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South
Regional Report
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Edited by Mike Jones and
Chip Schramm
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Panic
Fans Give Hope At Charity Food Drive by Chip Schramm Widespread Panic officially kicked off the traveling portion of their Spring tour in the state of Alabama. After a down-home celebration at the Classic Center to a combined three-night crowd of 6,000 people, the Athens, Georgia boys would take their roadshow down to the Gulf Coast to Mobile, where they had not played in over three years. After taking Thursday night off to travel north on I-65, they would then finish up their stint in the Heart of Dixie at the Von Braun Civic Center in Huntsville that Friday. Both shows were solid and exciting, with the Huntsville show being qualitatively superior, but not by too much. The band has strong fan base in Alabama and never fails to supply energetic performances whether they play in the Spring, Summer, or Fall. Fans "Give It Up" as Widespread Panic makes long-awaited return to Mobile The show in Mobile was special for Panic fans for several reasons. First and foremost, those who were unable to obtain tickets for the three Athens shows that sold out in less than 5 minutes would see their first concert there. The Mitchell Center was a brand-spanking new venue on the University of South Alabama campus, on the western side of the city. It was built with both sporting events and concerts in mind, so the acoustics were excellent, far superior to the Civic Center downtown. Mobile is also on the Central Gulf Coast, so everybody had an extra day or two between shows to bask on the beach if they wanted. More importantly, the weather was great for the Panic Fans For Food Drive benefiting the Bay Area Food Bank. The Food Drive was officially sponsored by An Honest Tune, the Widespread Panic fan magazine, (http://www.anhonesttune.com) and Jambands.com as well. The food drive had gotten so much publicity from the band's official website, The Mobile Press Register, and Internet media, that there was even a television crew at Solomon's Deli by 5pm when festivities got underway. Some of the fans had forgotten to bring canned goods to donate and others didn't have time to stop by before the show, but overall the drive was a resounding success. Some local Mobilians who had nothing to do with the concert even donated money out of their own pockets because they wanted to support the cause. After the final tally, the food bank reported that enough food and money was raised to provide transportation and food for over 300 local families. I was told that the money donated was just as important as the cans because transportation of food to the needy is often a problem. This fund-raising effort was identical to one spearheaded by Josh Stack in Athens and will also be replicated at the Myrtle Beach Panic shows this month and at Memphis in May as well. Many fans that donated won t-shirts, magazines, and live CDs as door prizes. Widespread Panic is always one to recognize the distinctive characteristics of the places and songs they play, so it was no surprise when they opened the show with the Chuck Berry song "Let It Rock." With John Bell growling the lyrics "In the heat of the day down in Mobile, Albama" (or some interpretation thereof) the show was on! Panic's version of this song is much more upbeat than either Berry's original or the cover that the Jerry Garcia band used to play all the time. It rocked and rolled to a fitting climax. Jojo Hermann would waste no time firing up his vocal chords as he launched into the crowd-pleasing "One Arm Steve." Quickly following that would be the much anticipated "Diner" complete with an extended jam from Mike Houser and the standard rap from JB near the end. Jojo was definitely in the mood to make his mark early, so he grabbed his mic again and sang a very rootsy rendition of Nobody's Loss, complete with David Schools on the electric acoustic bass. If memory serves me correctly, Jojo was late to the band meeting back at Bayfest in '96 and didn't get any of his songs in the setlist until the encore. The band poked around a little in-between tunes trying to find a suitable groove and settled for the hip-wigglin' farmhouse rocker "Better Off." One of the least played fan favorites, this is one they always seem to save for the more uncommon stops on their tours. After everybody was done groovin' to that one, the band pulled another ace from their sleeve and played the second "Lilly Blue Snow" of the tour. This seems to be a "tour song" as its third appearance in South Carolina 2 shows later would attest to. That's a good thing since it is a newer song that some fans are not as familiar with and a tune that is still evolving. Much like the support for the Food Drive before the show, the chorus is "Only Real If You Believe." The boys took a second to catch their breath after that and used the instrumental "Happy" as a transition into "Rock," a power song that seemed to fit perfectly in its place and time. As a native of Mobile who took my vacation week to follow the band (or were they following me?) from Athens to Mobile to Huntsville to South Carolina back to Memphis, the line "I'm gonna make it home piece by piece" pretty much summed up the first set in a nutshell for me. The setbreak was long, but not unbearable, so everybody was ready to go when they came back