Gov’t Mule Busts Out ‘Sweet Leaf’ & Welcomes Many Guests Including 4/20 Dancers In Athens

The first Gov’t Mule tour of the year rolled into Athens, Georgia last night for a performance at the iconic Georgia Theatre. Gov’t Mule had plenty of treats in store for the crowd on the stoner holiday of 4/20 including the return of a long-lost cover and a bevy of guest appearances.

The quartet kicked off the evening with their first cover of Black Sabbath’s “Sweet Leaf” since 2013. Guitarist Warren Haynes and the quartet continued the opening stanza with a typical mix of covers and originals. Towards the end of the set, Mule brought out guitarist Marcus King and trumpeter Craig Sorrells for a take on “Good Morning Little Schoolgirl.” King and Sorrells stuck around and were joined by Marcus’s band mates Dean Mitchell on saxophone and Justin “JJ” Johnson on trombone for a cover of Tower Of Power’s “What Is Hip.”

Gov’t Mule turned the second set into a guest-filled affair starting with Sorrells, Mitchell and Johnson adding horns to “I’d Rather Go Blind.” Sorrells then lent his talents to a fitting 4/20 cover of Bob Marley’s “Lively Up Yourself.” Later in the set, the quartet were joined by “The 4:20 Dancers” during the live staple “Thorazine Shuffle.” For the encore, all of Gov’t Mule besides bassist Jorgen Carlsson shared the stage with all six members of the Marcus King Band for “Gonna Send You Back To Georgia.” Mule now heads to New Orleans for Jazz Fest.

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Watch fan-shot footage of “Sweet Leaf” provided by DoinIt2Death: