Gov’t Mule played a couple of shows in Georgia in honor of the release of their Georgia Bootleg Box Set. The band stopped by Athens on Wednesday, October 17 for a concert at the Georgia Theatre with guest opener Col Bruce Hampton. VIP ticket holders were treated to an acoustic performance by Warren Haynes and Matt Abts at the venue’s Rooftop Bar before the show that included a cover of Van Morrison’s “Into The Mystic.”

The Georgia Theatre show was full of interesting teases. “Birdland” and “Mountain Jam” found their way into “Gameface.” “Norwegian Wood,” “3rd Stone From The Sun” and “Deep in the Heart of Dixie” were teased during “Trane,” with “Deep In The Heart Of Dixie” coming back during the “St. Stephen Jam.” “Black Dog,” “Power of Soul” and “Get Up, Stand Up” all found their way in to “Don’t Step on The Grass Sam,” “Birth Of The Mule” and “Time To Confess,” respectively. “I Am A Ram” included another tease of “Black Dog,” as well as “A Hard Days Night” before going into a cover of the Beatles’ “Love Me Do.” Organ master Ike Stubblefield and pedal steel guitarist AJ Ghent sat in on “Feel Like Breaking Up Somebody’s Home,” while Les Brers was teased in “Mule.” The show ended with a “Spoonful” encore featuring Col. Bruce Hampton, Ike Stubblefield and AJ Ghent.

Gov’t Mule played The Tabernacle in Atlanta, GA the following night. The show was lighter on teases, though “Black Dog” was teased again, this time during “Lola Leave Your Light On,” while “Blind Man in the Dark” included parts of “Ain’t No Sunshine” and “When The Music’s Over.” While their may have been less sit ins than the previous night, the Atlanta show had Athens beat on sit ins. The performance ended with a double encore that saw Georgia native Tinsley Ellis join Mule for “Need Your Love” and “The Hunter.” Ellis stuck around for a version of “Turn On Your Lovelight” that also included appearances by Col. Bruce Hampton, AJ Ghent, Jess Graham Chuck Bithorn and Oteil Burbridge. The show closed with Ellis, Ghent, Graham, Bithorn, Burbridge and Coy Bowles joining Gov’t Mule for “That’s What Love Will Make You Do.”

The Georgia Bootleg Box Set contains over seven hours of music from Gov’t Mule’s three night run through Georgia in April of 1996. Mule played a few of the songs from the box set during their latest Georgia shows, including “Blind Man In The Dark,” “Mule,” “Game Face,” “Trane,” “Birth of the Mule,” “Don’t Step On The Grass, Sam” and “St. Stephen Jam.” The band will be playing another Georgia tonight at the Capitol Theatre in Macon. Warren Haynes and Matt Abts will be signing box sets at the Big House Museum in Macon as well today. You can view the full setlists for the Georgia show here.