Gov't Mule has been one of my very favorite southern bands for many years now. I'll never forget the first time I saw them live. It was 1998 at The Peace Center in Greenville, South Carolina. A rather "uppity" venue that usually features opera, Broadway shows and symphony performances. Imagine my surprise when I heard that the Mule would be plowing through this lofty facility. The show was incredible and it hooked me like a bass on a fishing line.
I started going to any and all Mule shows I could make it out to. The power of Asheville, North Carolina's Warren Haynes on both guitar and vocal is amazing and Matt Abts is by far one of the most talented drummers in all of rock and roll. And what can I say about Allen Woody? His style on the bass was one of a kind. When he and Warren were members of The Allman Brothers Band I was in heaven. Like many others, I was blown away when Woody died. It rocked my world for a couple of years. Truth be known, I still haven't gotten over it. I love the new Mule but I really miss Allen.
Probably the coolest Mule show I ever attended was held outdoors in Spartanburg, S.C. on Saturday, May 1, 1999. It was my home town's "Spring Fling" and the weather was simply beautiful. My wife and I made it a "date night," as we always did for The Mule. What follows are some of my memories of that special night, with the mighty, mighty Gov't Mule.
The original Mule.
At one point, Mule bassist Allen Woody stepped up to the microphone and said, “What a nice night for a rock and roll show.” Boy, was he ever right. Gov’t Mule stepped onto the outdoor stage under a full moon, with an early summer breeze blowing through their hair, and proceeded to dominate.
About five-thousand people, ranging from grandmothers to grandchildren and all points in between, joined with bikers and moonshiners (we spotted at least one Moonshiner’s Reunion shirt in the crowd), rednecks and all points in between to enjoy the power drenched rock of Gov’t Mule as they moved through some of their best loved songs including “Blind Man in the Dark,” “Temporary Saint,” “Mule,” “Wandering Child” and so many more. Warren Haynes sang his heart out with the inherent soul of a blues man, twisting off riff after wicked riff on his Gibson Les Paul and moving between bottleneck-slide and fiery leads with all the precision of a man fully in touch with his muse. My wife expressed her feelings on the music by calling it “deeply sexual.” Well, that is a pretty accurate description. Much like their forefathers, Cream, The Jimi Hendrix Experience and Mountain, The Mule play music that stirs the soul and excites the animal instincts of good hearted Southern women -- and men as well.
Earlier, Cravin’ Melon had done a fine job of entertaining the jam-packed Morgan Square audience with a series of their most popular songs including “Sweet Tea” and their cover of the 1971 Hamilton, Joe Frank and Reynolds hit “Don’t Pull Your Love.” But as good a job as the boys did, and they were great, there was no comparison to the power trio that took the stage next.
Matt Abts plays drums like a man possessed and even though The Mule opted not to include Abts’ usual percussion solo, anyone watching could see that the man works his butt off behind that kit. Tonight was no exception.
As a special treat, Warren brought out Marc Ford, the former guitarist for The Black Crowes, who now has his own band. It seems Ford was booked to play a late night show at Magnolia’s, a club in town, and Haynes invited him up to recreate the magic of last New Year’s Eve’s show in Atlanta. Marc added his smoldering guitar work and vocals to the Neil Young tune “Cortez, Cortez,” mesmerizing and hypnotizing the audience with a series of improvisational guitar interludes.
The encore was nothing short of sheer joy for the Spartanburg audience as Warren brought Ford back to the stage along with founding Marshall Tucker Band drummer Paul T. Riddle and local musician Rick Willis, a man who carries the spirit and influence of the late Toy Caldwell like a torch, handed down from one generation to the next in some sort of Southern Rock ritual.
Woody said, “You all might recognize this one. We’re going to have some fun with it.” to which Warren added, “This is only the second time we’ve ever played this one. Last Wednesday night was the first." The opening chords of “Can’t You See” sent the crowd into a cheering frenzy as we all huddled together at the front of the stage in awe. Warren conducted the musicians like Charlie Daniels at one of the Volunteer Jams, signaling each player to take a “ride” on his guitar. Ford wailed on slide, seguing into Willis’ first lead. The intensity and similarity to Toy’s style caused Warren Haynes to grin from ear to ear like a kid who had just seen his buddy hit a home run right over the neighbor’s fence.
