had the crowd singing along in unison wit the band. The set closer, Thorazine Shuffle, was not only monstrous in it's power but also featured about 20 of the most beautiful women Tuscaloosa has to offer, all of them on stage dancing until the end if the song and set.

Set two was as equally amazing as it's counterpart from earlier in the night. Hammer & Nails was in the lead-off position, followed by a rare Fool's Moon and then a raucous Brighter Days. Ramblin' Gamblin' Man almost tore loose the rafters, especially when the band fell into a Satisfaction Tease, then back to Ramblin' and Gamblin' right up to Drums. Effigy burned and smoked and kept the fires white hot through Mule and the set closer Soulshine. The dessert for this multi-course meal came in two parts (as if we weren't full already). Champagne & Reefer was the first encore dish served and was followed by the Marshall Tucker classic Can't You See. This was perhaps the best show of the year so far, but I know that I'll be proven wrong tomorrow as Mule only gets better with age.

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Gov't Mule
Texas Club
Baton Rouge, LA
04.23.07

The Texas Club in Baton Rouge, an establishment of Swamptacular proportions, played host to the traveling Mule circus today with authentic Louisiana hospitality. A Million Miles From Yesterday led the way into a first set as funky as the ceiling. Thundering Thorazine Shuffle came next and then a mightily melodic Patchwork Quilt. I'm A Ram began a series of songs with jams, teases and inserted tunes. Love Me Do was the filling in I'm A Ram; Fallen Down jumped into a raging jam of The Other One and She Said, She Said slipped into Tomorrow Never Knows with Daytripper teased on the backside. Brand New Angel rocked the set to a close.

Set two kicked off with Endless Parade with a tantalizing tease of If Loving You Is Wrong I Don't Want To Be Right followed by a steaming Streamline Woman. How Many More Years teased Higher Ground before Matt took the helm for Drums. A soothing and soulful rendition of Many Rivers To Cross placated the crowd before the kicked into Mule that ended in Who Do You Love? and followed up with Soulshine to end the set. Tonight's encore came in two servings. Warren played Come On Into My Kitchen by himself then mashed down the gas pedal for Gonna Send You Back To Georgia.

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Gov't Mule
Whiskey Roadhouse
Council Bluffs, IA
04.25.07

Tonight's single set started in rare fashion with the standard set closer, Soulshine, as the opener. Rocking Horse continues to gain momentum show by show as is quickly becoming a spring tour staple. The treats kept on comin' with Dear Mr. Fantasy making an appearance before the also rare Painted Silver Light. Yet another rarity, Driving Rain soaked everyone through and through but Sco-Mule heated up the room and dried us all off in time for Wandering Child and Time To Confess. Two blues-rockers in a row came next in the form of Have You Ever Loved A Woman and If I Had Possession Over Judgement Day that led into Drums. Towards the end of this long set, Unring The Bell teased Shakedown Street and Get Up Stand Up before relinquishing the stage to the set closer, Mr. High & Mighty. Even at encore time, the surprises kept coming. This one was Out Of The Rain and everybody left The Horseshoe Casino a winner that night.

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Gov't Mule
Fillmore Auditorium (1 of 2))
04.26.07
Denver, CO

The first night of two at the Fillmore in Denver found a room full of anticipation and excitement after the opener Toots & The Maytals left the stage. The show began with Like Flies and then proceeded directly into a hot and lengthy Gameface-> Mountain Jam-> Gameface and an uplifting Million Miles From Yesterday. Farmer made his appearance onstage during the crowd participatory Don't Step On the Grass, Sam which was followed by a glorious Patchwork Quilt. The Letter made its first appearance of the year on the heels of Slackjaw Jezebel but the next offering surprised everyone. Toots joined the band for a surprise and welcome rendition of I've Been Lovin' You Too Long To Stop Now, instead of the song on the set list. Thirty Days and Thorazine Shuffle rounded out the set returning us to anticipation; this time for set two.

Endless Parade started off the second set and rolled right into It's A Man's World. The hits kept on coming Pygmy Twylyte and Trouble Every Day followed by Matt's percussive prowess on Drums. Larger Than Life came next and segued into If 6 Was 9 prior to Mr. High & Mighty and the set closer, Blind Man In The Dark. The encore as well was a surprise. Jeff Buckley's Hallelujah, not yet performed in the United States was brilliantly played by Warren and Danny. Matt and Andy then returned to the stage to close out the night with That's What Love Will Make You Do. .

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If you don't see the tracklisting listed below here, click on the image on the above left.

Order both the 04.26.07 and 04.27.07 Denver Shows together, and save 10%. For setlists and commentary click on the links for the individual shows.

You can also find the downloadable artwork for each show at the link for each.

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If you don't see the tracklisting listed below here, click on the image on the above left.

Gov't Mule
Fillmore Auditorium (2 of 2))
04.27.07
Denver, CO

The second of two nights at the Fillmore began with a mellow Play With Fire that eased the crowd in gently before blowing the building apart at the seams with Rocking Horse and a touching Banks Of The Deep End. Mid-set saw the intertwining of When Doves Cry and Beautifully Broken as well as I'm A Ram and Love Me Do. The triumvirate of Brighter Days, Mule and Soulshine reigned supreme and closed out the first set.

Set two rolled in in true Mule fashion with Lola Leave Your Light On at the front of the line then a mind-blowing version of No Quarter that was magnified by Kenny's brilliant lighting work while Lay Your Burden Down had the crowd chanting back so strongly that the band could hardly hear themselves onstage. Brand New Angel snuck its way into Machine Gun then Drums with Bad Little Doggie showing up on the back end of Matt's solo. With surprises left in the bag, the Mule pulled out Helter Skelter to close the set then had Alvin Youngblood Hart join in for the double-barreled encore of 19 Years Old and It Hurts Me Too.

What's the difference between FLAC and MP3? Click here to check it out. We recommend reading up on the file formats before making your purchase.

If you don't see the tracklisting listed below here, click on the image on the above left.