photo by Heath Robson (via Gov’t Mule on Facebook)

On Friday evening, Gov’t Mule played the annual Spring Back to Vail celebration in Vail, CO, kicking off their slate of spring tour dates.

The band offered up a first set that was heavy in teases, starting with a bit of the Grateful Dead’s “Shakedown Street” during “Mule.” The band also fit in multiple teases of Sly & The Family Stone’s “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin),” plus some of Bob Marley’s “Get Up, Stand Up” during “Unblow Your Horn” and the Allman Brothers Band’s “Les Brers in A Minor” during a cover of Steve Miller’s “The Joker.”

Set two featured Mule staples like the Allmans’ “Dreams” and “Funny Little Tragedy, plus a cover of Marley’s “Lively Up Yourself” (with a tease of Led Zeppelin’s “Black Dog”) and latter-day ABB track “Soulshine.” The show then rounded out with an encore cover of Tom Waits’ “Going Out West.”

See the full setlist below. Gov’t Mule continue their spring dates tonight with the first of two shows at Belly Up in Aspen, CO.

Gov’t Mule
Spring Back To Vail – Vail, CO

Set I: Hammer & Nails, Mule (with Shakedown Street tease) > I’ve Been Working (with Going Down & Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) teases) > Mule, Banks Of The Deep End, Unblow Your Horn (with Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) lyrics & Get Up, Stand Up tease), The Joker (with Les Brers In A Minor tease), Effigy > Folsom Prison Blues Jam > Effigy

Set II: Dreams, Beautifully Broken, Lively Up Yourself (with Black Dog tease), Funny Little Tragedy, Soulshine

Enc: Going Out West

Source: Mule.net