This concert at the Trianon will be my fifth with La Mule over fifteen years. I remember very well the very first one I had the chance to attend, in April 2005 at Trabendo. This is also the first time that Warren Haynes and his minions performed in Paris. At the time it was the acquisition of the monumental Live “The Deepest End” which made me want to go and see them in real life... I was not disappointed, far from it, and I took the decision to return there every time the opportunity arises !
I missed the Bataclan in 2010 but I made up for it at the Trianon (already !) in 2012 with the excellent Kenny Wayne Shepherd the same evening. I missed the 2013 concert but was present in 2015 at La Cigale for the twentieth anniversary tour and
3 hours of pure madness! Missed the 2017 Trianon again but returned to the job in 2019 at La Cigale for a performance a little below the previous ones. No reason, however, to miss this 2023 event in the beautiful Pigalle venue for this “Peace...
Like A River” World Tour...

The show starts at 7:35 p.m. and we're off for two and a half hours of very good blues-rock mixed with southern influences and the long improvisations that the great Warren is particularly fond of. The group is still in quartet with the faithful Matt Abts hidden behind his drums, but always very present, and this since the formation of the American group. On keyboards and sometimes on trumpet we find Danny Louis who joined the combo around twenty years ago... The “new kid” is the excellent Kevin Scott who recently replaced Jorgen Carlsson on bass and who will make a strong impression throughout the evening with his subtle and inspired playing.

We start with the very effective “Revolution Come, Revolution Go” from the 2017 album of the same name and we already know that the evening is going to be a good one. The sound is enormous and the group is as united as ever. Return to the
1998 album “Dose” with the “heavy” “Game Face” that Warren mixed with a “small” “Mountain Jam” from the Allman Brothers, the first nod to his old and legendary group. We stay with the classics of the genre with the memorable “Banks Of The
Deep End” from 2001. Promo obliges, a little detour to the new opus for a captivating “Same As It Ever Was” which opens “Peace... Like A River” in the most beautiful way.

A little detour to jazz with the friendly “Devil Likes It Slow” that Warren had enhanced on the album “Sco-Mule” with the contribution of John Scofield in 2015. The atmosphere is more melancholic with the sublime “Beautifully Broken” which is a big success with Mule aficionados. And it is the bluesy/reggae “Time To Confess” which will close this first set with Haynes in great guitar form. After a 20-minute break, the Americans return with another excerpt from “Revolution Come, Revolution Go”: “Traveling Tune” for a gentle restart.

We continue in this cozy atmosphere with “No Need To Suffer” from the album “Life Before Insanity” and our thoughts go to Allen Woody, for whom it was the last with Gov't Mule before his death in 2000. We then head towards funkier shores with the classic “Doing It To Death” by J.B.'s, James Brown's group, and which Gov't Mule had already covered on “Sco-Mule”. Back in 2023 with the good reggae “The River Only Flows One Way” from the new album and its haunting vocals. The pace picks up with the very good “Dreaming Out Lout”, also from “Peace... Like A River” and which grooves terribly. “Endless Parade” remains a classic of the group since the “High & Mighty” of 2006 and the fans are in heaven... Return to the big sound that suits Gov't Mule so well with the sublime “Bad Little Doggie”, a essential in the repertoire.

The atmosphere goes up a notch with “Blind Man In The Dark” from “Dose” which gets everyone in agreement, big atmosphere in the room for this highly anticipated gem! La Mule will return for a final encore dedicated to the Allman Brothers Band with “Soulshine” which slowly builds up to the liberating and sunny solo... Finally we will have had this evening a set list quite close to that of my favorite album “The Deepest End (Live)” for my greatest pleasure. The fans have stars in their eyes and are struggling to leave the Trianon as this concert has once again won them over. This evening will remain among the best spent with Warren and his group!

Thanks to Hugo, Sabrina and Simon...

Par OLIVIER CARLE