Opening Night | Govt Mule & John Scofield Kick Off Sco-Mule Tour

Gov’t Mule kicked off the long-in-the-making Sco-Mule Tour with guitarist John Scofield at Seattle’s Moore Theatre last night. It didn’t take long for the tour to welcome its first guest outside of Sco as Blues Traveler front man John Popper sat in on harmonica at two different points of the evening.

[Photo via Gov’t Mule Facebook]

Warren Haynes and Co. started off last night’s show by themselves for runs through “World Boss,” “Brand New Angel,” “Inside Outside Woman Blues,” “I’m A Ram” and “Fallen Down” before Scofield emerged to help out for a jam based on the Grateful Dead’s “The Other One.” Sco-Mule’s jam on “The Other One” included a variety of teases and even a bit of lyrics from The Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter.” Next up was “Hottentot” off Scofield’s A Go-Go album he recorded with Medeski Martin & Wood in 1998. One of the evening’s many surprises followed when Gov’t Mule debuted a rendition of The Allman Brothers Band’s “Instrumental Illness” with Scofield. The opening stanza then came to a close with Scofield and Mule’s take on Tower Of Power’s “What Is Hip?”

Mule returned for the second set with Scofield in tow to open with John’s “Wabash” and the collaborative “Sco-Mule.” Popper then joined the fray for a cover of Little Feat’s “Spanish Moon” that led into a “Drums” segment and Gov’t Mule ending the set without any guests on “Thorazine Shuffle.” John Popper also helped out on the evening’s Sco-less encore of “Soulshine” > “Tupelo Honey” > “Soulshine.”

Sco-Mule Tour continues tonight in Eugene, Oregon.

Watch footage of “Tupelo Honey” > “Soulshine” featuring Popper thanks to David Jacobs:

Setlist (via Mule.net)

Set One: World Boss, Brand New Angel, Inside Outside Woman Blues, I’m A Ram, Fallen Down > The Other One Jam (with John Scofield; 3rd Stone From The Sun, Norwegian Wood & Paint it Black Teases; Gimme Shelter Lyrics), Hottentot (with John Scofield), Instrumental Illness (with John Scofield; First Time Played), What Is Hip? (with John Scofield)

Set Two: Wabash (with John Scofield; First Time Played), Sco-Mule (with John Scofield; Hottentot & Oye Como Va Teases), Spanish Moon > (with John Scofield & John Popper) Drums > Thorazine Shuffle

Encore: Soulshine (with John Popper) > Tupelo Honey (with John Popper) > Soulshine (with John Popper)