Iconic jam band Gov’t Mule rocks for ‘Peace’ at F.M. Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre on Sept. 20
From a press release:
While Gov’t Mule won’t be performing at the Peach Music Festival this week, it was announced today that they will be back in Northeastern Pennsylvania soon.
Led by Grammy Award-winning vocalist, songwriter, guitar legend, and producer Warren Haynes, the renowned Southern rock jam band will begin their Peace… Like a River World Tour in Canada on Sept. 13 and travel North America through Oct. 15 before heading over to Europe in November. They will stop at the F.M. Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre on Wednesday, Sept. 20.
Gov’t Mule just released their 12th studio album, “Peace… Like a River,” on June 16 via Fantasy Records. The 12-song rock journey, already being hailed as “perfection” and “captivating,” includes the singles “Dreaming Out Loud” featuring Ivan Neville and Ruthie Foster, “Same as It Ever Was,” and “Made My Peace,” as well as additional guest appearances from Billy F. Gibbons of ZZ Top, Billy Bob Thornton, and Celisse Henderson.
“With this record, there’s an honest attempt to bring back more complex arrangements in rock music that were so prevalent in a lot of the music we all grew up listening to but have been missing for too long in most of today’s music,” Haynes shared.
“This album also has a little more of a positive message than some of our past studio albums. A lot of the songs are about rediscovery and unity and celebrating what’s most important in life. We’re excited to finally have ‘Peace… Like a River’ out into the world and to perform the new music for our fans, who have already been embracing the new material.”
Doors at the Kirby Center (71 Public Square, Wilkes-Barre) open at 6:30 p.m., and the show starts at 8 p.m.
Tickets, which are $29.50, $39.50, $59.50, $79.50, and $89.50, plus applicable fees, go on sale this Thursday, June 29 at 10 a.m. at the Kirby Center box office, online at kirbycenter.org and ticketmaster.com, and by phone at 570-826-1100. A Kirby Member pre-sale begins Wednesday, June 28 at 10 a.m.
“Peace… Like a River” was recorded during the same sessions as their previous album, 2021’s chart-topping, Grammy-nominated blues record “Heavy Load Blues,” at the Power Station New England with co-producer John Paterno (Elvis Costello, Bonnie Raitt, Los Lobos) alongside Haynes. The albums, however, were created in different rooms, with no shared gear or instruments, keeping the two concurrent projects with their own unique identity and character.
Thematically, the new collection explores the seismic changes the world has gone through over the past few years. Influenced both in his songwriting and playing by what Haynes calls “the golden era of rock, soul, jazz, and blues,” Gov’t Mule combines the best and most enduring qualities from all those musical strains to create a timeless piece of art that could have easily come out in the 1970s.
The group first introduced the new album with the stirring lead single “Dreaming Out Loud” featuring vocals from New Orleans soul legend and longtime friend Ivan Neville and blues great Ruthie Foster, which is currently impacting Triple A radio nationwide. For the lyrics, Haynes wove together inspirational quotes from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Robert and John Kennedy, and the late civil rights leader and U.S. Representative John Lewis.
“Peace… Like a River” opens with the soaring and heartfelt track “Same as It Ever Was” and then ventures into the humor-infused “Shake Our Way Out” featuring Gibbons’ trademark vocals. Influenced by The Beatles, the epic “Made My Peace” is a nine-minute introspection on loss with a sweeping orchestral backdrop from the Kerhonkson Philharmonic. Billy Bob Thornton added his distinctive vocals to “The River Only Flows One Way,” and rising soul artist Celisse showcasing her incredible talents on “Just Across the River.”
Gov’t Mule – Warren Haynes (guitar, vocals), Matt Abts (drums), Danny Louis (keyboards, guitar, backing vocals), and Kevin Scott (bass) – will be out on the road all year in support of “Peace… Like a River,” bringing their acclaimed live show across the United States. The band’s June tour run featured a mix of headlining shows and dates with The Avett Brothers. On July 22, they will launch their summer amphitheater Dark Side of the Mule Tour.
The 18-date outing will feature a full Gov’t Mule set leading into the band’s extremely rare Pink Floyd tribute “Dark Side of the Mule,” in addition to special guests Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Evening opening, and will mark the final time Mule will perform the acclaimed set, which first debuted in 2008 and has only been performed live 10 times in total. Additionally, they are set to appear at select dates on Willie Nelson’s Outlaw Music Festival Tour, as well as various festival appearances this summer and fall. The band’s New Year’s Run from last year has also been rescheduled for Dec. 29 in Philadelphia and Dec. 30-31 in New York City.
Formed in 1994, Gov’t Mule has galvanized a global fan base with their honest, organic, and daring music and improvisational virtuosity, leading them to be recognized as one of the most timeless, revered, and active bands in the world whose spot among rock titans remains unshakable. Led by Haynes, a cornerstone of the American music landscape as a visionary artist and guitar legend, the enduring, globally revered group has showcased its intelligence and breadth over the course of 20+ studio and live albums, thousands of memorable performances, and millions of album and track sales. They have become a human encyclopedia of great American music while adding to that canon with their signature sound.
The band’s flexible interplay in the studio and on stage makes them a true living, breathing ensemble, and Haynes is lauded as one of the most formidable guitarists and vocalists of the modern era and a prolific songwriter and producer. Throughout his prolific career as part of three of the greatest live groups in rock history – The Allman Brothers Band, Gov’t Mule, and The Dead – and an acclaimed solo artist, the 63-year-old has become one of music’s most treasured storytellers.
The F.M. Kirby Center is a historic Art Deco/Moderne-style performing arts center located in downtown Wilkes-Barre. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
