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South Regional Report
Edited by Mike Jones - lovetoy2@geocites.com

I don't really have a whole lot to say for myself this month...I've gotten a couple of contributions with more promised for next month. I know it's not JamBand related but tonight, I'm going to see Shania Twain....got 3 front row seats and I'm kinda psyched about it! Later this month, the 29th, the Screamin' Cheetah Wheelies are blowing in to town along with Bare Jr. and Slobberbone. This promises to be one great show and I'll be video taping the whole thing so if anyone's interested, just send me an email and we'll work something out. As always you can catch my list online at http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/5232/bootlist.html
Now for this month's contributions....

A Widespread Halloween by John H Lapelle

The weeks of anticipation came to a close as I stepped out into the city of sin. It was finally here, the first anniversary of Panic in New Orleans for Halloween, and this time for two nights. Hopefully this will continue to be the spot for many years to come. The party never ends in this town, especially when the Panic is in town.

So off to round one on the 30th at the wonderfully, relaxed New Orleans Lakefront Arena. An arena with virtually no security presence whatsoever, general admission, and liquor drinks! What more do ya want? As our giant group of southeastern panic crew settled in our same section as last year, the energy was hard to contain. This place was on fire!

Everyone was pumped and dancing and laughing to the opening sounds of Michael Ray and the Cosmic Krew. They are pure New Orleans feel good music. Michael Ray was with Sun Ra back in the day and Kool and the Gang after that. this man sure has been there and back. He is also very tight with Phish and has jammed with them many times. their bass player Stacy Starkweather is also the man, slapping down the funk. I was just hoping for a special appearance from Michael Ray as Panic has developed a fondness for horns this past year.

So the opening band came to an end and then the vibes were really getting up there. This place was ready for their fix. As soon as the lights went down, the roar ensued.

The band stepped onstage and no sooner than anyone could utter a call for the opener, Sonny starting blowing the whistle to start the run. It was on, a fiery, voodooish Papa Legba came charging out of the gates to get the evil New Orleans magic rolling through our veins. JB was on fire, strutting his stuff around some powerful vocals. The jam that ensued got everyone so fired up and came crashing back down into hot tambales as it came to a close. Then Holden came straight out of the feedback and everyone dug in harder. Always a fun one to song out loud, this Holden was no exception. Houser took over at the end and spun us out into spacejamlovethatfeelinginmybrainland and then wound us back down and crashed into a Blight. David Schools stepped up with some perfectly blue bass notes that set up the eerie Blight feeling we have come to love. I always love a good blight and this one was perfect. Sonny's percussions were so tight, Nance had the beat, and JB was framed in this white light softly singing the chorus over the rest of the music. JB has added so much to this tune in the way of background vocals. One could almost call it beautiful. Blight dove into a nice drippy jam with JoJo getting funky before Tall Boy rocked everyone's socks off. Things were looking good. Wonderin came next with a big ole jam that dropped into a rocking Jr. The Jr got the back kicked out of it as well and led into a high paced jam with houser showing everyone the way and this spiraled downward into the throbbing bass intro of Going out West. This Tom Waitt's ditty has always had some significance with me being a Georgia boy who went to school out in Arizona. JB made this the highlight of the set for me with the most ferocious lyrical rendition ever possibly. At least it gets my vote, his vocals were like bolts of electricity going up my spine making me feel invincible. He was like a monster, a big friendly monster that was scary as well. His line about voodoo was well received and seemed to be in the feeling of every song played. A perfect Space Wrangler led into the new tune All Time Low to end the first set. All Time Low is great, i absolutely love it, fun to sing out loud.

