words and photos: Jonathan Clancy
NEWPORT – Last Saturday night, southern rock jammers Gov’t Mule kicked up the heat on what has been a relatively slow start to summer. Mule matched the warm breeze blowing through the Newport Yachting Center, opening up the first set with the soulful ballad “Patchwork Quilt” before saddling up and taking the crowd for a ride on the crunchy number “No Reward.” Hearing the call, the audience bopped and stomped along with the driving beat as singer and guitarist Warren Haynes tore the lid off the tune with one of his signature solos. Haynes has been long regarded as the hardest workingman in the music business, and having toured with the likes of The Allman Brothers, The Dead, and Gov’t Mule who could argue?
Grammy Nominated drummer Matt Abts showcased his skills during a Muled-up, yin-yang instrumental version of the Bob Marley tune “Lively Up Yourself.” Abts dotted island accents as Haynes teased the familiar muted riff. Suddenly the band went full tilt, killing it with a heavy southern rock style chorus - the frenzied crowd was aglow with reggae tones. Tightening up to island time, Abts pulled back on the skins as Haynes performed the Marley melody with his Gibson Les Paul, and keyboardist Danny Louis tickled the offbeat verse vibrations. Now in full stride, the boys kicked out a spicy jam.
Listening to bassist Jorgen Carlson play the blues, it’s hard to believe that he was born and raised in Sweden. After the death of long-time friend, founding member, and bassist Allen Woody in 2000, Gov’t Mule spent years playing with a rotating crew of bass-men who helped out when and where they could. Carlsson has been with Mule’s full-time since 2008, and though he’s no Woody, the Swede held down the house during “Slow Happy Boys” and a bass heavy version of Alice Cooper’s “Is It My Body.”
The crowd swayed to the shimmering tines of Louis’ Rhodes piano as Haynes sang the southern ballad “Little Toy Brain.” Next, Mule gave a nod to Jazz legend John Coltrane by taking their tune “Trane” for a long trippy ride down the tracks. This tune was layered with hints of the Allman Brother’s “Mountain Jam” and a bit of Edgar Winter’s “Frankenstein” peppered in for effect.
Emotions ran high as Louis improvised his way into the Allman Brothers classic “Soulshine.” The acclaimed keyboardist looked to Haynes when he was through, smiling in magenta light as the legendary guitarist rang out his trademark licks. The audience sang along word for word during the heartwarming tune. Haynes and Louis traded crisp, touching solos back and forth before ending the first set.
After the break, the boys wasted no time. Haynes hastily riffed on his guitar, queuing Louis to draw a long distorted chord on his B3 organ. Once Abts and Carlsson jumped in, the band blew the tune “Mr. Man” to absolute bits. The pace remained upbeat through tunes like “Lola” and “Brand New Angel” which had Haynes pleading “Lead me to the light or just take me through the night” in between lightning fast fret work.
“Sometimes I don’t know what I’m talking about, and I may never know,” sang Haynes during “Far Away” an overdose of 90’s era angst filled grunge from the band’s 2000 release Life Before Insanity. While the lyrical content and structure of the song seemed undeveloped, the band carried the tune through with another acid jam, which compensated for the listless libretto. Louis spun spacey notes from multiple keyboards, turning the yachting center tent into an impromptu odyssey. Haynes wailed a slow tortured solo reminiscent of Eddie Hazel’s work on the 1971 Funkadelic tune “Maggot Brain” where Funkadleic front man George Clinton famously told Hazel to, “play like your momma had just died.”
Gov’t Mule got back to business with the reggae style number “Unring The Bell” one of the most politically forward Mule songs to date. Haynes sang, “Where are all those people on whose backs you climbed…take back what we had, it’s yours and mine.” The song sounded like a call for everyday people to become less complacent with the decisions being made around them.
An epic event, “Sun Dance” was performed for the first time since its release on the 2011 The Deep End Vol. 2. The instrumental mix between Grateful Dead, gospel, and blue grass, also had aspects borrowed from the lengthy solo in Iron Butterfly’s “In A Gadda Da Vida.” Appropriately, Abts played a thunderous drum solo for the rabid crowd as the hardest workingman stepped off stage for a quick break. Haynes returned to sing “Fallen Down” a mixed tempo tune about people in hard times.
Mule busted out a version of their old standard “Thorazine Shuffle” which included a salute to Carlos Santana’s “Oye Como Va” but the tune just didn’t quite deliver. An audience member remarked that Carlsson’s bass tone was too muddy. After the show, Louis even admitted that, “Thorazine was a bit limp,” but added “We beat the snot out of ‘Oye Como Va’ though!”
Mule closed out the evening with the triumphant tune “I Shall Return” before packing up and speeding off to Mountain Jam at Hunter Mountain, New York. And, with all the rain we had on Friday, I’m glad I got to see this incredibly talented group in dry weather from the comfort of the Newport Yachting Center.
For a complete listing of the Nantucket Nectars Sunset Concert Series log on to www.newportwaterfrontevents.com
