By Josh Herwitt //
Gov’t Mule //
Orpheum Theatre – Los Angeles
September 26th, 2014 //
Warren Haynes may be leaving The Allman Brothers Band for good after this year, but that doesn’t mean the future of Gov’t Mule is in jeopardy. The Southern rock outfit has been going strong for 20 years now, becoming a staple in the jam scene and a household name at music festivals across the country.
But for as many gigs as they’ve tallied over the past two decades, the well-oiled machine of Haynes (guitar, vocals), Matt Abts (drums, percussion), Danny Louis (keyboards, trumpet, guitar, vocals) and Jorgen Carlsson (bass) hasn’t slowed down, releasing their 10th studio album Shout! just a year ago.
Hitting LA on a Friday night for their “20 Years Strong” tour, the quartet ripped through a 19-song, two-and-a-half hour performance at the historic Orpheum Theatre that saw Haynes and company pay tribute to a long list of music’s biggest legends — Ray Charles, Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Cash, Al Green, Ann Peebles, Maynard Ferguson, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Grateful Dead, Sly and the Family Stone, The Allman Brothers, Creedence Clearwater Revival and The Police were all represented in some shape or form over the course of the night.
With Gov’t Mule only playing three songs from Shout!, it was clear that this night was more about their appreciation for those who had come before them than what their own music embodies. When it was all said and done, Mule left their loyal LA fan base eager for the next U.S. tour — whenever that may be.
Set 1:
Mule, Game Face (with “Birdland,” “Mountain Jam” and “Norwegian Wood” teases), Little Toy Brain, Funny Little Tragedy (with “Message in a Bottle” lyrics), Kind of Bird (with “When the Wind Cries Mary” tease), Banks of the Deep End, Captured, Broke Down on the Brazos
Set 2:
Done Got Wise, I Believe to My Soul (Ray Charles cover with Jimmy Vivino and Jeff Babko), Brighter Days, Fallen Down (with “Gimme Shelter” lyrics), The Other One Jam (Grateful Dead cover with “Gimme Shelter” lyrics), Drums, Drums & Bass, I Feel Like Breaking Up Somebody’s Home (Ann Peebles cover with Jimmy Vivino and Yoshi Yanagi with “Let Me Have It All” lyrics)
Encore:
Effigy (Creedence Clearwater Revival cover), Folsom Prison Blues Jam (Johnny Cash cover) > Effigy, I’m a Ram (Al Green cover)
Originally recorded by The Coasters in a 1965, Ray Charles made “Let’s Go Get Stoned” a #1 hit a year later. This classic blues track was released after Charles was released from rehab, as he was attempting to kick heroin. It’s assumed that Charles smoked copious amounts of marijuana as well…Thanks Billy Preston!
Jamaican reggae singer Eed-A-Mouse is about two things: repetition and weed. His concerts often consist of “a-Wa-Do-Dem” being repeated for 65% of the time, but he placates the stoner rastas and trustafarians with his biggest tracks “Ganja Smuggling” and “Sensee Party.” “Ganja Smuggling” still has the mouse’s patented repetition and sends positive irie vibes.
Sublime made this track famous, but it belongs to The Toyes. According to The 
Snoop Dogg, or Snoop Lion as he wants to be called now, must legally be included in this list, as he is the current cultural ambassador of ganja. Just check his 
“I got five on it” refers to throwing down with your buds on a sack and puffin’ away. Just check the lyrics: “Kinda broke so ya know all I gots five, I got five. Unless you pull out the fat, crispy five dollar bill on the real before its history. I got 5 on it, let’s go half on a sack.”
“Yeah bring me champagne when I’m thirsty. Bring me reefer when I want to get high…Well you know there should be no law on people that want to smoke a little dope.” The Rolling Stones 
Rick James may be more well known for his addiction to cocaine thanks to The Chapelle Show, but “Mary Jane” proved that Rick James was multi-faceted in his drug use. History proves that Mary Jane was an actual girl Rick James loved, but she left him. In this case, music fans have spoken, and Chapelle’s movie Half-Baked help solidify this song and the woman Mary Jane into pot popular culture.
Bob Dylan was an early cannabis supporter – hell he 
No one has owned Weed Music more than Cypress Hill. Just look at the way they’ve described the details of their love for herb in tracks such as “I wanna Get High” & “Dr. Greenthumbs.” But it’s “Hits from the Bong” that has left the biggest impact. Remember, ‘just like chong, I hit the bowl and I reload it.’