Second set started off with JB telling that "we ain't going anywhere , anytime soon" and led into a fast, rocking Pigeons. Ferocity is the only word that comes to mind. The jam, the lyrical delivery, everything. And after the monstrous jam when JB tells everyone to wake up he says some powerful stuff. "Just like a little speck of dust in the sunshine, that probably wouldn't even be noticed at all". His way with words just explain everything sometimes. Pigeons rolled right into Chilly H20, were they kidding? Obviously not. I kept my fingers crossed for a sandwich and got one as the jam wound down into that familiar bassy pre-Pleas feeling that makes you smile. Pleas was great and they wrapped the Chilly up nicely afterwards. Pilgrims was monumental, Houser's tunneling guitar that sends you inside yourself and JB prophetic lyrics make this a great feeling for all to savor after the voyage through pigeons and chilly. Jojo wrapped up the Pilgrims and led right into Dying Man which was cool.

Then JB said "We'd like to bring outour new friend, Mr Michael Ray". All School had to do was touch one bass string and the whole house knew we were gonna get a dirty Arlene. And we did, more of a jamming Arlene than a JB vocal one. Michael Ray was getting down and dirty and his keyboard player also joined in and seened to make Michael Ray more comfortable and they just kept digging in harder and harder. Arlene led into "A Love Supreme' which was well received. They did this at oak Mtn this summer so I was ready for it when it came. After this we were led into a mellow drumz with Nance and Sonny cooking up some tribal rhythms that felt great. The band returned with a Coconuts that caught everyone a little off guard. With a ll the playing this song has received lately, it is officially no longer a Halloween only tune. Aint Life Grand close it out in standard style. the encore was beautiful and a perfect prelude to Halloween. Me and the Devil into Travelin light was absolutely what the doctor ordered and put everyone in a party mood as we rolled down in ecstasy to various hot spots across the city.

After little to no sleep, no one's mood was dampered on Halloween. After laughing at all the costumes onthe way in we settle din for the Panic. The stage looked cool as they had their pumpkins and stuff out there. Dirty Dozen brass band opened and I didn't catch much of the act but heard they were great as i would witness later. The band came rushing out onstage with everyone in their costumes except for Nance of course. JB was Vincent van Gogh's self portrait. why is he so cool? I don't know, but houser as the Mad Hatter was also pretty bad ass. they opened with One Arm Steve. Jojo new tune that rocks the house and this led straight into Fishwater!! this got the place jumping, a song about new orleans in new orleans. they didn't play it l ast year here so I was pumped. "Been fueling my weekend eating greens and beans" rang true as the crowd ate it up. Diner followed into a slow Porch. then we got sleeping man from Schools and Houser's new tune The Waker. I like the Waker like i like all Houser tunes. Just that feeling he gives is so vital to my making it through every day. " I am the treetops, and I am higher than you'll ever be". We know Houser, we know. After Waker we got the big surprise number one of the night. PEACE Frog, JB did one of the best jobs with this that I have ever seen him do with anything. Completely unbelievable and "blood in the streets it's up to my k nees now" came out of his lungs at high speed as we the place was going fucking bonkers. My section of Athens, Atlanta, chapel hill, and Tucson folks was getting jiggy with it. This led into Blue Sundy, just like on the album "Morrison Hotel". The Doors couldn't do it better. Jojo's organ was the closest i have felt to God in years and the blue somber tone it set had the audience in awe. this spacey odyssey led into Mr. Curtis Mayfield's Pusherman. having been played just three nights before I did not expect to get this one, but we got it and it smoked and led straight into a fun new orleans style Blackout Blues. A great first set.

