Gov't Mule and Grace Potter & the Nocturnals @ Meridian

Gov't Mule made their first stop in Houston in over six years, and they brought Grace Potter & the Nocturnals along to join in the fun at the Meridian on Thursday, May 1.

Full review after the jump

Eggs and I had been aching for some more Grace Potter & the Nocturnals since we escaped the heat at ACL last fall and caught some of their mercifully tent-sheltered set. (Actually, I heard some of their set at Wakarusa last year as well, but I was at my campsite at the time, so I doubt that really counts.) They certainly satisfied our cravings last Thursday, and still managed to leave us wanting more. Potter has phenomenal stage presence - it truly is hard to take your eyes away from her when she's performing. She comes across as self-assured without seeming pompous; there's a natural sort of...well, grace in her movements that I simply don't see in a certain other much-lauded chanteuse. Potter's confidence is well-founded - her charisma is backed by a powerful, soulful voice and some serious skills on the guitar and keyboards. I thoroughly enjoyed her choice of a Gibson Flying V as her rhythm guitar. Potter was joined by the Nocturnals: Scott Tournet on guitar and harmonica, Bryan Dondero on bass, and Matt Burr on drums. All three lend their vocal abilities to the songs as well.

There was at least one die-hard GPN fan in the audience - a red-t-shirt-and-glasses-clad guy kept yelling out a request for "Treat Me Right". Grace & co. graciously obliged (perhaps to shut him up?), eliciting a loud, exhilarated "YESSSSS!" from this visibly happy dude. The band closed with "Big White Gate", and I was surprised that the set was already over - I wasn't ready for it to end. Hopefully I'll get the opportunity to see them again at the Outside Lands Festival in August.

After GPN's set ended, we headed outside to talk business and people-watch. It certainly was a great night for the latter - the audience was a bit...different, though not at all in a bad way. The mix of people was simultaneously strange and entertaining. The age range was remarkably wide, but I suppose that's not such an uncommon occurrence at jam shows. (Neither are Bonnaroo shirts, for that matter.) There was actually a bathroom attendant on duty, which is an uncommon occurrence, at least at the Meridian. (Or is it? It's not a venue we've been frequenting recently, so I guess I can't really be sure.) More than a few show-goers apparently chose to keep 'em comin' at the bar, which made for a precarious situation on the slippery stairs outside. Most managed to keep their footing, but one drunk dude was not so lucky.

We headed back inside just before Gov't Mule took the stage. The audience had grown even more enthusiastic, providing the band a wild and warm welcome back (finally!) to Houston. Mule opened with "Slackjaw Jezebel" and proceeded to deliver a blisteringly great set from there. Guitarist/vocalist Warren Haynes was on point, as has come to be expected from such a hard-working and acclaimed musician. Drummer Matt Abts, keyboardist Danny Louis, and bassist Andy Hess joined Haynes in guiding us all through a jam/blues journey. It's clear why they've developed a solid reputation for putting on phenomenal live shows.

The remainder of the first set consisted of "Larger Than Life", "Rocking Horse", "Thelonius Beck", "Slow Happy Boys", "Bad Man Walking", and "About to Rage". Mule also covered Traffic's "Empty Pages", and welcomed Grace Potter back to the stage for a set-ending rendition of "Honky Tonk Women". And a damn good rendition it was:

We were so fully satisfied after experiencing that collaboration that we left before the second set started. Okay, that's not the real reason, but we did call it a night. For any out there who'd like to know, Mule's second set included "So Weak, So Strong", "Sco-Mule", "Champagne & Reefer", "Painted Silver Light", "Bad Little Doggie", and "Blind Man in the Dark", with "It Hurts Me Too" as the encore.

Cereal's rating: 8.0973845/10 bowls for making me feel like I wasn't working at all. Mule has a no-cameras policy, which turned out to be a positive thing for me that night. Without having the burden of the bulky camera bag and the photography duties that go along with it, Eggs and I actually found ourselves standing next to each other during the show. This might not sound amazing, but we realized that it doesn't happen all that often anymore because we're too busy taking pictures, or videos, or notes. I was able to really, truly dance - and to two great bands, at that.

Carpe ientaculum.

--Cereal