Gov't Mule

The final part of their Deep End trilogy, this two-CD, one DVD set highlights this year’s May 3 show at the Saenger Theatre in New Orleans. This was the finale of their nearly two-year project of bringing together deceased bassist Allen Woody’s favourite bass players in tribute. For this live finale, recorded at the end of the annual New Orleans Jazz festival, all in attendance were treated to a very special night. Featuring 13 different bassists over the evening’s show, more than six hours of performances are made available here. It’s not necessarily the biggest names that make the most impressive performances either. While it’s cool to see Metallica/Voivod bassist Jason Newstead rock out with the band on the Black Sabbath classics "Sweet Leaf” and "War Pigs,” it’s moments like "Lay of the Sunflower,” with Rob Wasserman on bass and Bela Fleck on banjo, the duelling slide guitars of Warren Haynes and Sonny Landreth on Allen Toussaint’s "On Your Way Down” and the absolutely killer cover of Cream’s "Politician” with Los Lobos’s Conrad Lozano and David Hidalgo sitting in that really make this essential. This was a huge night to arrange logistically to make sure that all the guests would be there on time to perform; it’s even more amazing that a show with such variance from song to song works so well together as a whole.