Review by Shawn Perry
It was a night of Americana with a healthy portion of Southern rock and blues, scented with a smidge of rootsy country and bluegrass awash in alt and good old rock and roll all served up on the stage of Pollstar’s Best New Concert Venue of 2026. Indeed, a hearty entrée of music for the soul.
Opening the show, we had the Grammy-winning sister duo Larkin Poe. And closing, none other than Gov’t Mule, initially a jam-band spinoff of the Allman Brother Band; now, a respected, versatile entity on the circuit. Neither outfit has a brand-new album for 2026 to promote. Good thing they’re at their best on the concert stage. It was their last night of their Spring tour together, and both were primed and pumped to give the Nashville crowd a run for their money.
Though they originally hail from Georgia, Larkin Poe call Nashville home these days. So, it was no surprise to see loads of family, friends, and adopted hometown fans rushing to to fill the SRO gap between the stage and the first rows of folding chairs. The floor is more often open without any chairs. Clearly, they needed to accommodate the older members of the audience.
With the immediate floor full, it must have been encouraging to Rebecca and Megan Lovell, the sisters who lead Larkin Poe, as they bounced on to the stage and kicked things off in high style with “Nowhere Fast,” a spunky, semi-autobiographical tome about determination and one of many we’d hear early on from the group’s most recent album, 2025’s Bloom.
Rebecca confidently sang out the chorus — “Cause I’m cool whippin’ like it’s Saturday night” — and played a snappy rhythm guitar. Megan sidled up, her lap steel at the ready, filling in here and there, smoothing out the edges, until it was her turn to make those heavy-gauge strings spring to life, all eyes on her hands as they danced across the instrument, emoting a passionate, blues-soaked howl with each and every touch.
After blasting through “Mockingbird,” the rip-roarin’ lead-off track from Bloom, Rebecca introduced the backline — drummer Ben Satterlee, bassist Tarka Layman, and keyboardist Lucas Pettee. Together, they fell into an energetic “Bluephoria,” one more from Bloom, before moving onto other material. Though their catalog reaches back to 2014, most of what followed was, as to be expected, from the Grammy-winning Blood Harmony album from 2022.
The gloves came off as the interplay between Rebecca and Megan, especially when facing off in a fiery swap of crunchy guitar sweeps, went into overdrive on “The Royal Express.” They went back to 2017’s Peach for a swampy roll through “Preachin’ Blues” and to 2018 for an equally immersive “Blue Ridge Mountains.” And somehow, they pulled in “Georgia Off My Mind,” another popular homespun mid-tempo shaker from Blood Harmony, to counterbalance the adrenaline-fueled musicianship.
They finished off their hour-long set with two more from Blood Harmony: the snarling rocker “Bad Spell” and “Bolt Cutters & The Family Name” with its defiant refrain “You can take me outta the fight, but you can’t take the fight outta me…” The room exploded at the song’s end, bows were taken, and somehow everyone knew this wouldn’t be the last we’d see of Larkin Poe for the night.
Imagine being Gov’t Mule and having to follow that up. Not a problem. Their cool and subtle arrival allowed everyone to sort of collect their thoughts before shifting into a far more intensified exercise of musical appreciation. With Warren Haynes at the helm, Gov’t Mule is at once whimsical and calculated. They have a deep and rich discography to pluck from, they go wide and out of bounds with covers, and no night is ever the same as the night before. That and the Allman Brothers Band lineage have built a loyal fanbase, very much present at the Pinnacle.
They began with “Brand New Angel,” a chunky stomper from their 2006 release High & Mighty to get the masses moving. As always, Haynes angled through any minutia and bent those strings around the corners to keep the band on their marks. Danny Louis had his Hammond hovering around the riff while bassist Kevin Scott tended to the thunder and drummer Terence Higgins skillfully handled the tempos. The chemistry between the four is immediate. A quick “How ya’ feelin’ Nashville!” and it was onto “Bad Little Doggie,” a salty rocker from 2000’s Life Before Sanity.
A mellower groove was established for both “About To Rage,” from 2000’s Deja Voodoo (Louis’ first with the band), and “Dreaming Out Loud” from the Mule’s last album, 2003’s critically acclaimed Peace… Like a River. No doubt that Louis has proven to be an invaluable asset to the band. Not only does his handiwork behind the piano and organ enhance and provide another layer, he’s also a multi-instrumentalist who occasionally steps out up next to Haynes with a guitar in his hands. And tonight, he brought another voice to the music.
It happened during “John The Revelator,” with members of Larkin Poe joining in (both bands have recorded the traditional gospel blues number. Just as Haynes and Rebecca Lovell were engaging in the song’s call-and-response, here comes Louis blowing a few notes on a trombone. Rebecca soloed on mandolin, and Louis wazooed back into the section with an axiom of faith.
On the proceeding Sunday, singer and songwriter Dave Mason passed away. Without dropping his name, the Mule and Larkin Poe paid tribute to the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer with an uproarious swipe at Mason’s classic “Feelin’ Alright” (The Mule would later start their encore with Mason’s more morose “Sad And Deep As You”). Louis tinkled out a piano solo before Haynes and Rebecca traded more verses and licks.
After Larkin Poe cleared the stage, things got a little funky with heavy dive into the James Brown band’s “Doing It To Death.” The chops everyone has on the stage are second to none. Everybody in the room who mattered stopped whatever distraction they were tangling with, and directed their complete attention to the sonic cookout happening on stage. Too bad John Scofield wasn’t on-hand to join in.
Louis switched back and forth from guitar to organ on “Peace I Need,” another sumptuous rumbler from Peace… Like A River. Bobby “Blue” Bland’s “Ain’t No Love In The Heart Of The City” was like putty aching to be molded and shaped by the Mule, who kept it nice and simple without too much dressing. The purity of Haynes’ voice really burst through. “World Boss” served as a jumping-off point for Kevin Scott and a head-knocking bass solo. From there, a cacophonic crashing lead to a slow, bluesy burn on “Lay Your Burden Down.” The audience was even invited to chime in on the chorus.
Reaching back to 1998’s Dose, they unearthed a soulful “Blind Man in the Dark” and ended the main set with “Mr. Man” with what sounded like a taste of ABB at the break to gratify the dedicated souls gathered on the floor, many of whom had traveled from far distances. Once they began the encore and sailed through “Sad And Deep As You,” it was time to go all in with a hard-hitting “Mule” from their 1995 self-titled debut. If you weren’t asking “Where’s My Mule?” and “Who Do You Love?” by the end of the night, you were at the wrong show. Fortunately, the smiles of satisfaction across everyone’s glowing faces indicated otherwise.