out and opened with "Wonderin'." More of a transition song than an opener, it served as a nice set-up for the "Space Wrangler" that followed. With all the new songs in the rotation, it's nice to see that the boys still know how to blow the roof off during an intense Wrangler jam. What followed from there left me floored. The jam took a decidedly ragtime flavor as Jojo tinkled the ivories with a little Professor Longhair tease reminiscent of "Tipitina" or "Get Up Early In The Morning," but ended up being the traditional tune "Junko Partner." Although Mobile's close proximity to New Orleans made this a legitimate connection, given the tragic passing of Bloodkin's manager in Athens the weekend before, I really wasn't too sure what to make of the song here. As fate would have it, JB butchered the lyrics so badly that few people in the building understood what he was singing anyway. Poetic justice? Tribute to an old friend? I'll let you make the call. Some die-hard fans don't like "Airplane," because it was overplayed so much back when Ain't Life Grand was released, but I just love the jam at the end. In fact, I can take a bathroom break at the first chord and make it back to my spot on the floor before the "Liftoff" portion of the jam hits full stride. The jam on this night was not the longest or most intense I've ever heard, but that was probably because they were saving their energy for the "Impossible" that they segued into. For the first time in a very long time, I actually lived the song out to it's narrative conclusion, so once again, I enjoyed every second of it if for nothing than selfish reasons. Just when I thought I had seen and heard just about all the goods the boys would deliver that evening, Dave Schools had to make me flinch. The band had teased and rapped the chords and lyrics to the old blues tune "Train Kept A Rollin'," but never played it in its entirety. Schools delivered the verses with a mean, serious tone of voice and the jam that followed was quite evil. In fact, they teased it at the American Theater in St. Louis back in April of 1997 in the same set they played Junko Partner! Mere Coincidence? I'm not gonna even guess. Drums was rather short, as Sunny seemed bored without the other players he had to drum with in Athens, but the rest of the guys caught just enough breath to play one of the best "Surprise Valley's" I've ever heard, immediately following. I don't think I've ever heard a version of Surprise that I didn't like, but the ones that have been at the start of the second set or coming out of drums seem to be the best. It's such a powerful and complex song that the band really needs to be warmed up to give it the full treatment. As the Panic train rolled through the bottom of the valley, it took a very scenic route to its final destination. It would hit an "All Time Low" to end the set, but as I mentioned in my Athens review, JB on acoustic guitar gives the song a totally different feel. Both the performance and the transition into "All Time Low" were much more melodic than the Summer and Fall Tour versions of the song. No longer a grinding bullet train, it is now more of a passenger coach that slowly winds down as it enters the station. When the boys walked off stage to end the set, they looked visibly tired. Hell, as hard as they'd played, they should have been. The encore was very special for everyone who had ever spent an extended stay in Mobile and especially to folks like me who grew up there. As you drive down Government Street or Old Shell Road headed downtown, you'll notice that the traffic lights are bent around the branches of giant oaks and magnolias like a giant canopy being held up by the sidewalk. In the Springtime azaleas bloom like giant blossoms of cotton candy. The warm bay breeze hits your skin and sticks like a salty summertime lotion. Mardi Gras takes on a meaning like it can nowhere else, because Mobile is the town in which it was born. Mobile is and will always be the "City of Dreams." I hope my favorite band will come back again sometime to share it with me. Panic Returns to the Launching Pad in Huntsville "I care only how they go up, not where they come down," once said the famous Werner Von Braun. As one of the contributing members of the infamous secret project that developed rocket propulsion for the first atomic weapons, Von Braun was well acquainted with the power of a nuclear reaction. He would have no doubt been quite impressed to see the havoc created by the six-headed monster from Athens, Georgia in Huntsville on Friday April 7th. Although Huntsville itself isn't particularly full of Spreadnecks, the band has always played phenomenal shows there, so there was no surprise that they sold out their 4th show of the Spring tour in 5 nights. The Hilton across the street from the venue is also quite fond of Panic fans, as we shattered all hotel records for liquor and food sales in 1999. Coming off of solid shows in Athens and Mobile, expectations were high and the boys would not disappoint. They wasted no time getting down to business, opening with "Climb To Safety." This version was long and strong, especially for an opener. The packed house howled like banshees as the band chugged through the final refrain and slid down into a very nice version of "Blue Indian." That was really nice considering how many folks drove from all parts of Alabama to see the show. Much like "Diner" on Wednesday in Mobile, "Conrad" was both anticipated by the