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Southeast
Regional Report
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Edited by Gil McLemore
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In
This Issue:
Review:
Widespread Panic 11/27/99 Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, VA I: Chilly Water, Walkin' > Dying Man, Conrad the Caterpillar, This Side Of Town, L.A., I'm Not Alone, Happy Child > Superstition*, Coconut* II: Ain't Life Grand > Driving Song, Tall Boy > Papa's Home > Drums** > Wind Cries Mary > Papa's Home > Driving Song, Flat Foot Flewzy*** E: Swamp* > Fishwater* * with Dirty Dozen Brass Band on horns ** with Terrence Higgins (Dirty Dozen Brass Band) on percussion *** with Roger Lewis (Dirty Dozen Brass Band) on baritone saxophone [Only 'This Side Of Town'; Dirty Dozen Brass Band opened] "I've still got my spoon!" After seeing Panic in so many different cities this year, it was a special treat to see them in my hometown and in such a wonderful venue, the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center. There's something to be said for sleeping in your own bed after a Panic show, and for me, that doesn't happen very often. It was the first show of a three-night Florida run and I felt a nostalgic vibe, as I saw my first Panic show seven years earlier just across town at the old Ritz Theater. It was nice to see so many members of TEAM TAMPA BAY in attendance, "cheers, to friends so near..." The last show at this venue was a blockbuster, and was highlighted by an insane Stop-Go > Weak Brain, Narrow Mind > Stop-Go sandwich that had me spinning from the get-go, so I was very pumped at the prospects the current show offered. As the lights finally dimmed, we were treated with the opening to Pigeons and the tone for the entire show was set. I knew it was time to buckle in, because this show was going to be a rocker. Momentum seemed to drop a bit as Pleas came out of Pigeons, but that energy was recharged with the Bloodkin cover, Who Do You Belong To. Actually, coming out of Pleas, da' boys threw down a brief Big Wooly Mammoth tease, which eventually worked it's way to WDYBT. Blue Indian followed and I was very impressed with the sound mix. It was probably the first time that I've been able to clearly hear all of the lyrics to this song. JB's voice was right where it needed to be in the mix, and he was really preachin' to his choir. Greta got the crowd grooving again, and led into a spacey noodling jam that lasted several minutes. During the jam, JB threw down a brief tease of Neil Young's, Don't Be Denied. That night was Neil's 54th birthday, so my theory is that it was JB's way of honoring one of his musical inspirations. After the tease, the band continued to noodle on until Mikey brought everyone back with the opening notes of Space Wrangler. Proving Ground found its way out of Wrangler and once again had the walls shaking. I must admit, I was distracted a bit during Proving, as my thoughts drifted to what would be sandwiched into it, and almost blew a gasket as the opening notes of Weak Brain, Narrow Mind graced the theater. I had smoke coming out of my ears, and took my spastic dance steps to the next level. It was the perfect meat to a perfect sandwich. Proving wrapped things up and ended the set. As the lights came on, I turned to my brother, and we both silently acknowledged the fire we were scorched by. During set break, the venue staff allowed patrons to exit the venue for a breather next to the river. The weather was beautiful, the stars were gorgeous, it was one of the most enjoyable set breaks I've experienced. Climb to Safety started the second set, and was a bit more dynamic than other versions I've caught this tour. Schools was really laying down a mean bass line, and they finally had Mikey's guitar turned up loud enough for this song. The jam out of CTS was strong, but couldn't match the eruption of Panic's defining song, Chilly Water. Todd was pounding his skins with thunderous might, and appeared more like he was dancing than playing the drums. Again, I can't express enough how tight the sound mix was during this show, and Chilly had the hair on the back of my neck standing. I was very disappointed to hear Big Wooly Mammoth sandwiched inside of Chilly, however, it was cool that Jojo sang the famous line as, "somebody throw me some fire, so we can burn old Tampa down!" I also noticed that not as many lighters rained down upon the stage, hopefully this stupid little tradition is beginning to fade. Chilly followed Mammoth and once again had my mind racing and my arms and legs flailing to the beat. I was totally focused on Todd, and did not want the song to end. Christmas Katie is always nice, but this time it made me a little sad, as during this night, I was supposed to be taking my sister Katie to her first Panic show. Things didn't work out, however, so she was unable to attend. Panic further drove the point home the next night in Pompano Beach, when they led off the show with She Caught the Katy. Instead of being sad, I let my thoughts drift to why I love my sister so much, "I never wanna see Katie cry..." After Christmas Katie, JB treated us with the best Let it Rock I've witnessed. It started off with a bang, and led into a slow, quiet, JB rap. His vocals weren't as clear as I wanted, because I knew JB was really laying out his