One word most fittingly describes Gov’t Mule: badass. These guys do not mess around.
Led by guitarist/singer/songwriter Warren Haynes, the quartet, consisting of Matt Abts on drums, Andy Hess on bass and Danny Louis on keyboards, blew the roof off the Barrymore Theater Saturday night, literally (or at least parts of it).
Touring in support of their new album, Deja Voodoo, Haynes and company provided an all out, rock-solid performance fusing dirty blues, mean, southern-tinged rock and an array of sonic explorations that seemed to lay claim to modern heir of the blues-rock throne. With top-notch musicianship and expert band interplay, the band tightly wound its way through a set list drawing from every album the band has released, while showcasing material from the new Deja Voodoo and managing to throw in a few cover tunes to boot.
Appropriately opening with the politically incensed “Mr. Man,” the band wasted no time in getting down and dirty. “About To Rage” readied the crowd for what was to come, and a cover of the Talking Head’s “Take Me to the River” did absolutely that. “Sco-Mule” and “Banks of the Deep End,” two crowd favorites, featured impressive, shredding interplay between Haynes and Louis. A “Thorazine Shuffle” first set closer was a nice treat that Warren bestowed at the request of yours truly.
The second set featured some of the best music this town has seen in a while. “Blind Man in the Dark” and “Perfect Shelter” heated things up, but it wasn’t until the band busted out a cover of Jimi Hendrix’s “Red House,” easily the highlight of the night, that things really started to get crazy and a stream of water poured down from the ceiling onto keyboardist Louis and his gear. It’s debatable whether the intense shredding of Warren’s guitar burst a water pipe or, as Louis put it, “Warren just made it rain.”
The rage continued with the new rocker “Slackjaw Jezebel” and a staggering drum solo by Abts. Further highlights included a “Mule>I’ve Been Working>Mule Reprise” sequence dominated by Hess that capped off the second set, and a beautiful double encore of “Wine and Blood” and Warren’s signature tune, “Soulshine.”
This band has demonstrated that obstacles (such as the death of the group’s original bassist Allen Woody in 2000) are just a natural part of life and meant to be overcome. A fantastic new album and a remarkably impressive performance prove that Gov’t Mule is indeed in the upper echelon of bands in today’s music world. Furthermore, there is no doubt that Andy Hess is the perfect man for the job of replacing Woody. The combination of Hess and Louis does more than revive the Mule. These guys mesh together to form a cohesive rhythm unit for Haynes to single-handedly perform “Deja Voodoo” tricks over.
The Gov’t Mule tour takes over the west coast before returning to New York City for what is sure to be an incredible New Year’s Eve run. For more information, go to the band’s website: www.mule.net.
