Gov't Mule - Live At The Beacon Theatre (New York City, 12/31/2017) (2020)

Jam band powerhouse Gov’t Mule is doing its part to perk up everyone’s quarantine by releasing Live At The Beacon Theatre, the first in a series of streaming-only live albums that intend to make the best of live music’s current situation. The set hit the streaming platforms November 27th, 2020 thanks to Evil Teen Records, LLC and captures the Mule throwing down on New Year’s Eve 2017 at the Beacon Theater in New York City with special guest Jackie Green as part of the band’s yearly residency there. The gig was one of those inspired nights every musician lives for and featured classic Mule tracks alongside covers of songs by Bob Dylan, Buffalo Springfield, Sam Cooke, Bob Marley, Neil Young, David Bowie, Steely Dan, and others. It’s a particularly good choice to kick off this series of live efforts and captures many superb musical moments.

“While there’s nothing like being in a room with all of you, we wanted to release a series of live recordings to share some of that live electricity that we all miss so much,” said Gov’t Mule front man and Grammy Award-winning vocalist, songwriter, producer, and guitarist Warren Haynes. Of course, Haynes and the rest of the group want to resume their tradition of ringing in each new year onstage at the Beacon as soon as it’s safe and possible to do so. Live At The Beacon Theatre should, however, help a lot of Mule fans ease the live show withdrawal symptoms that are affecting music lovers everywhere this year until that can happen. The band is in top form, the song choices are cool and uplifting, and the crowd is devouring every note.

From the moment the Mule opens the set with “Larger Than Life” from 2010’s Mulennium,the vibes are deep and the energy level is high. Haynes solos like a man on fire from the jump over a heavy-duty rock groove that the crowd instantly responds to. “The Man I Want To Be” changes things up and lets Haynes get deep into some soulful vocals and gorgeously powerful lead guitar playing. His tone is epic, as always, and band members Matt Abts (drums), Danny Louis (keyboards, guitar, and backing vocals), and Jorgen Carlsson (bass) flex their considerable muscles in response. Gov’t Mule is one of the finest live bands in existence in any genre and the way this bunch locks into each other so intuitively is positively electric. You can practically feel the atmosphere in the room getting charged up.

The Mule’s complete reinvention of Blind Willie Johnson’s “Dark Was The Night, Cold Was The Ground” begins with a nod to Johnson’s atmospheric original version from 1927 before morphing into something else entirely. Haynes turns the group into something akin to what Black Sabbath might have been if they came from the American South. Listening to the track is a physically moving experience and shows that GM can rock as hard as anyone. Prepare to be impressed.

Steely Dan’s “Daddy Don’t Live In That New York City No More” brings on another genre shift, this time into a slick, funky, and sophisticated rock sound. The Mule always shows great taste in cover material and they do Becker and Fagen proud with this interpretation. “Revolution” by Dr. John is a driving minor key workout that features Jackie Greene, Shawn Pelton, and The Chronic Horns (Pam Fleming, Jenny Hill, and Sara Jacovino) assisting Haynes and company in sounding even bigger than they normally do. Bob Marley’s “Revolution” also makes an appearance and finds the band locking down on a righteous reggae beat as well as dropping some social commentary. This part of the gig focuses on songs with social and political leanings and includes Dylan’s “The Times They Are A-Changin’,” Gil Scott-Heron’s “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised,” Buffalo Springfield’s iconic “For What It’s Worth,” and CCR’s always-relevant “Fortunate Son.” Putting all of these songs together in a single set is a bold political statement in our current social climate and the Mule leaves little doubt as to where its members stand.

The encore is filled with jam band favorites including the Allman Brothers’ “Melissa” and “Mountain Jam,” Neil Young’s anthemic “Rockin’ In The Free World,” and ultimate Jimi Hendrix/Band Of Gypsies’ masterpiece “Machine Gun.” Gov’t Mule elevates to a whole different plane on these tracks and takes every person in attendance along for the ride. Haynes’ guitar work is uniformly spectacular across them all and reaffirms his standing as one of the kings of American rock music. Live At The Beacon Theatre captures one perfect night in the life of an amazing group of musicians and reminds us of what’s waiting for us on the other side of the COVID-19 pandemic. Stay safe for now and bide your time with this outstanding set. ~Mike O’Cull