On the day their eighth studio album, Ball was released, Widespread Panic rolled into the Orpheum Theatre in Boston, MA, performing their first New England show since November of 2001. Saying a lot has changed in that period is an understatement. Fortunately, Panic has profoundly picked up the pieces and gone forward with an ambitious 26 date spring tour.
The first set opened up with a stirring "Aunt Avis," that had John Bell hitting some lonesome high notes that rose the energy in the room from the start. Although Panic has always been a band of equal parts, JB’s voice can almost be considered the lead instrument in the band. When he recites particular vocals or clenches his face up in a shaky scowl while singing from the bottom of his soul, the crowd responds and relishes the moment. The familiar guitar scorching intro line of "Tall Boy" got the crowd moving, and guitarist George McConnell bravely handled the trademark solos that were thrown his way. The highlight of the first set lie within the "Proving Ground"> "Me and the Devil Blues" combo that took the boys into a blues based jam that see sawed amongst a reciprocal energy bond between band and audience. The live debut of "Papa Johnny Road" was a treat along with the quintessential Panic tune, "Space Wrangler" that had JB and George standing next to each other and feeding off each other’s guitar licks, as JB was enticing his new guitarist to wow the crowd.
Although, tough shoes to fill by any means, McConnell appeared to be comfortable in the spotlight and at times the center of attention, which might take some getting used to for a long time fan. His predecessor, Mike Houser was perhaps the most humbly talented lead guitarist, who proudly refrained from the spotlight, hiding behind a wave of long hair in his eyes, seldom looking up from his guitar strings, while sitting in the comfort zone of his stool. If you can erase the trademark lingering "Panic" lead that your ears are familiar with and accept McConnell’s more bluesy lead rock n roll style, the band is still essentially the Panic we know and love, but with just one new ingredient.
The second set, provided the same high energy fuel, mixing the delicate with the high voltage, beginning with the set opener, "Thought Sausage." Jo Jo Hermann showed off his ivory skills in "Christmas Katie" that had JB howling and swooning on vocals. Shortly after, George wanted to take a blistering guitar solo, which the rest of the band was not ready for; obviously showing the new lineup is still getting used to one another. "Rebirtha" allowed the band to take flight, as the funky number took upon a life of it’s own, as it jammed heavy, lead by George’s thunderous guitar chords. A short by Panic standards, "Drumz" allowed Sonny and Todd to take hold of the stage, but was not an epic "Drumz" by any means of the imagination. "Hatfield" incorporated a classic JB vocal rap that embodied a full earth boogie soul vibe that refrained and led back into the orchestrated anthem of "rain for LA." The Neil Young cover, "Walk On" and the always crowd pleaser, "Conrad the Caterpillar" concluded the second set with the same gust of energy as the first. The encore featured the never before played live, "Counting Train Cars" and the climatic over the top epic, "Chilly Water," that had the crowd heading out the Opheum searching for some cool, cool water.
Setlist
1: Aunt Avis > Tall Boy > Cream Puff War, Proving Ground > Me And The Devil Blues > Proving Ground, Papa Johnny Road, Space Wrangler, Dyin' Man
2: Thought Sausage > Travelin' Light, Christmas Katie, Sleeping Man, Rebirtha > Drums > Hatfield, Doreatha > Walk On > Tie Your Shoes, Conrad
E: Counting Train Cars, Chilly Water
Photos courtesy of Widespreadmusic.com.
