On a blustery December evening on the streets of Philadelphia, swarms of fans crowded the entrance to The Met in long-awaited excitement. After two rescheduled Philadelphia shows, local Gov’t Mule fans were determined to see the band rock the stage for hours to come. The crowd was chipper up until the lights dropped for the show to begin and then, finally, it was time to let loose and groove. With no opener, I feared the crowd would be stiff for the beginning of the set, but rather everyone was in a flux of movement, feeding off the dynamics of the performance itself. Coming in from the cold winter weather, Gov’t Mule really did get the crowd in motion and wake up (the) dead per se with their opening tracks “Mule,” “Wake Up Dead,” and “Banks of the Deep End”.
Letting each song flow effortlessly into a euphoric jam session, the performance became a whirlwind of instrumental prowess. Ending off the first set with the help of long-time friends, Gov’t Mule guitarist and vocalist Warren Haynes invited Jimmy Vivino and Shawn Pelton to join the band on stage. These musical guests made their appearances in and out through the remainder of the show but it was just incredible to see all the various musicians playing off one another and creating new energy from classic songs.
The show played out seamlessly and after much anticipation from fans, Gov’t Mule certainly did not let Philadelphia down. The band will be playing multiple dates in the US in February so there is much more to come from Gov’t Mule in 2024 to look forward to as well.
