_Photo: Dino Perrucci_

As the Gov’t Mule Twitter stated following the band’s show in New Orleans last night, “Never miss a NOLA Mule show.” Over the course of the evening at NOLA’s Saenger Theatre, the band would trot out 36 guests in all to add their talents to Mule originals as well as covers.

The night kicked off with a “John the Revelator” with the Dirty Dozen Brass Band horns, a theme Mule would hit on throughout the night—bringing out various horn sections to bolster their sound. Former ABB keyboardist Chuck Leavell and The Blind Boys of Alabama came out a few songs later in the first set for the staple “Soulshine.” Leavell would stay out and be joined by Steven Bernstein, Doug Weiselman, Kevin Harris, Ivan Neville, Cyril Neville and Alecia Chakour for Joe Cocker’s “You Can Leave Your Hat On.” Don Was and Devon Allman would jump on stage with a similar ensemble for “Ventilator Blues” as well.

After a pair of Mule songs without guests, the band kept things rolling with an appearance from guitar legend Johnny Winter and Paul Nelson for “Don’t Want No Woman” and “Dust My Broom.” The band would play “Thorazine Shuffle” by themselves before closing the set with Trombone Shorty and The Dickinson Brothers on a high energy version of “Feel Like Breaking Up Somebody’s Home.”

After the first set featured upwards of 25 guests in total, the second would start with just Mule for two songs—“World Boss” and “Scared to Live.” Warren then reached into his Dead repertoire with some help from Bill Kreutzmann, George Porter Jr., Alecia Chakour and The Shady Horns on “Sugaree.” All four guests would hang around for the next tune, “City of New Orleans,” as Little Feat’s Paul Barrere and Fred Tackett along with G Love joined the revolving cast.

While they had Barrere and Tackett on stage, the band (along with George Porter Jr. and The Shady Horns) performed a cover of Little Feat’s “Spanish Moon.” On James Brown’s “It’s a Man’s World,” Eric Krasno, Charles Bradley and The Shady Horns all sat-in. The smallest ensemble of the evening followed with frequent Clapton and Jimmy Buffet collaborator Sonny Landreth playing some slide guitar on the Allman Brothers’ “Dreams.”

The set closed with the old blues number “32/30 Blues” with Smoky Greenwell, Landreth and Ed Williams. Landreth would return for the closer, “Cortez the Killer,” which was preceded by another appearance from Krasno, Bradley and The Shady Horns on Funkadelic’s “Maggot Brain.”

Dino Perrucci shared some images from the show below.

Here’s a look at the setlist as it appears in our Box Scores section:

Gov’t Mule
Saenger Theatre, New Orleans, LA

Set I: John The Revelator*, Broke Down On The Brazos, Steppin’ Lightly, Gameface (with Birdland & Mountain Jam Teases), Railroad Boy, Soulshine^, You Can Leave Your Hat On^^, Ventilator Blues%, No Reward, Captured, Don’t Want No Woman%%, Dust My Broom%%, Thorazine Shuffle, Feel Like Breaking Up Somebody’s Home&

Set II: World Boss, Scared To Live, Sugaree&&, City Of New Orleans^^^, Spanish Moon^^^^, It’s A Man’s World$$$, Dreams$$$$, 32/20 Blues%%%

Enc: Maggot Brain$$$$ > Cortez The Killer$$$$

Notes:
*with Dirty Dozen Brass Band Horns
^with The Blind Boys Of Alabama & Chuck Leavell
^^with Steven Bernstein, Doug Weiselman, Kevin Harris, Erik Lawrence, Chuck Leavell, Ivan Neville, Cyril Neville & Alecia Chakour
%with Steven Bernstein, Doug Weiselman, Kevin Harris, Erik Lawrence, Chuck Leavell, Ivan Neville, Cyril Neville, Don Was & Devon Allman
%%with Johnny Winter & Paul Nelson
&with Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews, Luther Dickinson & Cody Dickinson
&&with Bill Kreutzmann, George Porter Jr., Alecia Chakour & The Shady Horns
^^^with Bill Kreutzmann, George Porter Jr., Alecia Chakour, Paul Barrere, Fred Tackett, G-Love & The Shady Horns
^^^^with George Porter Jr., Paul Barrere, Fred Tackett & The Shady Horns
$$$with Eric Krasno, Charles Bradley & The Shady Horns
$$$$with Sonny Landreth
%%%with Smoky Greenwell, Sonny Landreth & Ed Williams

Source: Mule.net