Widespread Panic spent the weekend in its homestate of Georgia, headlining two shows at Atlantas Lakewood Amphitheater and a third at the citys more intimate The Tabernacle. The groups two-night run at the Lakewood was actually its first at the venue since 1998, when the sextet played the amphitheater on its Travelin’ Light Tour with openers G. Love & Special Sauce and Guster. As they have on occasion throughout the year, the members of Widespread Panic invited out longtime associate Randall Bramblett and the rest of The MegaBlasters horn section Friday night for runs through Old Neighborhood, Chest Fever, Arleen and Bust It Big. The MegaBlasters returned the following night for another selection of tunes, this time Up All Night, Her Dance Needs No Body, Angels on High, Mama Told Me Not To Come, Superstition and Tall Boy. Bramblett then stepped out on his own to join Panic on a version of Pickin’ Up The Pieces during the bands encore. The show also marked the live debut of Mama Told Me Not To Come, which was written by Randy Newman but popularized by Three Dog Night.
Finally, last night Widespread Panic crammed into Atlantas Tabernacle for an intimate Tunes For Tots benefit. As many had hoped, near the end of a segue leading out of Second Skin, Col. Bruce Hampton emerged to sing on his signature Widespread Panic collaboration, Fixin To Die. Widespread Panic will appear at Tallahassee, FLs Civic Center this Wednesday.