soul. However, the jam out of Let it Rock more than made up for it. It took me a second to make-out what I was hearing, but I quickly realized da' boys where jamming the chorus to AC/DC's Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap. Although it wasn't the complete song, it was definitely more structured than their first crack at the tune last spring in Pensacola, and had the whole crowd singing with the band, "Dirty deeds and they're done dirt cheap..." Drums allowed me to catch my breath after a smoking first half of the second set, and it was when I noticed my friend Randy running around near the stage. Randy is a first-class freak, and it was his first Panic show. He enjoyed a few libations before the show, and for some reason grabbed a plastic spoon before we left for the venue. Throughout the show, he would approach complete strangers telling them, "I still have my spoon!" After drums, as JB returned to the stage, Randy got his attention by screaming to JB, "I've still got my spoon!" and then proceeded to stick the spoon in a crack on the stage. JB looked at Schools and they just laughed. The next night in Pompano Beach, da' boys busted out with their first version of Spoonful since fall 1997. One Arm Steve quickly sprang out of drums, but was not the song I was quite hoping for. When Conrad followed OAS, I knew it would end the set. Although the show as a whole was a smoker, I wasn't very pleased with the post-drums song selection. Another Bloodkin cover, Henry Parson Died, closed the show with an evil encore. It certainly was a great way to start a mini-tour of Florida, and especially gratifying because it was a hometown show. The sound mix at this show was impeccable, probably the best I've heard this year. I sure hope the Panic returns to Tampa soon... by Two Arm Steve (spreadicated@hotmail.com)
Review:
Widespread Panic by Andy Tennille I: Papa Legba, Space Wrangler > Blackout, Ain't No Use, Blue Indian, Holden Oversoul > All Time Low, Henry Parsons Died* II: Love Tractor > One Arm Steve, Weight Of The World** > Arlene** > Guilded Splinters** > Drums > Drums & Bass > Another One Bites The Dust Jam > Greta > Porch Song E: Walk On > Travelin' Light * with Danny Hutchins (Bloodkin) on guitar/vocals ** with Dirty Dozen Brass Band on horns [Dirty Dozen Brass Band opened; 'Cars' jam before 'Greta'; 'Dark Star' jam before 'Walk On'] Widespread Panic made its triumphant return to the Southeast and they brought some friends to celebrate. The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, led by saxophonist Kevin Harris and trumpeter Efrem Towns, opened up the last two shows of the band's cross-country Fall Tour that finished with a Friday night show in Winston-Salem and the following night in Hampton, Virginia at the Hampton Coliseum. Many Panic fans are familiar with the New Orleans' jazz/funk flavor that the Dirty Dozen adds, as they opened for the band for its Halloween shows in New Orleans in 1998 and again for the entire tour this past summer. Having been lucky enough to catch a few of last summer's tour dates, I was expecting great things as I made my way into an electric LJVM for the Dozen's opening set. Taking most of their tunes off their new record released this past summer, Buck Jump (Mammoth Records), the Dirty Dozen played an hour long set that mixed some blues and reggae vibes with their traditional jazz sound. Needless to say, there is nothing "traditional" about the Dirty Dozen Brass Band- while they have successfully broken down all barriers between the various musical genres they cover, they have also found a niche and created a sound completely unique to themselves. Sharing the stage with everyone from Dr. John and the Neville Brothers to the late, great jazzman, Dizzy Gillespie, the Dirty Dozen was no stranger to the spotlight and delivered an amazing set that left the crowd bouncing in anticipation. From the opening guitar riffs of the Talking Heads cover, Papa Legba, everyone in the nearly sold out LJVM audience knew they were in store for a treat. Guitarist Michael Houser started things off quickly with an ear-splitting solo and bassist David Schools and percussionist Sonny Ortiz soon anchored the jam, sending the band into the fan-favorite Space Wrangler. Following a long, spacey jam out of Wrangler, keyboardist JoJo Hermann stepped to the microphone to sing the raucous Blackout Blues, which, in part, explains an incident the last time the band played at Winston-Salem's own, Ziggy's Tavern. Rhythm guitarist John Bell showed some beautiful slide guitar work that worked itself into the next song, a cover of the Meters tune, Ain't No Use. Slowing things down almost to a standstill, JB picked his way through a quick solo before working the jam into a lazy, country-fried version of Blue Indian, off the band's newest album, 'Til the Medicine Takes. Bell's vocals on this tune were silky smooth and fit beautifully with the slide work done on his Washburn guitar. From within the lingering sweetness of Indian came the driving intensity of Holden Oversoul, with a fierce guitar solo from Michael Houser and an almost rodeo-like bass line from Schools. Out of the endless Holden jam came the high energy of All Time Low, which has proven to be one of the crowd favorites off the new album for Panic's live shows. Before closing the set, Bell introduced Danny Hutchens to