Karina Rykman & Gordie Johnson Join Gov’t Mule At Island Exodus 15 In Jamaica

Gov’t Mule’s opening performance at their Island Exodus destination event at Jewel Paradise Cove Resort in Runaway Bay, Jamaica on Sunday saw the band welcoming Karina Rykman, Gordie Johnson and others. The concert also featured a number of substantial bust-outs, including a song last played in 2002.

Gov’t Mule guitarist/vocalist Warren Haynes, drummer Matt Abts, multi-instrumentalist Danny Louis and bassist Kevin Scott launched the concert with “Karma Policemon Jam,” a fitting reggae take on Radiohead’s “Karma Police.” Mule recently unveiled a reggae-heavy Radiohead medley during their 2024 New Year’s Eve run.

Staple “Thorazine Shuffle” followed before the band broke out “Same Price” for the first time since NYE 2002. “Same Price” appears on Gov’t Mule’s 2001 album, The Deep End Vol. 1. Released a year after the death of Gov’t Mule founding bassist Allen Woody, The Deep End series saw Mule recording with a host of guest bass players. The performance of Vol. 1 track “Same Price” closed a gap of a whopping 1,558 shows.

The first set also saw Mule breaking out By a String (2009) cut “Scenes from a Troubled Mind” for the first time since 2019. The band bookended frame one with “Karma Police Reprise.”

Set two got underway with Gov’t Mule welcoming guitarist Gordie Johnson of Island Exodus performers Big Sugar along with The Sugar Cubists and Machan Taylor on backing vocals. The collab commenced with a reggae rendition of Grateful Dead’s “Terrapin Station,” dubbed “Terrapin Stay-Shon.” The performance marked Mule’s first-ever reggae version of the song and first cover of “Terrapin Station” since 2010, for a gap of 898 shows.

Johnson and the backing vocalists stayed on for roughly half of the second set, including on Mule’s dub version of The Rolling Stones’ “Play With Fire” (last played in 2021). While The Sugar Cubists and Machan Taylor departed following “Million Miles From Yesterday,” Johnson stuck around for “Sco-Mule.” Gov’t Mule sealed the second set with “Mule > What Is Hip? > Mule.”

The band returned with Karina Rykman in tow. The bassist handled the deep end on a cover of the Deep Purple classic “Maybe I’m A Leo,” another breakout, last played in 2015. Johnson and the backing vocalists then returned for a cover of Humble Pie’s’s “30 Days in the Hole” to conclude Mule’s night one at Island Exodus 15.

Official Audio

Setlist (via Gov’t Mule Facebook)

Set 1: Karma Policemon Jam, Thorazine Shuffle, Same Price (1), Scenes From A Troubled Mind (2), Peace I Need I Asked For Water > Machine Gun > IAFW, Devil Likes It Slow, Rocking Horse > Karma Police Reprise

Set 2: Terrapin Stay-Shon (3)*^ > Hard Road *^, Play With Fire (4) *^, Million Miles From Yesterday *^, Sco-Mule *, Captured Mule > What Is Hip? > Mule

Encore: Maybe I’m A Leo (5) #, 30 Days In The Hole *^

Notes:

• (1) Last Time Played 12/31/2002. 1558 Shows
• (2) LTP 12/31/2019. 219 Shows
• (3) LTP 8/1/2010. 898 Shows. First Time Reggae Version
• (4) LTP 8/27/2021. 211 Shows
• (5) LTP 5/14/2015. 570 Shows
• * w/ Gordie Johnson
• ^ w/ The Sugar Cubists & Machan Taylor – background vocals
• # w/ Karina Rykman – bass

Rykman’s band delivered a late-night set following Gov’t Mule. Warren Haynes joined well-documented Allman Brothers fan Karina Rykman on the songs “Run Of The Mill,” off Karina’s 2023 album Joyride, and the Butthole Surfers’ “Pepper.” Check out a clip of Warren’s sit-in with Karina below: