Gov’t Mule Welcomes Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Oteil Burbridge & More In New Haven

Gov’t Mule stopped by Westville Music Bowl in New Haven, Connecticut on Saturday. Guitarist Warren Haynes and company welcomed members of openers Dirty Dozen Brass Band and Oteil & Friends for the concert which benefitted music industry mental health nonprofit Backline.

Gov’t Mule launched the show with the Warren Haynes-penned, Allman Brothers Band-recorded classic “Soulshine.” “Mule,” “Banks Of The Deep End,” “Larger Than Life” and “Devil Likes It Slow” followed. Warren Haynes then welcomed members of Dirty Dozen Brass Band for a cover of Etta James’ “I’d Rather Go Blind” ahead of the traditional “John The Revelator.”

Next, Haynes’ former ABB bandmate and bassist Oteil Burbridge took the stage. Oteil and members of Oteil & Friends including Eric Krasno, Jason Crosby and Tom Guarna joined Mule at their previous concert in Boston. This time around with Dirty Dozen, the collaborators delivered the Herbie Hancock classic “Chameleon.” According to SetlistFM stats, the “Chameleon” at Westville marked just the second time Gov’t Mule had performed the song since 2003. Oteil kicked off the jazz-fusion favorite’s famous low-end intro while Diry Dozen provided the melody on a well-jammed rendition.

The Dirty Dozen horns then departed. Guitarist Eric Krasno and multi-instrumentalist Jason Crosby came out for another guest spot, this time on Sonny Boy Williamson’s “Good Moring Little School Girl.” Next, Oteil & Friends guitarist Tom Guarna joined the fun on ABB’s “Whipping Post.” Gov’t Mule then went it alone for “Feel Like Breaking Up Somebody’s Home” followed by “Beautifully Broken” which encompassed a cover of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers’ “Breakdown.” “Wake Up Dead” counted as the penultimate song of the set followed by closer “Blind Man In The Dark.” Gov’t Mule returned for an encore of Tom Waits’ “Make It Rain.”

Watch fan-shot video of Gov’t Mule, members of Dirty Dozen Brass Band and Oteil Burbridge covering “Chameleon” below: