'Always a blast': Gov't Mule joining Willie Nelson for South Florida festival shows

Warren Haynes didn't hesitate when asked to bring his band, Gov't Mule, to the Outlaw Music Festival that rolls through South Florida in early October.

"We’ve done quite a few the last few years and it’s always a blast," Haynes said.

The singer and guitarist formed Gov't Mule in 1994 as a side project during his first stint playing with the Allman Brothers Band, but he's known Outlaw headliner Willie Nelson for far longer than that.

"The first time I played with Willie was in 1981," Haynes said last month in a phone interview during a tour stop in West Virginia.

The Outlaw Music Festival stops by the iThink Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach on Oct. 6 and the MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre in Tampa the following night. It has a rotating cast of bands, but the Florida dates feature Willie Nelson & Family, the Avett Brothers, Gov't Mule and Elizabeth Cook. Gov't Mule also plays at the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall in Fort Myers on Oct. 13, but that isn't part of the Outlaw Tour. They'll also play a "Dark Side of the Mule" show Oct. 14 at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre, doing one set of their own music and another of only Pink Floyd songs.

Haynes said the festival is one of his favorites to play because Nelson makes everyone feel so welcome. Fans shouldn't be surprised to see the acts sit in and play with one another during the shows.

"That’s one of the cool things about it, there's a lot of stage sharing," Haynes said. "That family is such a warm musical friendly sort of family, that’s the reason everyone wants to be part if the Outlaw tour."

Gov't Mule is playing six dates on the Outlaw Tour, in the midst of its own tour to promote a new album, "Peace ... Like a River." Haynes said playing a festival is a different experience than headlining a show of his own. The band typically plays for about 2 1/2 hours at its own shows, but festivals allow just 75 minutes, so he has to tailor the setlist to make sure every song counts. It's a delicate balance between keeping his own fans happy and entertaining people who may have come to see someone else.

"You want to do a little bit of everything to gain new fans but also be true to the hardcore fans that are there as well," he said.

Gov't Mule is working in a new bass player, Kevin Scott, who joined earlier this year, and promoting two albums, "Peace ... Like a River" and 2021's "Heavy Load Blues," which were recorded simultaneously but don't sound like it. Haynes said the band is working in two or three new songs at every show, but they never play the same setlist twice.

Outlaw Music Festival

With Willie Nelson and Family, the Avett Brothers, Gov't Mule and Elizabeth Cook

4:35 p.m. Friday, Oct. 6, at iThink Amphitheatre, West Palm Beach. $29 and up.

4:35 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7, at Midflorida Credit Amphitheatre, Tampa. $22 and up.

Gov't Mule

8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 13, at the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Center, Fort Myers. $31.29-$84.54.

Gov't Mule 'Dark Side of the Mule'

7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 14, at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre. $39.50-$65.50.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Warren Haynes, Gov't Mule playing Outlaw Music Festivalin Florida