help out on Henry Parsons Died, a song written by Hutchens with his own band, Bloodkin. While the presence of Hutchens made for some interesting vocals, Parsons lacked the power audiences are used to and left many anxiously awaiting the band's second set. Again, it was Houser stepping to the forefront to start the second set off with his poignant opening guitar riff to the band's Love Tractor. While Widespread never seems to play the same setlist twice, it has become apparent that the band enjoys opening sets with this tune, due in part to the high energy in both the instrumentation and the vocals. As the song hit its midpoint, Schools stepped to the mike and let out a riotous whoop that dropped the band into a thunderous jam, segueing nicely into One Armed Steve. As the band closed One Armed Steve, roadies from the Widespread crew could be seen getting microphones readied and it was time for the arrival of the Dirty Dozen. After high-fives and hugs were given out and all the equipment was assembled, the head count onstage between the two bands was thirteen musicians and the crowd was buzzing with predictions. Weight of the World followed and the party was on. Bell's vocals mixed nicely with the backdrop that the Dozen's horns provided and trumpeter Efrem Towns brought the crowded house to its knees, leading into the next song, the rare Arlene. Again, the Dirty Dozen provided the highlights, with saxophonist Kevin Harris and trombonist Keith "Peanut" Anderson soloing. Drummer Todd Nance and Dirty Dozen drummer Terrence Higgins soon turned the jam and Schools took the lead on Dr. John's classic, Guilded Splinters. Schools' bass work was phenomenal here, using a slide to give the song a hauntingly eerie sound. The Drums portion of the show was next, as the rest of band left the stage to Nance, Ortiz and Higgins. The chemistry between these three drummers is nothing short of spectacular, with Ortiz concentrating on the bongos, Nance on the drum kit and Higgins laying down a very tight back beat. With Nance at his kit and Ortiz and Higgins on percussion, Schools dropped right into the bass line of Another One Bites the Dust and gave a nearly ten minute rendition of the infamous rock anthem, with a brief tease of the Gary Neuman song Cars. As the rest of the band returned to the stage, keyboardist Hermann laid down a nice organ jam which found its way into the rocking Greta, featuring Hermann on the organ and vocals and Houser on guitar. To close the set, the band dropped into a fast version of arguably Panic's most identifiable song, Porch Song, with the audience echoing the chorus, "Havin' a good time" reverberating as the band left the stage. Returning to the stage to a standing ovation from the crowd, Schools played with the hearts of many Deadheads when he teased the opening chords to Dark Star as the band launched into Neil Young's Walk On with Bell's soulful vocals and a hard-driving bass line by Schools. Todd broke out of the jam into the methodical snare beat of J.J Cale's powerful Travelin' Light, which had each member of the band stretching out some really tight solos to end the show and send the nearly 6,000 Spreadheads home happy. With the end of the tour comes a much-needed vacation for the Widespread Panic family. Like many other bands, they are hosting their own New Years Eve party, a two-night run at the brand new Phillips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia which seats nearly 20,000 people. Although the New Years Eve show is sold out, there are still tickets available for the December 30 show. For all those who haven't listened to much Panic, these guys are definitely worth checking out. If you enjoy live music and are looking for some great musicians that are at the top of their game and are having a lot of fun along the way, then this is for you. If you need some more cajoling, pick up one of their discs- You won't be disappointed. See you at the show! by Andy Tennille (tennac00@wfu.edu)
Review:
Widespread Panic I: Chilly Water, Walkin' > Dying Man, Conrad the Caterpillar, This Side Of Town, L.A., I'm Not Alone, Happy Child > Superstition*, Coconut* II: Ain't Life Grand > Driving Song, Tall Boy > Papa's Home > Drums** > Wind Cries Mary > Papa's Home > Driving Song, Flat Foot Flewzy*** E: Swamp* > Fishwater* * with Dirty Dozen Brass Band on horns ** with Terrence Higgins (Dirty Dozen Brass Band) on percussion *** with Roger Lewis (Dirty Dozen Brass Band) on baritone saxaphone [Only 'This Side Of Town'; Dirty Dozen Brass Band opened] After a short four hour drive and a speeding ticket with accessories, my unruly clan arrived in Hampton. It's a marvelous feeling driving on the highway and staring at the queen of all motherships. Hampton is such a majestic place itself, to end the tour there and with it being Widespread's first encounter you knew it was going to be a treat. Blowing right out of the gates with Chilly H20, we all knew that this was going to be an amazing show. No sandwich here, just a straight up rockin' Chilly to start the night off. As soon as Chilly ended, the opening notes of Walkin' started up. I thought that this was a weird placement, kind of switched the momentum a bit, but this was a solid version and did keep me going. The ending bang of Walkin' led right into the opening of Dyin' Man which was nice to hear. Ever since Pelham, I can't get Colin