|
South
Regional Report
|
||
|
Edited by Mike Jones and
Chip Schramm
|
||
|
Widespread
Panic by Chip Schramm Set I: 1 x 1 > Weight Of The World, Diner, Rebirtha, The Last Straw > The Waker, Tie Your Shoes, Down > North Set II: Ain't Life Grand > Travelin' Light, Wondering > Wish You Were Here, Dyin' Man > Drums > Space Wrangler, Pleas > Makes Sense To Me E: Blue Indian > Chunk Of Coal Widespread Panic played only their third concert ever in the state of Arkansas on Sunday July 9th at the Riverfest Amphitheater in Little Rock. It would also be their first open-air concert in Arkansas, as the venue was a small amphitheater in the middle of downtown, right on the Arkansas River. The heat had been steadily rising all weekend long and peaked just shy of 100 degrees in the middle of the afternoon. The band had pulled into town, straight from Texas shows in Dallas and Houston the two nights previous. The consensus among fans was that the Houston show was better than Dallas was. Since the band had Monday off before a short drive to Tulsa on Tuesday, it made sense that they would crank things up a few notches to close out their weekend. Whenever you go on tour to see a band like Widespread more than one night in a row, part of the mystery is trying to guess what they are going to play. It's not hard to get a general idea based on what they have played at a previous show or which songs turn up more frequently than others over the course of a tour. That said, everybody likes to be surprised by a song they weren't expecting to hear, and nothing is quite as gratifying as hearing them play all the songs you were talking about in the car on the way to the show. On this night, they picked a setlist combination that really satisfied all fans in attendance. The first set got off to an auspicious start. The band started a little later than usual, probably to avoid the staggering heat of the Arkansas sun for as long as possible. When they did come out, they hit the ground running. Jojo Hermann stepped up to the mic and played not more than 2 or 3 chords before the crowd went absolutely wild. There's no mistaking the introduction to One by One, and Hermann broke out his old Beanland anthem for the first time since Fall of 1999. A rabid baseball fan, Hermann once compared the opening song of a show to a leadoff hitter swinging for a single to get things going. This was more like a solo home run. The whole band jammed right along with him for nearly 10 minutes before a very smooth segue into Weight of the World. At that point everyone was good and warmed up. In fact, things were so warm down in the orchestra pit area of the amphitheater that a crewmember working the show broke out a hose and sprayed the fans in the front several times. The band was not about to let up, so after Weight, they took a second to gather themselves before Sunny Ortiz and Todd Nance led the band through the percussive intro to Diner. Diner is quite a treat to receive that early in a show, so another good omen was in the books. By the end of the song, the sound coming through the speakers was fine-tuned and crisp. Mike Houser crunched the guitar chords and created a menacing sound to drive the energy level up a little bit higher with each passing verse. Rebirtha was no doubt a nod to those road-weary souls such as myself who had made the journey up from Texas and worked their way down to the pit area in the front of the stage for 2 nights in a row. The second half of the first set was the consensus highlight of the show, if not the entire weekend. Last Straw is an oldie but a goodie, and shortly before the show I found myself declaring how much I would like to hear it,. Far from overplayed, the song has 2 distinct movements to it, so the band had to be in a pretty tight formation to all change gears at the appropriate moment. From there Mike Houser played a very spirited version of the Waker, and everyone's shoes were bouncing to the beat. No sooner had the final chord to that song ended than Dave Schools started out with the falling bass notes of Tie Your Shoes, and the band jumped right in with him, without a moment's hesitation. I've always thought of Tie Your Shoes as more of a jam with three verses than an actual song, but the furious rhythmic pace driving the song makes it a great dance tune either way. They extended the jam there as they often do and then took a moment to have a sip of water and regale themselves before closing the set. Right about that time, John Bell leaned forward into the microphone and with a broad smile on his face proclaimed, "It's just one love story after another," as they broke into Down. Todd Nance sings lead vocals on Down and despite only having played it a handful of times, it's already a fan favorite. The stringy, country guitar lines from Bell and Houser set the perfect mood to go along with Nance's deep and hearty vocals. The song deals with the impending break-up of a couple, so Bell's comments before the song seemed pretty appropriate. Down was another song eagerly anticipated by fans at this show, especially those who had only heard it on tape. Right when I thought things couldn't get any better, the boys had one more treat in store to close the set. Thought they've played it a dozen or so times since first introducing it at Oak Mountain back in the Fall of '99, North was always a song that had eluded me since that day. Similar in origin to Climb to Safety, North is a song written by Jerry Joseph. Sharp and raw, the song is a perfect fit for Bell's vocal range. The lyrics themselves flow like a Central American mudslide wiping out everything in its path. North is a mad, mad song, complimenting the newer songs in band's repertoire perfectly. It would be a shame if they didn't include it on their next album. By the time they reached the final verse (and there are quite a few), the crowd was dancing like it was the last song of the night. In retrospect, looking at the setlist from this show, it seemed an awful lot like they played the second set FIRST and then the first set after that. There wasn't anything bad or disappointing about the songs they played in the second set. After the gems they offered up in the first set, however, it was simply a subtler group of songs. Not to belittle the second half of the show, it is just much harder to eulogize about standard songs like Wonderin' and Ain't Life Grand after painting the picture of the first set's madness. The highlight of the second set was the Pink Floyd cover Wish You Were Here. By that point it the show, everyone was drenched with sweat and practically holding each other up for support. There was plenty of love to go around, as members of the respective families gathered for a group hug. The Memphis and Mississippi crews were well represented, to be sure. Dyin' Man and Space Wrangler also contained extended jams at the end, with Schools scratching his pick up and down the strings of his bass to simulate the turntable scratching of Colin Butler from Big Ass Truck. He did such a good job that I had to wipe my eyes to make sure it was actually him doing it. Travelin' Light built to a steady crescendo and peaked out very high, as did the end jam on Wrangler. Drums itself was also a noteworthy portion of the show. Lasting almost 35 minutes, it was the longest drums I had ever seen without a special guest, and also only the second time I had seen Sunny jump up on Todd's set and play while Nance took a break. Sunny stole the show and actually got Bell and Houser to walk back onstage just to watch for a minute before they started playing again. Widespread Panic's shows in Little Rock have always been good ones and this was no exception. The duality between the two sets of music goes to show that they can combine both the newer material they have been working on with some old favorites to keep the faithful on their collective dancing toes. The venue was a good size for the crowd in attendance, and the staff working the show seemed to be in tune with the needs and attitude of the patrons. With more shows like this one, the summer 2000 tour will go down as one of the greatest ever. With any luck, they'll be back to Arkansas to make it happen all over again soon.