crowd and delivered with aplomb. Just like the lyrics say, everybody in the building was spreading wings to fly as they danced until they could feel their feet no more. Much like "Train Kept A Rollin'" the show before, the band picked another bluesy cover, this time "One Kind Favor." The well-balanced mixture of song selection and performance was very impressive overall. It showed that they had clearly thought out their plan of attack for the evening. "Weight of the World" served as a nice set-up song for what was to follow. I have to admit that the mammoth versions played in the Summer and Fall with the Dirty Dozen Brass Band had spoiled the fans a bit, but it's still a fun song nonetheless. "This Part Of Town" is a new Mike Houser song that is already a fan favorite. First debuted in Hampton, VA over Thanksgiving weekend and then played again in Athens, the version in Huntsville was solid. There is no doubt that this tune has plenty of room to grow both vocally and musically. Jojo does a commendable job backing on organ while JB hits the high notes right before the chorus. Ultimately this will be Mike's song to do with as he pleases. There's a big patch of space right in the middle that has "monster guitar solo" written all over it. As he becomes more comfortable with the song, the solos will become even stronger. The theme here is great, too, "when there is love, there is hope." The jam out of "This Part of Town" went straight into "Junior." The highlight here would again be the strength of the transitions. Even when the band technically stops between songs to catch their breath for a split second (as they did before they launched into "Pilgrims,") they had already set the table. The "outroduction" that the band now uses to lead into Pilgrims would make any jazz musician smile. Like the jams within many of their older songs, they have found new pathways to make the channels between songs interesting all over again. Ingenuity like that is what keeps the rabid fans coming back for more. As I mentioned in my Athens review, I would have loved to hear a new Jojo song. Even an old Beanland song like "Selling Rain" would be awesome. They played "Tallboy" to close the set. The second set would get off to a standard start with "Pleas" emerging from a short instrumental jam. Where things went from there, I can't entirely recall. Somewhere in the middle of the "Imitation Patton Leather Shoes>Pigeons>Jam>Bear's Gone Fishin'>Vacation" sequence I lost my mind. Somebody in the Von Braun Civic Center had hit the "launch" button and the whole place just exploded. "Imitation Shoes" is by far one of the hardest core songs in the band's repertoire and this was only the SECOND TIME they played it. One of the tapers standing near me mumbled something about ripping off Black Sabbath, but why the hell not? If you've got it, flaunt it, and the boys had it BAD. The segue into Pigeons was more of an emergency landing than anything else. It's hard to come down when you're flying that fast. The funk jam at the end of Pigeons provided one of the slickest gateways to "Bear's Gone Fishin'" that I've ever heard. By the time the feeding frenzy in the middle of the river had ended, we were left standing on the shore, wondering where our ship had drifted. Warm sounds cascaded from the Todd's marimbas at melodic intervals, bringing us the same "Vacation" tease they play just about every night coming out of drums. Only they hadn't played drums yet and NOBODY WAS LEAVING THE STAGE. Finally, for countless thousands in the room, the first real "Vacation" would arrive. Of course, I would again have my own selfish wishes fulfilled by hearing my second "Vacation" while I was ON vacation, but no matter. This was a moment shared by everyone in true bliss. Drums came and went, as most people just swayed back in forth in the afterglow of an incredible series of songs. "Pusherman" came out of drums and every freak in the house got down. I don't think there was any coincidence that no one had left the building yet. Everybody just seemed hap-hap-happy and full of energy, grooving the night away. Not to be outdone by any of his band-mates, Jojo closed the second set with one of the most impressive renditions of "Blackout" I've every seen. By the end of his piano solo, he was up ON TOP of the keyboard, bearing down so hard I can't believe he didn't break any keys. By the end of the second set, I wasn't sure if the band should give us an encore, or if we should give one to them and just dance around "a capella" for a few minutes. What they did was bestow upon us yet another series of gifts. The first encore was a pairing of two songs, one totally new and the other a standard "Porch Song." The first song (rumored to be called "Give") was another monster. You just have to get the tapes and check it out. After finishing with "Porch," the crowd noise was so deafening, they just HAD to come back out for a second encore. The boys hit the stage for one last time and played a very appropriate version of "Wish You Were Here" as every cigarette lighter in the room lit up. I did truly wish that all of my friends were there to witness this show. Only after listening to the tapes for some cold comparisons can the magnitude of the performance be quantified, but on gut impulse, I'll give it an A+. Oh yeah, by the time you read this Widespread Panic's Spring tour will be in full swing. If you miss seeing them in a town near you, you'll be sorry you did.
