Rock ‘n’ roll is alive and well and wailed through Polaris Amphitheater Friday night as Gov’t Mule took the stage as the opening act for the Steve Miller Band. Band members Matt Abts, Allen Woody and Warren Haynes delivered a high-energy performance, revving the engines of the audience mix.To put a definitive label to their music would be difficult. Highly influenced by Southern rock, blues, jazz and other genres, this trio blends styles effortlessly.”We don’t like categories,” said Haynes. “We’re influenced by so many different types of music, a pigeonhole really narrows it down too much.”To say their sound is contemporary, however, would be a mistake. In line with ’70s super bands would be more appropriate and reflects the group’s roots, which go back to that time.The band was not formed overnight. Haynes and Abts met when they jammed in the Dickey Betts Band during the ’80s. Haynes and Woody were brought together when they played for the Allman Brothers Band during its 1989 revival.To guess Gov’t Mule’s music would only appeal to baby boomers would also be a mistake. The audience consisted of many different age brackets. “I was pretty surprised,” said Angela Corrill, 19, of Middletown, Ohio. “I liked them a lot. They were good. I was real happy.”Gov’t Mule attributes this mixed appeal to those looking for tunes out of the ordinary. “We’re an alternative to the alternative,” Woody said.”Yeah, rock music – what an alternative,” Haynes said. “But it is these days. It’s definitely the exception rather than the rule. We’re not a top 40 band. We’re not a boy band. We’re not a big radio hit band either. It’s not a mainstream kind of thing. Not to put down today’s current music, but a lot of it is not music that we’re into.”Mule’s current album, Life Before Insanity, is their fifth release. Debuting in 1995, the group’s first album was self-titled, followed by Live at Roseland Ballroom, Dose, and Live… with a Little Help from Our Friends.Gov’t Mule’s members are thoroughly personable and down-to-earth. Following their performance, they met with fans for an autograph session. Their sense of humor is reflected in the very name of the band.”Gov’t Mule is Mrs. James Brown’s rear-end,” said Woody. “In the south, that’s an expression for a woman’s big butt.” The name of the band came to fruition while Haynes and Woody were touring with the Allman Brothers Band at a blues festival in Memphis, Tenn. James Brown performed at the festival the night after ABB. Later in the evening, Brown and his wife were dancing and another ABB member whispered to Woody, “Government mule.” The name carried over to the new band.”To make the story more twisted,” continued Woody, “she died on the operating table and we couldn’t tell anybody where we got our name. We’re not so embarrassed to talk about it now. It was like six years ago. She was undergoing cosmetic surgery and they put her under and she never woke up. It’s a funny story later, but at the time we were just going, ‘Oh my God.'”