Now what were they going to do. No One could have guessed. but the y came back out onstage with members of the horn section from Dirty Dozen and dropped into Swamp by the Talking heads. Swamp for the New Orleans feel was perfect and the crowd instantly recognized it. "High, oh High , High, High, High", how cool was this. The jam was very psychedelic and groovy baby yeah. this felt so good and the all 11,000 freaks were swimming in the happiness. Next came a fast, funky tune that only Mciver Arnold could call. Funkadelic's "Red Hot Mama', with the Horns!!!! Absolute craziness, funkfest dance party USA. Fireballs were dripping from the ceiling, people were flying through the air and then when it could not get any crazier this pulsating rhythm starts rising higher and higher from Jojo's funky organ. and it couldn't be, no way, oh my god-----I'm not Superstitious -----yeah. the place couldn't believe it. JB stepped up to the mic with the vigor and stamina of a raging bull and delivered the lyrics with motown grace. The highlight so far for me. Everyone was just having too much fun, that feeling from live music that nothing else compares to. Surrounded by your friends. Living it up. Superstitious peaked out somewhere over Jupiter and then came back around full circle into another verse of Red Hot Mama. Who did JB think he was? I don't know but he fucking did it perfectly.

Then the jam wound down into big wooly mammoth with Jojo having a good time. I particularly think the Ride me High would have been a little more appropriate, but then again we didn't want anyone having a heart attack ya know. Blue Indian came next and I didn't catch much of it for some reason. Radiochild came next and was the most professional version ever. Anyone want to argue? bring it. The jam spiraled out of control before the gave to the drummers. Climb to Safety came rolling out of drumz, like train out of control. The crowd was on every word, like an anthem of sort. JB was the king of the castle, and everyone knew it.

This led into a smoking Love tractor to close it down panic style.

What would they encore?

We had no clue, they seemed to have done everything already. They came out onstage to a huge ovation. Having made many kids' whole fall, I'm sure the band felt good inside. for me, they make my year and next year as well.

Driving song came so we figured we were going to get one last cover in the middle of the driving sandwich. What a great idea, kudos to whoever thought that up. As it would down, the place grew eerily silent. JB took a step forward into the white light and proceeded to do one of the most amazing things ever. He began to play the most familiar chords ever, and everyone just sort of looked at each other in disbelief. How beautiful could this be, is this happening? Over the Hills and Far Away!!!!

How truly unreal it was will never be captured on some computer screen but all i can say was that is was an epic moment in panic history that will forever be remembered and held close by those who were there. Just holding my heart and staring at JB framed in his prophetic stance saying the words "Sometimes I wonder, how much there is to know...know...know....know.... I really want to knowowoo" was everything right there. Then the jam came and they delivered the fix, like they always do, and will continue to do. They led perfectly back into driving and closed down in perfect style with a rocking H. parsons. the drive over the hills and far away drove me back to my creek in Georgia. And only they could have done it. memories.

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Day by the River
10/9/98 Willie Mitchell's Legends, Memphis, TN

Soundcheck
See You
My Song

Set I
Moanin' Lisa
Japanese Motel >
Taking Over
Superstitious
Shed >
OJ
Naked

Set II
Fixin' the Sound System Jam >
I am the Walrus >
Information
Bus
Cheap Sunglasses >
Peeking Through the Blinds
Fly*
Puddin'
E: Relocate >
   Whipping Post

*w/ Happy B-day to Jason (the newest addition to DBR)

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Alrighty, where to begin? James (who is here now), Mike, Minaru, Walt, and I hit Memphis about 7:30 or so, far earlier than we needed to be there. But, we got downtown to Beale St. in ample time to find a decent parking place and catch the soundcheck. This was our first taste of "See You," and I'm glad we caught it, damn good tune I hope to hear more often. "My Song" was cool, but was just a soundcheck version, glad to see the tune growing with age.

As usual, the band and crew (Hi Andy!) were cool and hospitable, no wonder we like this damn band so much. We spent the rest of the pre-show time flyering on Beale and convincing folks to go check out the band. Most didn't need much convincing, the Panic-frantic crowd was largely aware of the show and eager to attend. Cool beans.

