Why Gov’t Mule’s Legendary Guitarist Loves Colorado

Warren Haynes knows exactly what makes for a good concert. And if you’ve ever seen how he makes his guitar talk at any time over the past forty-plus years, it’s hard to question the blues-slinging axeman of Allman Brothers and Grateful Dead fame when he says he doesn’t worry about it too much. It’s all about doing his thing.

“The best it can be is when you get lost in the music and you’re not thinking. When it’s really good, you’re not even aware of what’s going on, you’re just riding the wave and immersed in it,” the 65-year-old Haynes shares.

“There has been times where I feel like, not to sound cliché and ridiculous, but it’s almost like an out-of-body experience. Where you come back and are like, ‘Oh, here I am playing on stage,’ and you got lost in it for X amount of time,” he says. “To me, that’s the best live music can be is when that happens, and that’s what you’re striving for in any improvisational setting, but an extent of that or any glimpse of that can be fulfilling in varying degrees.”

Spoken like a true hippie mage. A musician like Haynes, who’s played with everyone from David Allan Coe to Phil Lesh and long cemented his place among the rock lexicon, could easily sit back and pull from an extensive back catalog of hits. But that’s not his approach. As the founder and frontman of Gov’t Mule since 1994, Haynes is still looking to reach new heights and push the boundaries over three decades in. The trio released Peace…Like A River in 2023, while Haynes reissued his 1995 debut solo album, Tales of Ordinary Madness, earlier this year, complete with a recently uncovered bonus track, “Tear Me Down.”

After revisiting the record with a tour of intimate acoustic shows, he went out for a short run with the Warren Haynes Band. Now, Gov’t Mule is gearing up for its spring and summer slate. The Southern rock trio’s first gig, dubbed Mile High Mule, is in Denver on Friday, March 27, at Mission Ballroom.

“I guess it can be a lot of work, but it’s work that I enjoy,” Haynes says of his healthy workload. “The positive far outweighs the negative. I am really grateful for the fact that I have these different opportunities to explore and different projects that keep me from getting stagnated. For me, it’s a constant source of inspiration to be able to do something different all the time. I would go nuts if I was just doing the same thing all the time. But there’s always something going on, and I’m very fortunate to be in a circle of amazing musicians that are constant sources of inspiration.”

Just as he knows how to achieve musical nirvana, he can sense when an audience is on the same ascension to soulshine. And having played Colorado numerous times throughout his career with various acts, the local crowds are always eager to take that journey with him.

“The Colorado audience has always been exceptional in the way of being part of the live music experience. It’s also been ahead of the curve,” Haynes says. “I’ve had so many great shows in Colorado. It just seems like the audiences there are tailor-made for the kind of music we love and the concept of live performance and being part of it and influencing it.

“I’ve played Red Rocks so many times. I’ve had so many wonderful experiences there, but just the Colorado shows in general. There are quite a few examples,” he concludes. “Colorado has just always been really tapped into the improv nuance. It has to do with the lifestyle and the mindset of the people and their passion for music and how important music is in their lives.”

Gov’t Mule, 6:30 p.m. Friday, March 27, Mission Ballroom, 4242 Wynkoop St. Tickets are $68.