Gov’t Mule Rings In 2024 With ‘Black ‘N’ Blue New Years’ Eve Concert At Beacon Theatre

Gov’t Mule finally returned to The Beacon Theatre for the first time in four years to end their New Year’s Eve run with shows on December 30 and 31 after postponements due to COVID-19, frontman Warren Haynes' fractured scapula and his serious complications from COVID and Influenza A. The band delivered a lengthy performance at the New York City venue on the 31st that included a marathon, nearly all-cover second set with a “Black ‘N’ Blue New Years” theme featuring special guests guitarist Jimmy Vivino and drummer/percussionist Shawn Pelton.

Four years was an eternity between Beacon shows for Gov’t Mule. The historic theater on Manhattan’s Upper West Side hosted the band’s New Year’s Eve festivities every year from 2002 through 2019. A lone exception came in 2008, when The Beacon was undergoing renovations. Additionally, Warren Haynes played hundreds of shows at the venue as a member of The Allman Brothers Band from 1989 – 1997 and 2000 – 2014.

The band — Haynes, multi-instrumentalist Danny Louis, drummer Matt Abts and bassist Kevin Scott — went the all-original route for Sunday’s first of two sets outside of three instrumental covers fit within “Trane” towards the end of the frame. Mule opened with the gentle “Traveling Tune” and then pulled “After The Storm” and “Shake Your Way” out off their 2023 studio album, Peace…Like A River.

Oldie “Painted Silver Light” came next ahead of the aforementioned “Trane,” which encompassed Hendrix’s “Third Stone From The Sun” and Link Wray’s “Rumble” as well as an instrumental take on the Grateful Dead’s “St. Stephen.” The quartet then played “Temporary Saint” from 1995’s Gov’t Mule and went back to Peace…Like A River for the set-closing “Same As It Ever Was.”

Gov’t Mule’s “Black ‘N’ Blue New Years” set and encore spanned nearly three hours in total. All 29 songs besides the traditional “Auld Lang Syne” either featured “Black” or “Blue” in the title or name of the original artist. Blue Öyster Cult’s “Cities on Flame With Rock and Roll” came first before Vivino handled lead vocals on “Black Friday” by Steely Dan and Haynes helmed the blues tune “Blue Monday” (Smiley Lewis). The trio of Mule debuts was followed by the band’s first take on Pearl Jam’s “Black” since January 13, 2013.

After honoring Pearl Jam, the quartet and Vivino paid tribute to another grunge-era band from Seattle — Soundgarden. “Black Hole Sun” and “Fell On Black Days” saw action after they were last played on December 31, 2008 and May 4, 2018 respectively. The latter led into the Santana-popularized Fleetwood Mac number “Black Magic Woman.” Next up were Mule’s debut performances of “Bell Bottom Blues” (Derek & The Dominos), “Devil With A Blue Dress On” (Shorty Long),” “Good Golly Miss Molly” (Little Richard) and “Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress” (The Hollies). The Mitch Ryder-popularized “Devil With A Blue Dress” encapsulated a bit of “Good Golly Miss Molly” ala Ryder’s arrangement.

A countdown into 2024 and “Auld Lang Syne” followed Mule’s first versions of “Behind Blue Eyes” by The Who since Halloween 2018 and the Dead’s “Stella Blue” since August 1, 2009. The band and their guests then served up The Allman Brothers Band classic “Blue Sky,” ZZ Top’s “Blue Jean Blues” and Mule original “Raven Black Night.” The set rolled on with two songs each by Bob Dylan (“Black Crow Blues” and “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue”), The Rolling Stones (“Stray Cat Blues” and “Paint It Black”) and The Beatles (“Baby’s In Black” and “For You Blue”). “Paint It Black” was the only tune of the six Mule had previously played.

Fittingly, the frame continued with the Fats Waller jazz standard “(What Did I Do To Be So) Black And Blue.” Mule, Vivino and Pelton then tackled Thelnoious Monk’s “Blue Monk” and Mongo Santamaría’s “Afro Blue.” Haynes went on to advise the crowd they would try to pull of something that had never been done before and probably never would again. The six musicians offered an instrumental mashup of AC/DC’s “Black In Black” and Led Zeppelin’s “Black Dog.” After having some issues with the initial run through, the ensemble played the mashup a second time. Warren led the group through Black Sabbath’s “Hand Of Doom” to end the set. Mule and friends tacked on a cover of Neil Young’s “Hey Hey, My My (Into The Black)” for the evening’s encore.

Watch more fan-shot video from Mule’s “Black ‘N’ Blue New Years” set below: