Gov’t Mule Break into Trio Form, Offer Rarities and Bust Outs on New Year’s Eve at The Beacon

Photo Credit: Jay Blakesberg

On Dec. 31, Gov’t Mule resumed its New Year’s Eve celebration at the Beacon Theatre in New York City. The band’s final night of 2024 proved to be a barnburner due in part to their staggering list of bust-outs, many of which had not been played by this specific group in a decade or longer. An added note for this particular concert was the shifting format from trio [Warren Haynes, Matt Abts, and Kevin Scott] and, at times, a whole band excursion, with Danny Louis making it a quartet when the time and song were right. 

Thus, stepping out as a three-some, Haynes, Abts and Scott sequenced their “Mule” opener into a “Larger Than Life” follow-up. “Temporary Saint” took the night’s third slot and preluded a bounce to their initial bust out, “Dolphineus,” last played on Sept. 17, 2022. The aforementioned pick added to the night’s heavy dose of the band’s 1995 debut LP, which extended with the arrival of “Painted Silver Light.” 

From their earliest material to new arrivals, Gov’t Mule hovered on Peace… Like a River cuts, “Peace I Need” and “Shake Our Way Out,” before the band broke into a pair of ZZ Top covers, including “Just Got Paid” and “Nasty Dogs And Funky Kings,” both of which represented bust outs. Quartet takes on originals flooded the remainder of set one, except for one cover, Led Zeppelin’s “Living Loving Maid (She’s Just a Woman),” the frames final bust out, last performed on July 24, 2009, effectively ending a 1,004 gap in shows.

With time remaining till the stroke of midnight, Gov’t Mule cut into “After the Storm” before blowing the dust off “Young Man Blues,” which set off the trend of more bust outs; Gov’t Mule’s own High & Mighty cut, “So Weak, So Strong,” and a nod to the Big Apple on James Brown’s “Down And Out in New York City.” A mighty take on Howlin’ Wolf’s “I Asked Her For Water” and “The River Only Flows One Way” preluded a celebratory spurt of the New Year’s classic, “Auld Lang Syne,” to mark the changing of the calendar year. 

Gov’t Mule continued to celebrate their 30th anniversary with throwbacks and covers, such as the first “21st Century Schizoid Man” since 2017, The Who’s “Listening to You,” and Jake Holmes’ “Dazed and Confused,” last played on Sept. 4, 2010, according to setlist.FM. With gas left in the tank, the band went into the night’s encore on“Bad Little Doggie,” following with “World Boss” and “Brand New Angel,” which arched back to the night’s opener, “Mule.” 

With their New Year’s Eve run complete, Gov’t Mule will rest leading up to their Island Exodus 15 event in Runaway Bay, Jamaica, from Jan. 19-23, 2025. Limited ticket packages remain. 

Scroll down to view last night’s setlist.

December 31, 2024

Beacon Theatre

New York, NY

Set 1

Mule *>

Larger Than Life *

Temporary Saint *

Dolphineus (1) > Painted Silver Light *

Peace I Need #

Shake Our Way Out #

Just Got Paid # (2)

Nasty Dogs And Funky Kings # (3)

Captured #

Monkey Hill #

Living Loving Maid # (4)… pic.twitter.com/aIF5CXLON8

— Gov’t Mule (@govtmuleband) January 1, 2025

Gov’t Mule 

Beacon Theatre – New York, NY

December 31, 2024

Set I: Mule* > Larger Than Life*, Temporary Saint*, Dolphineus(1) > Painted Silver Light*

Peace I Need#, Shake Our Way Out#, Just Got Paid#(2), Nasty Dogs And Funky Kings#(3), Captured#, Monkey Hill#, Living Loving Maid#(4), Thorazine Shuffle#

Set II: After The Storm, Young Mule Blues(5), So Weak, So Strong(6), Down And Out in NYC(7), Asked Her For Water, The River Only Flows One Way > Auld Lang Syne, 21st Century, Schizoid Man(8), Listening To You(9), Dazed And Confused(8)

Enc.: Bad Little Doggie, World Boss, Brand New Angel > Mule’

Notes:

*  Trio (Warren, Matt & Kevin)

# Full Band. Danny on Guitar (no keys) 

(1) LTP 9/17/2022. 131 Shows

(2) LTP 9/22/2022. 129 Shows

(3) LTP 9/4/2021. 206 Shows

(4) LTP 7/24/2009. 1004 Shows

(5) LTP 4/10/2005. 1391 Shows

(6) LTP 10/20/2022. 116 Shows

(7)  LTP 4/28/2017. 467 Shows

(8) LTP 9/4/2010. 1391 Shows