PHOTOS + REVIEW — Gov’t Mule LIVE at Jannus | St. Pete, FL | May 1, 2019

by Spencer Storch • May 5, 2019

Help! Help! Music fans in St. Pete are starving for a hero to save them from another boring Wednesday night. Have no fear! Thor with a guitar, AKA Warren Haynes, is here! Striking fear into the hearts of his enemies, leads his band with long, blonde hair and a battle ax. Previously playing in the Allman Brothers Band 2.0, Haynes now tours with a band of his own: Gov’t Mule. I can’t wait to arrive at Jannus Landing to see the premiere Southern Rock/Blues band in the country.

“We would like to extend a welcome to Old Muler’s and the New,” Haynes says as he warms up the crowd. There isn’t an opener tonight, just two long sets of some fantastic rock ‘n’ roll.

“We would like to extend a welcome to Old Muler’s and the New”

“Bad Little Doggie” opens the show and Haynes doesn’t wait a minute to impress with a huge solo while drummer, Matt Abts, drops bombs in the background. This grunge/rock song is gritty. “Mr. High and Mighty” is great and followed by, “Blind Man In The Dark,” where Haynes uses a distorted megaphone sound on his vocals to match his guitar.

The band slows down for blues number, “Mother Earth,” and the crowd goes nuts for the style. Bassist Jorgen Carlsson fills the space with his grungy, descending bassline while Thor summons lightning to the stage over and over again with his smoldering guitar. Wow, Warren Haynes is good. He never seems to paint himself into a corner with his solo. Constantly producing what seems like an unending stream of riffs and techniques, Haynes’ guitar work is the grand finale at a fireworks show.

Mule continues with fan favorite, “Soulshine.” This song alone is worth the price of admission. I have goosebumps from head to toe, missing both Wanee and the Allman Brothers Band. The multi-talented Danny Louis takes the spotlight on keys, only to be overtaken by the Guitar God, Warren Haynes. His sound is loud and crisp, every stroke of the pick is clean and true. His blonde hair blows in the breeze as the song and the set come to a close.

The second set starts with “Brighter Days,” and moves into “Revolution Come and Revolution Go.” Here the band sits back in the pocket while Haynes noodles around with sustained notes. The honky-tonk “Girl with No Self Esteem” is up next and keys player Danny Louis surprises the crowd with a trombone solo! His long and floppy solo fits the slow, folksy blues like a glove.

“Sco-Mule” is rocky and funky! Louis impresses again with twisting and turning solo on the keys. His soft, gentle tone reminds me of Ray Manzarek from The Doors’ “Riders on the Storm.” The crowd loves “Banks of the Deep End;” and “Effigy” contains an extended cover of Johnny Cash’s “I Shot A Man in Reno.” This has the crowd moving and grovin’ on their way to Marshall Tucker’s “Can’t You See.” The fans know every word and sing it proudly. Warren stops the band and beckons the crowd to continue with the chorus. He slowly plays chords on his guitar while singing the verse in round with the crowd. Now this is live music. They end the set with the reggae tune, “I Am a Ram,” which has some Led Zeppelin “Whole Lotta Love” teases in the jam portion. The band exits the stage and the fans are raucous! Mule closes the show in style as Louis comes out from behind the keys to play rhythm guitar next to Carlsson and Haynes during the encore, “Going Out West.” This is Rock/Blues at its best! I finish off the night with a trip to the water’s edge for a few drinks and laughs with friends.