Gov't Mule @ The Beacon 12/31/10

I've learned from Ariel & Shya Kane that comparison is a killer. Enjoy your experience for what it is. This was a great show and they played well. I had a great time. They were celebrating Mule and invited fans to vote for their 10 favorite Mule songs, 5 favorite covers they've done and 5 favorite they've never done. I found that way too daunting to even try. I don't know how many "ballots" were actually submitted. I got the feeling it wasn't a huge turnout.


The 1st set was about 1.5 hours of sheer awesomeness. I was very happy with it. I think it was all Mule tunes but I'm not quite sure. The night before had a lot less Mule songs than I'm used to hearing at a Mule show, so I already presumed they were saving them for this show. The 2nd set was mainly Mule tunes also. There were also no special guests until toward the end. They ended the Mule song portion of the evening with the first guest, Corky Laing. I gotta admit, I don't like seeing Matt Abts leave the stage. It was good, I just didn't need him.



They ended the 2nd set with the start of the covers. I think 3rd set was all covers. My favorite was "Bad Company". My 2nd favorite was "Sugaree". I actually had a thought during the 1st set that I wanted to hear it. I'm so glad we got it!


It was surprising there was no encore. A lot of people were disappointed they ended with jazz, but I loved it. Bill Evans was awesome.


OK, if I'm going to indulge in comparison (a killer), it wasn't up to the level of the past 2 NYE shows, but come on.  You know those were way over the top.  It was great and it was The Beacon and there was no where else I'd rather be.
 
 
Set 1
Mule with Kirk West Introduction
Painted Silver Light
Gameface
Blind Man In The Dark
Bad Little Doggie
No Need To Suffer
Beautifully Broken
Banks Of The Deep End
Trying Not To Fall
Time To Confess with Get Up, Stand Up Tease
Thorazine Shuffle

Set 2
Slackjaw Jezebel
Brand New Angel
Steppin' Lightly
Broke Down On The Brazos
New Years Countdown
Achilles Last Stand *
Bridge Of Sighs *
Nantucket Sleighride * with Corky Laing
Bad Company *
Yer Blues *


Set 3
Shakedown Street *
Sugaree with Jon Herington & Bill Evans
Sco-Mule with Jon Herington & Bill Evans, Oye Como Va Tease & Dance To The Music Lyrics
Afro-Blue with Bill Evans & Oz Noy, Norwegian Wood Tease

* First Time Played