By the time all was said and done we were left standing there among the carnival rides and cotton candy stands, numb from head to toe, smiling and staring at the lights like Duane Berry waiting for the mothership to come and take him away.
It was one of the best shows I’d seen in my life and it was free. This must have been what it was like in the 1970s when The Allman Brothers played all those free shows at Piedmont Park in Atlanta. A real spiritual feeling permeated the air and everybody moved slowly away from the stage toward their cars, knowing they had experienced something quite special.
Ah yes, the Mule has been through some rough times to be sure but they have kept on a rockin'. The band's latest CD, High and Mighty, is one of their finest ever, receiving a GRITZ "five star" review. Be sure to check it out. There are also Gov't Mule fan sites, message boards, archived set lists and much more. A good place to start is mule.net. And tell them ol' Buffalo at GRITZ and SWAMPLAND sent you.
As always,
Keep it Real. Keep it Southern, y'all!
-Buffalo
michaelbuffalo@swampland.com
fashional says...
You can find DVD Movies now online due to high technology. DVD Movies online is rather cheap and have full seasons. You needn’t wait for months and you needn’t downloads for nights. Now you can order hundreds of DVD BOX SETS in few minutes.
P90X is the good Body Building Guide for family. Both women and men can excise their body everyday in home which is very comfort and easy. Spongebob is the best seller of dvd sets online.
Also Star Trek Series sell very good because its fan are not only adult, but also elder and children.
Star Trek has 5 series all are very interesting and amazing, it is why Star Trek can last for 5 series.
What I like most is Scrubs and Desperate House wife. I like these dvd box sets because it affect the real life, I feel the story and roles are real in these 2 dvd boxset. But my mom like True Blood
And Lost which are full of fantasy and amazing. She said she can feel very relax while watching these fantasy movies after a day heavy housework. Yes, she is right, people watch movies for full most.
My Daddy like Greys Anatomy and also Dexter, he likes comedy and he feel very happy while watch these comedy dvd box set, for example: Big Bang Theory
My husband like action and suspense movies most, he feel very exciting when watch these dvd box sets, the master piece should be CSI and Bones
There are too many good dvd sets and movies and we haven’t time to introduce one by one. You can search online to find many famous movies such as Ncis and the new released one Doctor Who
says...
Thank your helpful post.As we all know, girl like Jewelry and handbags. Today we like to introduce one famous brand jewelry: Pandora. Pandora is famous for its beads, charms, bracelets and Pandora Necklaces. The reason why Pandora Beads sell so good is that we can make beads into Pandora Bracelets and Pandora Necklaces. The Best Sellers is Pandora Beads in UK markets because it have variety of material, color and design. We can just say Fantasy of Pandora Charms.
radiant says...
Mobil Keluarga Ideal Terbaik Indonesia Mobil Keluarga Mobil Ideal Mobil Terbaik Mobil Indonesia Mobil Terbaik Mobil Mobil Keluarga Mobil Keluarga Indonesia Mobil Ideal Indonesia Mobil Terbaik Indonesia Mobil ideal Keluarga Indonesia Ideal Terbaik Keluarga Terbaik Indonesia Keluarga Ideal Indonesia Terbaik Indonesia Ideal Terbaik Indonesia Mobil Keluarga Ideal Terbaik Indonesia Mobil Keluarga Ideal Terbaik Indonesia Mobil Keluarga Ideal Terbaik Indonesia Best Free Software Elliott Wave Blogger Tutorial engagement rings Free PLR Article hostgator review baby center Pampers Baby Dry Diapers baby center baby dry center baby center blog baby name center baby center Baby Center Names Mobil Keluarga Ideal Terbaik Indonesia Rumah Mungil Yang Sehat Mobil Keluarga Ideal Terbaik Indonesia Mobil Keluarga Ideal Terbaik Indonesia Mobil Keluarga Ideal Terbaik Indonesia Mobil Keluarga Ideal Terbaik Indonesia Indonesia Siap Bersaing di SERP puppies Mobil Keluarga Ideal Terbaik Indonesia Mobil Indonesia Mobil Keluarga Ideal Mobil Keluarga Terbaik Keluarga Indonesia Mobil Keluarga Ideal Terbaik Indonesia Mobil Ideal Mobil Indonesia Mobil Ideal Mobil