The line of fans, two abreast, wrapped around the corner from the will call window at the Fillmore Auditorium in downtown Denver as hundreds of people jammed the performances of two of music’s most legendary groups.

Reggae legends Toots and the Maytals played last Thursday night, opening for Gov’t Mule, who played both Thursday and Friday.

Unfamiliar fans may be interested to find that Gov’t Mule is actually an Allman Brothers side project since 1994.

Illuminated by blue stage lights mounted on the ceiling, Toots and the Maytals opened the concert with some of their classics, including “Pressure Drop.”

Then the auditorium exploded with applause when the Gov’t Mule emerged from the back of the stage.

Both bands played a number of familiar songs that delighted fans. Still, some commented that the show offered a strange combination of artists.

Eric Shepard, a student at the University of Colordo at Boulder, commented, “I came to see Toots and the Maytals, but missed it ’cause I was late. I’ve never heard of Gov’t Mule until now, but the music is different than I’d expected.”

“There is a strange mix of people here. I think some were here to see Toots and the Maytals, and the others were here to see the Gov’t Mule,” said Christy Piscitelli, a student at the University of Denver.

The cultural differences among concert-goers was apparent. The crowd of fans ranged in age from 16 to 70.

Fans danced below a haze of marijuana smoke as Gov’t Mule put it all together when they played the song “Million Miles from Yesterday,” which is also the title of the band’s current tour.

After playing two back-to-back concerts at the Fillmore Auditorium, the band’s next stop is Santa Fe, N.M., and then Wichita, Kan., followed by Tulsa, Okla.

New and old fans alike can check out Gov’t Mule’s latest 2006 release High & Mighty on ATO Records.