I missed the opening band, which James tells me was good fortune. All I know is they apparently sucked more than Monica Lewinsky, and had an artist off to the side of the stage painting under a spotlight as the show progressed, apparently to capture some moment of divine rapture or something to that effect. When all was said and done, the picture turned out to be a colorful doodling of a giant penis with a naked chick hanging on to the top. Uh.. whatever dude. On the bright side, they took their turn and then gracefully gave way to the better band... Bobby Ferrick's Beale Street Jivin' Men. Er.. no wait, they were down the street. I meant Day by the River. Doh.

DBR took the stage in front of a pretty farkin' packed house at about 1:30 or so, and didn't waste any time getting things going. They opened with "Moanin' Lisa," the other new tune I'd been wanting to hear. I was really impressed, the new stuff just keeps getting better.. much funk in the thang, hope they keep this shit up. The "Japanese Motel" was well played but pretty standard, but the "Taking Over" was even better than its kickass usual self, awesome guitar by Jason and some crazy bass shit from Mr. McDonnell. "Superstitious" was a first for me (live, that is), and I was again impressed with how well they pulled it off. They kept up the funk with this number, I think ol' Stevie Wonder would've been proud of 'em. The "Shed > OJ" started off a bit confusingly for me, "Shed" had a very uncharacteristic intro, almost unrecognizable until the lyrics kicked in. "OJ" was pretty normal other than a cool clapping segment in the middle of the tune. Unfortunately, problems with Ted's guitar caused some nasty crackle in the house PA system during those tunes, and they would continue until the end of the set. The set closed with "Naked," which was fun as always.. the rap wasn't too drawn out, it was basically an opportunity to thank those in the house who really "got it" that night, and included a bit of a jibe at those who were only in the house to cause trouble.. this was in reference to a couple of unruly drunkards and a wino who were raising a bit of hell up near the stage area in full view of the band. Ah well, at least the tunes were going places before the PA started screwing up. Set break would come after about an hour of play to fix the system.

After set break, the band came out and jammed a bit to make sure the kinks had been worked out of the sound, and proceeded to work their way into a pretty damn cool jam which would wind up turning into "I am the Walrus." This segued into "Information," a great tune I always love to hear... and unlike some earlier versions, Ted nailed the lyrics clearly and audibly, which was cool I guess. "Bus" followed, and featured some great slide guitar work from Ted, seemed appropriate with that western/cowboy lookin' hat he was sportin'. The "Cheap Sunglasses" was cool to hear, nice to hear a song for the first time and know every damn word. It segued into "Peeking.." which had some nice harmonies from all the guys, and had a rocking jam in it. There was a bit of a lyrical flub once, but they rescued it without much trouble. "Fly" came next and included a "Happy Birthday" in Jason's honor, he's 25 now. Old fart. "Fly" segued into "Puddin'" which kicked ass as usual, big kudos to Pat for his extraordinary work on this version. WOW.

Encore was "Relocate > Whipping Post," a great DBR tune seguing into one of the great tunes of southern rock. Both were played wonderfully, "Relocate" had great work from Walt in particular, and "Whipping Post" gave the crowd a nice sendoff.

Pretty damn good show, glad we made the trip. The drive home sucked, but that's expected. It's never fun to go back to reality. Anywho, James taped and I have DSBD1 analogs on hand, so if anyone wants the show, just get ahold of me.

Later all..

- Rich Bob Vining

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The Iratowns

I just found this website and thought I should mention a really good band from Auburn, AL. The group is The Iratowns. They perform throughout the Southeast and have an album entitled "A Series of Clicks and Whistles". More info (tourdates) can be found at their website http://www.iratowns.com. The band will be playing in Auburn tomorrow night at The War Eagle Supper Club. I'm fairly sure you would be impressed. Dan can really tear up his violin. Their setlist includes everything from originals to Dead, Phish and even Willie Nelson. To hear them encore "The devil went down to Georgia" really shows you what the band is capable of. If you get the chance, check them out!

Billy

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That's it for this month, next month be on the look out for an article and maybe even an interview with Big Ass Truck, who will be opening for Widespread Panic for their series of Thanksgiving shows....peace!