Butler out of my head - every time I've heard this since, I've thought of that wicked performance- but this was a pretty standard Dyin' Man. After this the boys took their first breather before starting up a wicked Conrad. Just like Wrangler, the intensity of this song just keeps climbing and topping the one before it, but this was a ridiculous version, tight and explosive. Next was the long awaited debut of the new Mikey song, This Part of Town. I heard a lot of people saying that they though it sounded like Shakedown Street, but I beg to differ. It starts with a nice little Jojo intro, and leads into a mellow, yet eerie tempo, similar to Pieces. Mikey's vocals were nice on this song, but his mic seemed kind of low, go figure. It's a dark, twisted song with a nice progression and some wicked changes. It has a great deal of potential to open up into a nice jam, especially with the wah-wah middle part. Coming out of the new song, Sunny used his little tool that usually starts off Little Lily- I was just about to get real happy when out came L.A. I can't even remember the last time I heard this. It definitely followed the new tune well and is always good to hear, but I really wanted to get back to the intensity from before - then I'm Not Alone started up. No hopes for intensity, but I paid very close attention for some reason- maybe because I love this band. This version seemed like the one of the best I've heard - JB was wailing out the words and the mix of the room played along nice with this one. Then a brief pause and a mellow little tuning-like jam that led into Happy Child. I love this little ditty as it seems they always are going to or did make you very happy. The boys from the Dirty Dozen came out to make some noise at the end, which traveled right into Superstition - I can't tell you how much I love this song with the horns. Sitting through countless sets of DDBB all year was suitable enough if this was to be played. This was definitely on my list to hear and they did a nice version of it, be it short. After the short jam out of Superstition, they segued into the set closer of Coconuts with the DDBB still on stage. I have talked to a lot of people about this and I have to agree that I liked Coconuts when it was more of a gem - it seems to be making its way into the rotation more, but even though this was still a sweet one. The horns do so much and work so well with WSP that it must be done at least ten to fifteen shows a year, in my opinion. Overall I nice solid first set to end the tour. The last set of fall tour and 99 for myself (I'd be going to New Years if my boy wasn't getting hitched) - the opener was Ain't Life Grand and yes it is. A song that always gets you going, but just like the one in NOLA this one jammed for a while, nice solid jam with quick changes. It slowed down to that familiar floating feeling that precedes Driving Song. It was a pretty straightforward beginning, but it was a little more exciting as you knew you were in for a hell of a sandwich. I was stunned when it took a turn into Tallboy. I like Tallboy, but this version just seemed played out, didn't have the usual intensity that it has when it opens a show, etc. Tallboy led into Papa's Home, and yes folks, a double-decker sandwich was in order tonight. Nice rockin' version of Papa's, as JB was belting out the lyrics. I really enjoyed this as it slowly went into a drums break. Out of drums was a sweet mysterious jam that teased many songs in my mind. Really dark and eerie it turned to a Middle East type jam like 7/20/99 this summer. Then all of a sudden it slowed into the opening of Wind Cries Mary, fitting seeing how it was Jimi's Birthday that day. I was calling a long shot of Little Wing. I have heard two of these live and the other on tape. I believe that this is the best one yet. Mike seemed really into the solo. What I love about their version, as is most of their covers, is that it is their version. Listen to JB sing about the traffic light turning blue and how he says "wind screamed Mary." It's stuff like that that really makes you love this band. The end of this went back into the same eerie, dark jam before ending the Papa's from before. As the closing notes of Papa's rang, the ending notes of Driving finished a damn good sandwich. To end the set, Roger Lewis from the DDBB came out for a rockin' Flat Foot Flewzy. This is another gem from the night as it just seemed to have a little extra (Jojo and Dave both taunting the crowd). When they came back out for the encore, the entire DDBB was with them. JB stepped up to the mic and said they would play a Talking Heads song... tears of joy were flowing as I knew Swamp was coming. This song is great and I hadn't heard it since Aragon '98. I was really happy as the opening drums to Fishwater started - amazing, as it kept building and building. By the end, Dave was dropping huge bombs and Danny seemed to keep punching the PA up more and more. It was definitely the most explosive ending to a show I have seen. Overall, my little Thanksgiving run was worth the drive, even thought I was awoken at the hotel the next morning at 7:00 am to my boys and Sleeping Man (Kinder) telling me there were eight cops outside that wanted us to leave. I didn't worry, just panicked. Have fun on NYE 'ya Freaks! 'Til next year - |
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