Gov’t Mule, photo by Emily Butler
Over the weekend, Gov’t Mule rolled into North Carolina with their fall Back in the Saddle Tour, which has kept the quartet on the road since late August and will continue through Oct. 28. Racing into the last leg of their action-packed run, the venerable blues-rock torchbearers’ latest engagements stood out among their recent shows for a renewed focus on setlist surprises, which brought a total of four track revivals at shows in Wilmington and Raleigh.
On Friday, Oct. 17, Gov’t Mule set off their stand at Wilmington, N.C.’s Greenfield Lake Amphitheater with their tried and true treatment of The Staple Singers’ gospel stomper “Hammer and Nails.” From this fiery intro, the band plunged into a fistful of fan-favorite originals, touching on cuts like “Banks of the Deep End,” “Rocking Horse” and their dynamic “Snatch It Back and Hold It” sequence, which has lately presented an opportunity to highlight the rhythmic proficiency of Terence Higgins; Higgins, who also features in the Warren Haynes Band, is filling in behind the kit while founding drummer Matt Abts takes a temporary touring hiatus…