Gov't Mule Riviera Theatre Chicago 10-26-07

The Main Event

Watching them clear the opening act from the stage, the anticipation builds as Brian Farmer and crew take over. The drum riser is pushed forward, Danny's corner is assembled, Andy's Ampeg (always) looks as if it will fall as it is moved into position, and Warren's rig is impeccably put into place. Mics and guitars are tested and retested and the stage is emptied. The warming tubes from the Soldano and Diaz heads bring a glow to the darkened stage as we wait for Warren and Co. to take the stage.

After the obligatory WXRT D.J. introduction (as if WXRT plays Gov't Mule...), the venue lights go dark and we are off and running.

 



 

I've linked to related video when I could find it.

Set 1:
A Million Miles From Yesterday - Trying to guess the opener is a common game for us to play but this one wasn't one we had considered. Warren started with some light strumming and the others jumped right in. A nice strong opening to a responsive crowd. Danny's key break in the middle was well received and seemed to turn things up a notch.

That's What Love Will Make You Do - The Mule are always good for sprinkling a show with great covers and this song seemed to set the tone for the rest of the night. This was a party and dancing would be involved. Warren threw out his first jaw-dropper of the evening.

Banks Of The Deep End - Always a favorite of mine. Reminds of our lost friend Allen Woody.

Lively Up Yourself - Mule's heavy interpretation of the Bob Marley classic ties into the reggae theme of Mighty High, their most recent release. Really exemplifies how they don't just cover, but truly take ownership of the songs and make them their own. More great examples of this later....

Feel Like Breaking Up Somebody's Home - Warren pulls out his amazing soulful and bluesy vocal and guitar chops for this Albert King tune. I do love the originals but this is turning into a night full of amazing covers reminiscent of our first mule show.

She Said, She Said-> Tomorrow Never Knows Jam - I've seen it numerous times, and it's been recorded, so their brilliant take on the Lennon She Said, She Said / Tomorrow Never Knows hardly feels like a cover but more like an old friend. This particular version brought the crowd into a frenzy. We were essentially centered in front of Matt's drum kit and I swear I could feel the kick of the bass drum a good 30 yards away.

Far Away > Purple Haze Tease - They bring it down for the mournful Far Away. I reminded Gina to please keep an eye out for my jaw as it always drops to the floor when Warren rips into the solo - as close to a shred as he gets really, my fingers ache just watching. The quietness reminds that I wish the crowd would shut up and listen. Was a good crowd overall really but when they brought it way down, the talking did distract. Not enough to ruin this scorcher though.

Blind Man In The Dark - Always a crowd favorite, we've actually seen this the last couple of shows and they have been turning it into an extended jam (the 10-22-04 version is just amazing). Tonight it was stripped back down to it's power roots. By this time of the show, and following the slow Far Away, the frenzy of the crowd was strong.

Southern Man (with Grace Potter) - I was hoping they would bring Grace out for a tune so was glad to see them set up a mic center stage. When Warren tore into the first chords of Neil Young's Southern Man, the crowd responded wildly. A loose, highly improvisational version with Warren and Grace trading vocals. Boy, Grace belted out the jam on this one - what an amazing voice this woman has. (sorry about the video quality in the link, was best I could find...)



 

And with that, the first set comes to an outstanding close around 10:15. We chat with our new friends a bit and then notice some unpleasantness on the main floor. Turns out someone may have overdone it a bit and has proceeded to lose their dinner. Thankfully, we didn't see the event in real time, but the odd opening in the crowd that suddenly appeared tells the story. Oddly, it took the "security" quite a long time to respond and get someone to clean things up, as if no one had ever thrown up there before. A cursory dry mop on the affected area was just about all they did making us even more thankful for our chosen spot.

The break ran about 1/2 hour before lights dimmed and they took to the stage to move into the 2nd set.

Set 2:
Play With Fire - A tune from their new "Mighty High" release starts things off. The Jagger-Richards Play with Fire as a reggae track was a fun way to get us back into the groove.

Thelonius Beck - A smooth segue right into the great instrumental Thelonius Beck kept things moving forward. I have always loved the complexity and time changes of this one. Man, Warren's guitar tone is just so fluid and stirring, they really don't get any better than him do they.

Hunger Strike-> Dear Mr. Fantasy-> Hunger Strike - Wow!! I've seen them do this before and it is always a stunner, but this was just incredible. An amazing instance of them starting a song slow and then just bumping it up again, and again, and again - and when they kick into Dear Mr. Fantasy it is an overload. The transition back and forth is amazing and just keeps building into a frenzy. The energy of the band and the crowd is escalating and infectious and made this one of those amazing musical moments where you just shake your head in awe and amazement - and then glance around to make sure that someone is there capturing it to tape.

Fallen Down -> The Other One Jam-> Drums - They gave us a brief reprise to catch our breath after Hunger Strike by bringing it down a notch for Fallen Down. I wondered if they would transition into The Other One Jam and they didn't disappoint. What a great way to tie this song up by bumping things back up a notch and introducing the frenzy once again. A quick move into a Matt Abts solo completed the trilogy. Matt proves once again that he is the best drummer in rock. Stellar!!

Unring The Bell - Back to the reggae theme with this one. Not my favorite song from High and Mighty but a funky jam nonetheless - the ending section let Danny show off his chops a bit.

Mule - A standard, and a perfect ending for this show. Covers are nice but this is the quintessential Gov't Mule tune. We didn't get the I've Been Workin' middle but rather we had a very nice extended bass jam from Andy Hess. Reminded me that Warren was sort of stingy with the slide tonight - but I didn't mind.

Encore:
I'm So Tired (with Ian Ball) - Excellent, another Beatles tune. Ian Ball of Gomez joined the stage for the encores and the vocal interplay between him and Warren was quite nice on this one. Mule with a guest is always a treat because the spontaneous nature makes it fun and loose. I really enjoyed this.



Goin' Out West (with Ian Ball and Phil Kronengold) - The fun continues on this one as they pull out a Tom Waits classic. Somehow they managed to segue in and out of T Rex's Bang a Gong as well which was really cool.

The covers and guests on the encores were an excellent way to close another great Mule show. The fun they were having on stage is so contagious and the crowd was singing and dancing along.

So that brings to an end our latest Gov't Mule show. Each time I walk out wondering why this band isn't more popular, why they haven't seen greater success. And then I selfishly feel a bit thankful for it. This is a band that is best seen in a club or small theatre. Not that they don't also rock in front of the 80,000 people at Bonnaroo or another festival, but the intimacy of this environment just seems to suit them (and me) so well.

So if you get the opportunity to see this band, I do recommend you take a chance and head out. Or head on over to muletracks or etree and download a show - any show - to see what you are missing.

And to answer the question, no - it surely wasn't an off night for Warren or the band. Their excellent streak most definately continues.