Ann Wilson made a special appearance at a recent Gov’t Mule concert, joining the Southern rock jam band for an extended set, including covers of Led Zeppelin and Tom Petty.
Gov’t Mule had begun their evening with a setlist made up largely of originals, but their songs alongside Wilson would almost entirely be covers. The Heart singer joined the group for a rendition of Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song” before moving on to a blues medley of Memphis Slim’s “Mother Earth” and Willie Dixon’s “You Shook Me” (Heart combined the same two blues standards on their 1977 LP Magazine). From there, they returned to Zeppelin material, delivering rousing renditions of “Black Dog” and “No Quarter.”
Tom Petty was the next artist to be covered, with Wilson and the Gov’t Mule tackling the late rocker’s 1976 track “Luna.” Wilson concluded her stay by delving into the catalog of her own legendary group, serving up a powerful rendition of “Magic Man.”
Video of Wilson performing with Gov’t Mule can be found below.
The concert was the closing performance of a three-night stay for Gov’t Mule at the Westville Music Bowl in New Haven, Ct. The band – who routinely mixes other artists’ material into their sets – had covered Radiohead (“Creep”), Creedence Clearwater Revival (“Effigy”), the Allman Brothers Band (“Dreams”) and the Beatles (“She Said She Said,” “Tomorrow Never Knows”) into previous nights performances.
Meanwhile, Wilson’s appearance was the latest addition to a recent run of activity. The singer has released a handful of solo singles in 2021, including “Tender Heart,” “The Hammer” and “Black Wing.” Her last album, 2018’s Immortal, paid tribute to many departed rock legends, including Petty, David Bowie, Chris Cornell and Glenn Frey.