Indonesia Mobil Terbaik Mobil Ideal Terbaik Indonesia Mobil Keluarga Mobil Keluarga Indonesia Mobil Ideal Indonesia Mobil Terbaik Indonesia Mobil ideal Keluarga Indonesia Ideal Terbaik Indonesia Keluarga Terbaik Indonesia Keluarga Ideal Indonesia Terbaik Indonesia Ideal Terbaik Indonesia Mobil Keluarga Ideal Terbaik Indonesia Mobil Keluarga Ideal Terbaik Indonesia Mobil Keluarga Ideal Terbaik Indonesia Best Free Software Elliott Wave Blogger Tutorial wedding rings Free Article Directory hostgator review baby center Pampers Baby Dry Diapers baby center baby dry center baby center blog baby name center baby center Baby Center Names Mobil Keluarga Ideal Terbaik Indonesia Rumah Mungil Yang Sehat Mobil Keluarga Ideal Terbaik Indonesia Mobil Keluarga Ideal Terbaik Indonesia Mobil Keluarga Ideal Terbaik Indonesia Mobil Keluarga Ideal Terbaik Indonesia Indonesia Siap Bersaing di SERP pet shop Mobil Keluarga Ideal Terbaik Indonesia Mobil Indonesia Mobil Keluarga Ideal Mobil Keluarga Terbaik Keluarga Indonesia
replicabags says...
Chinese cheap Burberry handbags are growing popularity day after day. You could find lots of websites selling this kind of cheap Cartier handbags. Asian e-shops are very convenient - you can find and compare all the world popular cheap Celine handbags models at one website. So, you can compare cheap Chanel handbags according to their cheap Chloe handbags and cheap Christian Dior handbags and then choose one of them. You can save money for shipping buying different cheap Coach handbags not from different places but from cheap Dolce&Gabbana handbags. Then you need not to pay for a shipping of each single item. Buying several things at Chinese e-shops you get discount for shipping. Also the price for wholesales is lower then for retail. So, it may be very gainfully to buy several items at one shop and the product variety promotes it. Also you can buy several cheap Fendi handbags at the Chinese shop for the price of one original cheap Ferragamo handbags.Chinese manufacturers produce their cheap Giverchy handbags copying the originals very precisely. All the details of the real cheap Gucci handbags are transferred to its copy: the same size, the same color, the same logo, the same stitching. cheap hermes handbags are even made from the same to original material. It makes them very alike to the brand things. No one could say for certain whether it is a replica or original without special exploration. So, Chinese replicas looks just like the original cheap Jimmy Choo handbags. That's why they are so popular. Lots of people among the world choose this kind of cheap Juicy Couture handbags. It qualifies, it is just as fashionable as the real cheap Kooba handbags and it is cheaper."Why are cheap Lancel handbags cheaper then originals?" - You may probably ask me. I'll tell you that there are several reasons for it. The first reason is that cheap Loewe handbags is just a copy. It is true as for masterpieces of art as well for cheap Louis Vuitton handbags. While a real Rembrandt's painting may cost more then a million dollars, you can easily buy the reproduction of such a picture less then for cheap Luella handbags. The same situation with cheap Marc Jacobos handbags. Why such a tendency occurs? - Because the original is produced by the creator of its idea. So, you pay a half for the material item and a half for cheap Marni handbags, according to which it was created. In the case of a cheap Miumiu handbags you are paying only for the material thing, because there is no need in great intellectual efforts to copy something.The second reason is the great volume of the output. Chinese manufactures produce thousands and thousands cheap Mulberry handbags daily. It allows them to sell these cheap Prada handbags for less money. One of the rules of the world market says that the larger are volumes of the output, the lower is the price for an item of that production.Thus, cheap Thomaswylde handbags are cheaper then the original cheap Valentino handbags, but they qualify just as well. They are off the same fashion. Wearing a cheap Versace handbags you won't feel the difference with the original. Neither anyone other would see that difference. That makes this kind of commodity very popular.
xiaohe says...