Will
Hoge by Mike Jones It
just doesn't get any better than this! This was the finest night
that I have seen this band play! They played songs from their live
cd, "All Night Long", as well as introduce new material they have
been working on and recording for their new studio release. I thought
the entire band was "on" on this night. Apart from the interaction
of Will and Dan Baird on guitars, throwing in jams of The Doors'
L.A. Woman and Marvin Gaye's Let's Get It On was the icing on the
cake. It seems like these boys never quit showing their roots and
their love for music in general. They play music like it was meant
to be and that is doing it for the love of it and the fun of it.
When you have people on stage doing that night in and night out,
it becomes truly magical. That is exactly the way to describe the
band's performance this night, magical. This band from Nashville,
TN is headed up north for some dates at the end of July hitting
stops in Philly, NYC, and Chicago along the way. If you get the
chance, I highly recommend the shows. Check out http://www.willhoge.com
"Maestropiece"
By Chad Kirtland
He's backed the best, composed classics and arranged a gang of greatest
hits, but you've likely never heard his name. This excellent new release
could change all that.
Wardell Quezergue is the unsung horn hero behind some of the biggest
musicians and best-known songs of the past fifty years. Throughout the
music industry, particularly in his hometown New Orleans, Quezergue garners
the clout of a master, and for good reason.
In the early days of New Orleans R&B, Quezergue charted horn arrangements
for classics such as Groove Me, Iko Iko, Trick Bag and
many more. He arranged and conducted the band that backed Dr. John's
Grammy-winning "Coming Back to New Orleans" album. His bands have backed
the Neville Bros., Stevie Wonder, the Drifters, the Coasters and others.
He's worked with musicians as diverse as the Meters, Willie Nelson, B.B.
King, the Pointer Sisters and Paul Simon. To list all his credits would
take days.
Since his start in the mid-fifties, Quezergue has been an important part of
modern music, always working beneath the surface to craft energized grooves
borne of New Orleans street music, providing the baseline which has buoyed
the funk, soul, pop and R&B of several generations.
And yet Quezergue is all but unknown outside of certain circles.
"Maestropiece," a Banquette Records project recently released by Louisiana
Red Hot Records, aims to change all that. The album provides a
comprehensive overview of Quezergue output with new compositions that hark
back to many of his best efforts. The end result is as much an upbeat party
soundtrack as it is a look back at the greatness of an unsung hero.
The disk rolls out with El Pavo, a high-spirited Latin number that
immediately makes clear the power of Quezergue's horn arrangements.
Crazy Mary is one of two tracks not written by Quezergue (also the
album's only two vocal tracks). On Crazy Mary, Bernard "Bunchy"
Johnson's comic tale of a typical New Orleans nightclub diva is accompanied
by a laid back jazz stroll that builds to a couple of hopping sax and
trumpet solos then settles in for a mellow groove.
Quezergue's New Orleans roots shine through on Hail King Zulu, a
Carnival-flavored number complete with second line drum beat, wailing
trumpets and a funky break down. 3 Tenors For Moose, is smooth
urban jazz at its finest. A little funk and lot of horn flourish bring to
mind Quezergue's work with Seventies soul and funk ensemble Earth, Wind &
Fire. Chip dishes a playful conglomeration of arrangements that
defies categorizing and swings like the soundtrack to a post-modern,
late-night game show. Sam Henry's slinky synthesizer runs provide the
track's highlight.
Quezergue put together the charts for Carnival classics such as Iko
Iko and Big Chief. With the "Bunchy" Johnson number Pass It
On, the maestro makes a play for another classic. Nick Daniels and
Galactic's Theryl "Houseman" DeClouet chalk up an engaging chant centered
around the colorful traditions of New Orleans' Mardi Gras Indians and the
noble cry to pass those traditions down to future generations. Quezergue's
arrangements percolate beneath.
Frankly Speaking is a shiny big band piece that moves through a
series of intricate changes like a skier on a downhill slalom. For
Tippy, Quezergue goes back to the streets of New Orleans,
alternating drum rides and horn bursts for a sunny day parade that winds
through town and ends in a festive free-for-all.
Slammin' is Uptown funky - a bass-heavy city sound built for
cruising late night streets in a low slung Lincoln. Minus the Crazy
Mary reprise that follows, Slammin' provides the perfect closure
to this eclectic album.
You've heard Wardell Quezergue for years without knowing it. That no longer
needs to be the case. "Maestropiece" is an excellent introduction to this
old friend.
Coming
soon: the Atlantis Music Conference and an interview with King Konga!
|
||