Gov't Mule/April 4,1996/Burlington,VT

This is the first Mule show I remember seeing. The 1995 show from this blog is a non-entity in my brain. I witnessed this '96 show in a bit of a chemical haze,so it's surprising I have memories.

The ballsy-ness of the band sticks out the most. The late Allen Woody was a LOUD bassist. When he and drummer Matt Abts would hook up rhythmically,it felt like a gorilla pounding on my chest. And Warren Haynes's guitar and vocals were laced with attitude. This show had a long instrumental jam which eventually led to Hendrix's "Third Stone From the Sun". That got my attention immediately. And I think they played a "St. Stephen" jam at this show. (Possibly as a tribute to Jerry Garcia who had died 8 months before.)  Another fun night with The Mule.

Here is a link to that night's setlist.    http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/govt-mule/1996/club-toast-burlington-vt-6bdd469a.html

And below my ticket stub is a clip of The Mule from 8 days after my show.