Current politics exasperate the autumn gloom. Although the economy is emerging from the largest contraction since World War II, we are still stuck in Iraq, and the impasse in Afghanistan seems to be getting even more complicated.

Luckily, Government Mule is here to help vent our frustration, providing the jams needed to placate our nerves. At a packed State Theater on Thursday night, the band delivered their medicine, drawing both old and young, as well as the leather-clad counter-culture scene that has frequented jam-band concerts since the 1960s.

Listening to Government Mule is a political activity. The word play of the name suggests as much, and the lyrics “You’re such an ass Sam / You’re full of shit Sam / Give up the fight” recall the political elements of the psychedelic movement of the sixties. The trippy designs that shined on State Theater’s ceiling provided the visual element necessary to accompany this.

Mother, should I trust the mule?: Jam scene veteran Warren Hayes lays down the riffs.Musically, Government Mule owes some of its style to this psychedelic heritage. Lead guitarist Warren Haynes shored up long guitar solos with springy riffs, utilizing the wammy bar and other effects that sounded akin to Jimi Hendrix and the Grateful Dead. The last song of the first set, “Soulshine,” showcased Haynes’ vocal talent, as well as the band’s musical versatility. Haynes belted out the soulful hymn that mixed organ with the usual blues and rock elements, and it seemed as though they could play all night. Each song needed about a minute to wind down, during which Haynes and the drummer, Matt Abts, negotiated the last note.

Drummer boy: Drummer Matt Abts delivered some forceful solos.The dynamic two-set show was preceded by an opening act worthy in its own right of the crowd’s attendance. Jackie Greene, a country-blues singer from California who has played with B.B. King and Phil Lesh and Friends, among others, set the laid back tone of the night with songs such as “Like a Ball and Chain”, a breezy tune that illuminates Greene’s stake in Americana music. In what would become a long night of guitar shredding, Greene engaged the audience with his catchy blues riffs that have graced festivals such as Bonnaroo, Newport Folk and All Good. His youthful voice provided a fresh contrast to the Warren Haynes’ rugged style, which has been seasoned by his involvement with many prolific musicians.

Haynes looks like the progeny of Zeus and a troll. His long blond locks flow to either side of his guitar, adding an angelic air to a squat man who otherwise looks as if he just broke up a bar fight. When he sings, one can hear years of experience roll off his tongue. Haynes started Government Mule in 1994 with bassist Allen Woody after the pair spent several years with the Allman Brothers, officially leaving the band in 1997 to concentrate purely on their new project (though Haynes still plays occasionally lead guitar for The Dead and the Allman Brothers). He has also recorded an album with Phil Lesh and Friends, and routinely plays with artists like Dave Matthews, Derek Trucks, Garth Brooks and others. Rolling Stone Magazine rated him the 23rd best guitarist of all time.

Jorgen Carlsson, Mule’s bassist, has the toughest shoes to fill — the band has had five bassists since co-founding bassist Allen Woody died in 2000 of a heroin overdose. Says Haynes of Carlsson, “he brings back much of Woody’s aggressive spirit, although he is still very much his own man.” On Thursday night, Carlsson looked like a European punk who had mistakenly stumbled into the American jam-band scene, but his intimidating presence helped him fit right in.

Abts, the shaggy drummer who has played with Haynes since the late 1980s, delivered what was perhaps the most stunning performance of the night. In an endurance-testing drum solo, Abts breathed gusts of many different percussion instruments, from cowbell to bongo drum. Rather than one continuous narrative, the solo was a collection of spurts, each distinct in their rhythm and instrumentation. The solo lasted so long that it gave Haynes ample break time, and elicited a huge ovation from the audience.

Just before Jackie Green came on stage to join in the last few songs, Mule played a spectacular montage of covers, including Johnny Cash, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Neil Young, The Grateful Dead and Jimi Hendrix. Haynes toyed with the tempo of the songs, speeding up Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues” after introducing the tune with part of Hendrix’s “Hey Joe.” The incorporation of so many covers into one ensemble was a musical tour-de-force that succinctly paid tribute to the band’s influences and peers.