Local Panic fans like to talk about the Seattle curse. For some
reason, WSP hasn't managed to play a good show in this town for years.
For this tour, Panic first hoped that a change of venue would be the
key for a better show. In fact, that's where they tried to play, the
Key Arena. Slow sales ruined that plan. They moved the show back to
the cursed venue – the Paramount Ballroom. Ticket sales were slow
still. I bought a floor ticket a week before the show happened.
People believed in the Seattle curse. Could the band break it?

The first set answered that question. The "Holden Oversoul -> Stop-Go
-> Dyin' Man" got even this Panic cynic up and dancing. In fact the
set closing "Makes Sense to Me" was so good that I turned to a friend
and said, "I understand now why people tour with these guys."

There was a rumor about this show. People had seen Trey in town the
night before at a DJ Logic show. If he's in town early for
Oysterhead, surely he would show up here. The suspense ended in the
middle of the second set. JB said, "I'd like to bring on an old
friend. Trey Anastasio"

They start playing a blues tune. Trey goes to the mic. Fixin' to
Die! Different arrangement and words from the Phish version but
still. JB sings a verse. Trey takes a solo. JB sings another verse.
Another solo. Back and forth, the entire crowd beaming.

The song finally comes to an end and they play…. Wish You Were
Here. JB sings the first two verses and then Trey plays one of the
best solos I have ever heard him play. Ok, maybe it was just the
surprise performance effect, but this was of those solos that make me
love Trey so. I thought I was going to collapse out of pure joy. Then
Trey sang the final verse. Yes, I do wish you were here Jon, Mike,
and Fish. Another solo was played and then JB sang the final verse,
followed by JB, Trey, and Schools singing.

This was followed by a long jam (I was too stunned to start my
stopwatch), which became a drums, Schools, and Trey jam. Trey wasn't
a token guest at all here. Throughout this entire part of the show,
Trey was the dominant force. He got to take most of the solos and
even got some singing time.

Sure the rest of the show was really good too (ending with a blistering
Coconuts), but the Wish You Were Here was the highlight.

12 years previous to the day, I saw my first Dark Star (10/16/89).
Now I see Trey play with Panic. The moral of the story? Never blow
off a show on 10/16