Moncler,Moncler Jackets,Moncler Coats,Moncler Jackets On Sale,moncler jackets women,moncler jackets mens,moncler jackets kids,moncler vest women,moncler vest men,moncler boots,moncler bags,moncler-tshirts,moncler scarf,specials,New products,featured_products, Moncler Outlet, Moncler Jackets, Moncler Coats, Moncler Vest, Moncler Outlet Store, Moncler Online Outlet,moncler jackets women,moncler jackets mens,moncler jackets kids,moncler vest women,moncler vest men,moncler boots,moncler bags,moncler-tshirts,moncler scarf,specials,New products,featured_products, Moncler, Moncler Jackets, Moncler Coats, Moncler Jackets On Sale,moncler jackets women,moncler jackets mens,moncler jackets kids,moncler vest women,moncler vest men,moncler boots,moncler bags,moncler-tshirts,moncler scarf,specials,New products,featured_products, Moncler, Moncler Sale, Moncler Outlet, Moncler Jackets, Moncler Coats, Moncler USA,moncler jackets mens,moncler jackets womens,moncler jackets vest,moncler polo shirt,moncler accessories,moncler kids,moncler hoodie,moncler shoes, moncler sale,moncler on sale,moncler jackets cheap,cheap moncler jackets,moncler outlet,moncler outlet store,moncler jackets mens,moncler jackets womens,moncler jackets vest,moncler polo shirt,moncler accessories,moncler kids,moncler hoodie,moncler shoes
xiaohe says...
n you are shopping f Tiffanys jewelry n you are shopping f cheap Tiffany jewelry
says...
replica watches present a perfect blend of quality For the fake U-boat in general, Mr. fake Graham Zero feel Montargis 400 alone Omega Watches replica are a affectionate of enjoyment, replica Tommy Bahama because there are actual abounding collections in the country which cannot be seen. fake Fossil But even the most accomplished collectors, replica Baume and Mercier if behest in being to participate in Geneva, replica Parmigiani Watches Switzerland, fake Maurice Lacroix Watches is not a simple thing, roger Dubuis Watches but this time, grimoldi replica such problems no best exist. Because you can buy the replica Giordano Watches at the House of Lords exhibited in Beijing at the NAG. replica Bertolucci Watches Even if you do not alone go to Geneva, dandG fake but aswell coursing to his affection beat section.We have found that the aboriginal amateur have started to be spokesmens in the affluence rolex GMT Master replica industry. Display of acceleration and affection of the athletes and the following of arete no agnosticism Replica Timberland fake Field and Stream with absolute there is a accustomed affair point. As aboriginal as 1927, began with the eyes of Rolexs affiliation with the athletes. replica Chaumet Watches At that time, replica Activa adolescent British changeable athletes Mese Edith Liz Rolex Oyster Perpetual replica Glashutte to abrasion auspiciously beyond the English Channel, gucci Watches replica Rolex in London "Daily Telegraph" foreground page account that a huge account to the world, replica Bvlgari Watches so to actualize a the amateur endorsement Bell & Ross replica precedent. Since then, Zodiac Watches fake the cast has consistently accurate the sailing, christian Dior Watch fake golf, blancpain Watches tennis, michele1 Watches equestrian and added sports, Porsche Design replica abounding well-respected players accept become the agent for replica Triumph Watches. Fendi replica present a perfect blend of quality, replica Aigner Watches elegance and class. replica Chopard These timeless accessories have become the heartthrob of every person around the world owing to their endless qualities and benefits. fake Raymond weil Watches Unlike other bell and Ross Watches fake, having Omega replica implies living luxury. replica Richard mille Watch The wonderful designs, breathtaking styles, fake Longines Watches striking colors and a variety of materials make these accessories simply the best choices for all. chaumet replica No matter if you want an accessory for a wedding or a business meeting, replica Rolex Daytona a beach party or a formal dinner, fake Corum Watches you will be able to realize all your dreams in the form of fake Jacob and Co.
alilia says...
Nice post thanks for sharing with us. I think we all should appreciate the efforts of the owner of this blog and the writer of this article as well. Thank you for posting the great content. I was looking for something like this. I found it quiet interesting, hopefully you will keep posting such blogs. Keep sharing. Replica Bags Coach Bag Coach Outlet Store Coach Bags Gucci Backpack Gucci ugg boots on sale ugg classic boots on sale cheapest ugg boots, at the same time the blog theme is unique and perfect, ugg bailey button sale great job. Truly nice and well written article. The ideas are strongly pointed out and clearly emphasized. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and ideas on this one.
moonwoman says...
absolutely! The Mule rules! I too miss Woody every single day....Great review Buffalo!
If you aren't registered, Register Now to start leaving comments.