Gov’t Mule, photo by Emily Butler
Over the weekend, Gov’t Mule rolled into North Carolina with their fall Back in the Saddle Tour, which has kept the quartet on the road since late August and will continue through Oct. 28. Racing into the last leg of their action-packed run, the venerable blues-rock torchbearers’ latest engagements stood out among their recent shows for a renewed focus on setlist surprises, which brought a total of four track revivals at shows in Wilmington and Raleigh.
On Friday, Oct. 17, Gov’t Mule set off their stand at Wilmington, N.C.’s Greenfield Lake Amphitheater with their tried and true treatment of The Staple Singers’ gospel stomper “Hammer and Nails.” From this fiery intro, the band plunged into a fistful of fan-favorite originals, touching on cuts like “Banks of the Deep End,” “Rocking Horse” and their dynamic “Snatch It Back and Hold It” sequence, which has lately presented an opportunity to highlight the rhythmic proficiency of Terence Higgins; Higgins, who also features in the Warren Haynes Band, is filling in behind the kit while founding drummer Matt Abts takes a temporary touring hiatus.
After rounding out their first frame with a soulful, howling closer of Ann Peebles’ “I Feel Like Breaking Up Somebody’s Home Tonight,” in the heavy electric blues style of the great Albert King, Mule returned to the stage with the Haynes-penned Phil Lesh Quintet number “Patchwork Quilt.” The pummeling funk of The J.B.’s “Doing It to Death” led the band into a cover of Israel Tolbert’s “Big Legged Woman (With a Short Short Mini Skirt),” unearthed for the first time since Oct. 2005 and ending a 1312 show gap. After ripping through Howlin’ Wolf’s blues standard “I Asked for Water (She Gave Me Gasoline),” the band finally closed the show with a soaring “Mule” > “I’ve Been Working” medley and a “Soulshine” chaser.
On Saturday, Oct. 18, Gov’t Mule rode their momentum into the spotlight at Raleigh, N.C.’s Lincoln Theatre, as part of Band Together’s Mighty Giveback fundraising event. Earlier sets from West Coast AOR-inspired duo Young Gun Silver Fox and pop-rock singer-songwriter Edwin McCain set the stage for a headline set from Mule, which commenced with the traditional “Railroad Boy.” Staples like Al Green’s “I’m a Ram” and their explosive combination of “Game Face” and the Allman Brothers Band’s “Mountain Jam” led into “Sco-Mule” and a set-closing “Time to Confess.”
Gov’t Mule subverted expectations by launching their second set with the reliable encore of “Soulshine,” which arrived as a revelatory blast of energy before the band’s longtime cover of Tom Waits’ jagged Bone Machine entry “Goin’ Out West.” For their first treatment of Bob Dylan’s “I Shall Be Released” since Sept. 2023, the band welcomed McCain to feature on acoustic guitar and lead vocals. Shortly afterwards, Mule tore into another bust-out, putting their spin on Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Effigy” for the first time since 2023 with an extended tease of Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues.” The weekend’s final surprise arrived in the encore, when the quartet concluded their show by resurrecting Elmore James’ “I Can’t Hold Out” for the first time since Oct. 2017.
Read on for the full setlists from Friday and Saturday, and visit mule.net for information on the remainder of Gov’t Mule’s 2025 live itinerary.
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