Gov’t Mule’s Warren Haynes Plays Duane Allman’s 1961 SG Guitar At Riverbend Festival

Gov’t Mule guitarist Warren Haynes utilized the late Duane Allman’s famed 1961 Gibson SG guitar at the beginning of the band’s set on Sunday at the Riverbend Festival. Haynes played the storied instrument during the quartet’s “John The Revelator” opener at the festival held on the banks of the Tennessee River in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Duane used the 1961/1962 Gibson SG at hundreds of shows including on the version of “Stateboro Blues” featured on The Allman Brothers Band’s At Fillmore East live album in 1971 after being gifted the instrument by bandmate Dickey Betts as per The Met. The axe wound up in the collection of Graham Nash who sold the guitar at auction for $591K in 2019.

The Riverbend Festival performance was the third Gov’t Mule concert of a summer tour that started in Asheville, North Carolina on Friday. Kevin Scott once again filled in for Gov’t Mule bassist Jorgen Carlsson who is quarantining after testing positive for COVID-19.

Last night’s “John The Revelator” was Mule’s first take on the traditional song since June 5, 2019 as per Setlist.FM. Warren only played Duane’s guitar for the opener. The quartet went on to mix tunes from their 2021 blues album, Heavy Load Blues, with classics such as “Mule,” “Banks Of The Deep End,” “Thorazine Shuffle” and “Soulshine” in Chattanooga. Heavy Load Blues was represented in the Riverbend Festival setlist by original “Wake Up Dead,” Junior Wells’ “Snatch It Back And Hold It” featuring the “Hold It Back” jam within and Ann Peebles’ version of “Feel Like Breaking Up Somebody’s Home.”

Watch a clip showing Warren on Duane’s guitar for “John The Revelator” below:

Setlist (via Gov’t Mule Facebook)

Set: John The Revelator+, Mule, Wake Up Dead, Banks Of The Deep End, Stone Cold Rage, Snatch It Back And Hold It > Hold It Back > Snatch It Back And Hold It, Gameface, Thorazine Shuffle, Feel Like Breaking Up Somebody’s Home, Soulshine

+ – Warren Haynes on Duane Allman’s 1961 Les Paul SG