Gov’t Mule, photo by John Patrick Gatta

On Tuesday night, Oct. 21, Gov’t Mule rolled into South 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. In the last leg of their action-packed run, the venerable blues-rock torchbearers’ latest show continued their emphasis on setlist surprises, this time tapping local talents and longtime collaborators for surprise guest spots.

Gov’t Mule set off their performance last night with the Peace… Like a River standout “Same as It Ever Was.” From this soulful intro, the band lit into a fistful of fan-favorite original cuts like “Banks of the Deep End,” “Tear Me Down” and “The River Only Flows One Way,” complete with its regular tease of The Allman Brothers Band’s “Les Brers in A Minor’; the rhythmis intricacy of the latter was deftly navaigated by Warren Haynes Band backbeat Terence Higgins, who is filling in behind the kit while founding drummer Matt Abts takes a temporary touring hiatus.

Mule ripped through a scorching treatment of Robert Johnson’s “32-20 Blues,” before closing their first set with “Time to Confess.” To launch their second set, the band welcomed trumpeter Craig Sorrells for a sit-in on “Hottentot.” Sorrells, who fronts a jazz outfit of his own in S.C., has regularly joined Gov’t Mule as they’ve passed through The Palmetto State over the years, and the cause for his open invite was clear as he led the group into a soul-stirring version of the blues standard “John the Revelator.” As Sorrells departed from the stage, he was replaced by guitarist Mike Barnes, bolstering a cover Jeff Beck’s “Freeway Jam.” Barnes is another familiar face who, in his young teens, formed a band called Blue Sky with childhood friend Warren Haynes.

Gov’t Mule wrapped up their show with cuts like Howlin’ Wolf’s “How Many More Years,” “Blind Man in the Dark,” “Mr. Man” and an encore of “Soulshine.” They’ll return to the stage at Maryville, Tenn.’s The Shed tonight. Visit mule.net for information on the remainder of the group’s 2025 live itinerary.