I had the pleasure of attending the extended Gov’t Mule show on Friday night at the Beacon. They played 24 songs over the course of 3 sets, first hitting the stage at 9:30pm and not calling it quits until 2:30am. It was their 9th time playing the Beacon on New Years Eve and the theme was “Get Behind The Mule: The Ultimate Gov’t Mule Concert.” Fans picked the songs, both Mule originals and covers and it resulted in an incredible show. Check out the full set list. Highlights for me were their own “Thorazine Shuffle” and “Mule”; The Beatles’ “Yer Blues”; “Shakedown Street” and “Sugaree,” a pair of Grateful Dead songs; and “Afro Blue,” made famous by John Coltrane, with guests Bill Evans and Oz Noy. And Warren Haynes presided over the countdown to midnight, which saw balloons released from the ceiling of the Beacon. Here’s the stage, minutes after the countdown, littered with balloons, as shot from the balcony:

On Thursday, Brad Whitford of Aerosmith and David Hidalgo of Los Lobos showed up to jam. Incredibly, they played 21 songs on Thursday and the set list did not repeat over the course of the two nights.