Gov’t Mule brought their By A Thread tour to Milwaukee on February 3rd and played a concert that showcased the band’s current sound. Warren and his bandmates squeezed in a few new tunes from By A Thread along with some classic Mule jams. Chicago’s Steepwater Band warmed up the crowd inside the rather cold Rave venue with their fun Americana style of hard rock.

Mule came out swinging with Brand New Angel, and really hit one out of the park with their new tune Brokedown On The Brazos – a testament to just how well the new material blends with the old. I’ve heard Warren say recently that Mule is taking a step forward and back at the same time with their new songs and bassist. Having now heard the album, By A Thread, a few times and having seen bassist Jorgen Carlsson tackle Mule songs old and new, there is something uncanny about the style and tone of his bass that is indeed warm and familiar. It should be exciting to see this lineup mature and evolve as new material is released in the future. Other highlights of the evening for me included a Beatles medley of She Said, She Said that evolved into Tomorrow Never Knows, Any Open Window and Mule standards Blind Man In The Dark & Soulshine.

As everyone knows, Warren is one of the hardest working musicians out there, lending his efforts mostly to The Allman Brothers Band and The Dead when he’s not playing with Mule. As good as Warren is fronting those bands, it’s great to see him in his natural environment doing his own thing. He was all smiles from the time he walked out onstage to the last bars of Soulshine, played shortly after midnight. You can clearly see the passion and joy he has for the music.

Set 1: Brand New Angel, Broke Down On The Brazos, Lay Your Burden Down, Endless Parade, Birth Of The Mule, She Said, She Said > Tomorrow Never Knows, Time To Confess, Driving Rain

Set 2: Far Away, Inside Outside Woman Blues, Any Open Window, Left Coast Groovies > Drums, Brighter Days > Like Flies, Blind Man In The Dark with Ain’t No Sunshine Intro

Encore: Frozen Fear, Soulshine with Gospel Intro

READ ON for a gallery of John’s Gov’t Mule photos…