Yet Another Saturday Mule

Shall we go, you and I while we can? Not my pic, so I apologize to the rights holder.

Once again, Gov't Mule kicked my ass and, as the kids say, I was completely here for it. This was the second time I attended the Bank Pavilion in Gilford, NH. I saw Cheap Trick and Rod Stewart a few years back, before my book American Standard was published. The venue is very New Hampshire and the crowd that showed for the Mule and Joe Bonamassa was exactly what you'd expect. There were some crazy Mule fans like myself and a bunch of cranky New England Joe Bonamassa fans. I experienced this at the aforementioned Cheap Trick show, so I bought the seats on the aisle of the last row of the floor.

The band started exactly as they had when I saw them the Saturday before on Long Island, with "Bad Little Doggie." Unfortunately, I was listening to a very enthusiastic bartender who reminded me of the waiter from Tchotchkes in Office Space drone on endless and giving crazy flight attendant works out the kinks of their one man play while passengers are strapped in for take off vibes. If you are somehow reading this, I am talking about you. I already knew that every double Casa Noble margarita I ordered after the first would be at $7 off. You didn't need to explain it like I was on a guided tour of the facility.

"Steppin' Lightly" was refreshing and the "Game Face," with the "Mountain Jam" sandwiched inside it never disappoints. Sure, I heard it the week before but that's the risk of attending non-consecutive multiple shows.

Bright lights, Dark Star.

"Temporary Saint" was great and it would be pointless to compare it to every version I've heard live since 1995 even though I tried. Warren then announced he was going to play a song from the new album, which came out a few months ago. Then he laughed and said he meant a few years ago. "Same As It Ever Was" served as a reminder that I have to listen to Peace...Like A River more often. It's got some great songs. Since it was Jerry's birthday, I assumed that the Mule would play a Dead tune. I've seen them to "Loser" twice, including at the Great South Bay. I was pleasantly surprised when they played "Patchwork Quilt" as Jerry adjacent tribute. In fact, the song itself is an indirect honor to him. Interesting fact: my future wife was also at Jones Beach when she got the word. I was recovering from the Ratdog/Band show the night before in Central Park when I got 25 voicemails from a job I had been asked to leave from.

When Warren sang the "Dark Star" verse, the band paused and went into the song itself. It was fucking great and everyone of like mind was ecstatic. I had never seen them play it, only Warren and the Orchestra. It flew, burned, dropped out, and came up again before going into the "Scarlet Begonias" riff. Then came "Fire on the Mountain," which I thought was better than the other version I was them play at the Beacon in 2023. Overall, they are a much tighter band then they were then.

Impressive as fuck

Warren brought out Joe Bonamassa for "Feel Like Breaking Up Somebody's Home," which was great. I had never seen him live before. The show ended with "Thorazine Shuffle" and "Soulshine," which I had also seen the week before. No matter, this was a totally different set after what had preceded it.

Incidentally, I did not know that Bonamassa played "If Heartaches Were Nickels" years back after Warren wrote it. He announced that during his set when he brought him out. Bonamassa got the same ninety minutes, but had the amplification of a headliner.

Dual openers, my ass.

However, I really enjoyed the song and the set. I came for the Mule but it was a nice treat. I'll see them next in NYC next month with Ziggy Marley. Will they play a longer show? Two sets? We'll find out.

Oh, Jim Marshall. You did like getting bands to give the finger.

Anyway, I'm happy the Mule continue to tour. It's like a grilled cheese and bacon. It always hits.