_Photo by Dino Perrucci_

Gov’t Mule got some help from a few friends as they played their 1999 live album Live… With A Little Help From Our Friends in its entirety on the first night of their Island Exodus destination festival at the Grand Lido Resort in Negril, Jamaica. Paul Nelson, who played guitar with the late Johnny Winter, was the first to join the band when he came out for “Look On Yonder Wall” during the first set. Warren Haynes Band saxophonist Ron Holloway then joined the fray for “Soulshine” before Sonny Landreth took tthe stage for a “Mule” that weaved through “Who Do You Love?” and “I’ve Been Working” to close out the set.

Holloway and Sonny Landreth sat in on “Sad & Deep As You” to kick off set two before Anders Osborne made an appearance on the Neil Young classic “Cortez The Killer.” Holloway and Landreth then returned for a set-closing “Afro-Blue,” while The Better Half Singers—Mini Carlsson and Machan Taylor—helped the band wrap up the night with a fitting take on The Beatles’ “With A Little Help From My Friends” (the song, which bookended last night’s show, did not appear on the live album).

Island Exodus will continue tonight with another performance by Gov’t Mule.

Here’s a look at last night’s setlist as it appears in our Box Scores:

Wednesday, January 14, 2015, Gov’t Mule, Island Exodus, Negril, Jamaica

Set I: With A Little Help From My Friends Intro > Thorazine Shuffle, Dolphineus > War Pigs, 30 Days In The Hole (with I Don’t Need No Doctor elements), Mr. Big, Look On Yonder Wall*, Soulshine^, Mule^^ > Who Do You Love?^^ > Mule^^ > I’ve Been Working^^ > Mule^^

Set II: Sad & Deep As You%, Devil Likes It Slow%%, Cortez The Killer$, Afro-Blue%

Enc: With A Little Help From My Friends$$