King
Konga and Modern Hero Atlanta based band, Modern Hero, opened up the night with a nice set. Modern Hero is one of the best up and coming bands, not only in Atlanta, but in the Southeast. If you love clever lyrics and great melodies, then you need to check this band out! Front man Jeffery Butts has won songwriter of the year awards in Atlanta and his former band, Shock Lobo, was voted VH1's Indy Band of the Year, where they opened for John Fogerty at the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. The band had a lineup change recently but there is a definite chemistry in the guitar work and the jams in a couple of songs are really great. They have a bit of a Pink Floyd touch to them with the delay on the guitar sounds. Jeffery's vocals are amazing and very soulful at times. The comparison to Lenny Kravitz is unavoidable. Not just in look but the voice sounds very similar as well. Check out www.modernhero.net to get more info, tour dates, and get in touch with the band and management. Definitely check this band out if they are in your area. King Konga took the stage in Auburn's Bourbon Street Bar for the first time ever to a medium sized but enthusiastic and dance crazed crowd. Percussionist Tony Lymon greeted the crowd with a very warm "Whaaaazzzaaaap!" This phrase was heard the rest of the night between just about every song by someone in the crowd. It was definitely the catch phrase of the night. The band ran through a great set, including such standards as "Dancing Girls", "Halo", and "Virginia". They opened with the hidden track on their latest cd Halo. The song is called Just Say Mercy and is one that should open every show; it is a great microcosm of the band's sound and live presence. The band also does the best covers of Bob Marley's "No Woman, No Cry" and Peter Gabriel's "Your Eyes". These songs run probably at least ten minutes in length each. If you think Gabriel's version of the song is good, or even if you don't, King Konga takes and makes it their own. Singer Dan Hannon introduces the song by say simply, "This is one of the greatest songs ever written". The band has spent some time in the studio in the past month. They have been working on a new cd at a studio in Atlanta and is scheduled for a fall release. Jokingly, one of the songs from this forthcoming album is introduced as "This is going to be our first #1 hit". When you hear someone in a band say something like that, I'm sure you think that he's being abrasively overly confident but in this case, well, it's not the case. It is said with as a joke and with a big grin. The grin may be from knowing that he just may be right. The song is called "Give Me Something Good" and even if you have never heard the song before, you will be singing along with it before they are done with it. It's just a universal impossibility. While it may not be a #1, I wouldn't rule the song out. It will definitely get radio airplay if and when it is released. As always, check out www.kingkonga.com for the latest info on the band. This is one of the finest band websites out there. To my understanding, the band does the website itself and not an outside source. There is a section there to trade or acquire King Konga bootlegs, so definitely check that out. If you are going to be going to Memphis for the Beale St. Festival this year, be sure to head down to the Hard Rock Café on Saturday night to catch King Konga. See you there! ~ Mike Birmingham's Annual City Stages Festival ~ Battle Of The Bands Competition The following is a press release for a Battle of the Bands Competition and the winners well get a slot to play at the festival in June. If you are reading this and are from the Birmingham or Alabama area, be sure to enter! CITY STAGES JUNIOR BOARD Erin
Ryerson, Board Chair (205) 665-4850 March 10, 2000 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CITY STAGES JUNIOR BOARD IS NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR "BATTLE OF THE BANDS" City Stages Junior Board announces that entries for both high school and college bands are now being accepted for "Battle of the Bands," which will be held on May 21 at 5 Points Music Hall. All interested bands should send a demo tape or CD of original music, along with an information sheet about the band, postmarked by April 22, to: Erin
Ryerson, Junior Board Chair OR Josh
Harris, Junior Board Vice-Chair To be eligible for the high school division the majority of band members must be in high school. To be eligible for the college division the majority of members cannot be over 25 years old. Three bands from each division will play on the Homegrown Stage at City Stages 2000. For more information, please contact Erin Ryerson at (205) 665-4850 or Josh Harris at (205) 939-4064.
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