Two of our favorite jam acts will team up this October for a pair of shows at Family Circle Stadium in Charleston, South Carolina on October 4 and 5. Jam titans Widespread Panic will headline with Chicago-based sextet Umphrey’s McGee on as support.
Panic and UM have crossed paths a number of times. Our favorite occurrence on July 13, 2010 when UM keyboardist Joel Cummins sat in with Widespread on Space Wrangler and No Sugar Tonight / New Mother Nature. We’d be very surprised if the two groups don’t collaborate in Charleston. Tickets go on sale this Friday, May 17, at 10AM ET via Ticketmaster and at the venue’s box office.
Last month over at JamBase we reported on a new Widespread Panic live archival release featuring the first night of the band’s three-night stand at Oak Mountain in 2001. Today, the jam titans have officially announced the three-disc set which is due for a May 28th release.
The first night of the run found the band (original members John Bell, John Hermann, Michael Houser, Todd Nance, Domingo Ortiz, and David Schools) working through much beloved staples such as Barstools and Dreamers, Disco and Driving Song; while also delivering a slew of fan-favorite covers such as Fixin’ To Die, Let It Rock, Low Rider and Ride Me High. Award-winning percussionist Dr. Arvin Scott sat in with Panic on The Harder They Come and Drums.
Here’s the full track list for Oak Mountain ’01 – Day One…
The “American Dream,” the concept that with hard work and a dash or three of inspiration anyone can succeed, lives in Widespread Panic, the lil’ band that could. From tiny rooms and frat parties to sold out tours they’ve looked out to see crowds of jubilant faces from a hundred to a hundred thousand with one constant…they gave each and every listener all they had.
Though the last few years have seen the band take extended breaks, no fan has begrudged them a chance to collectively catch their breath after 25+ years of bringing authentic southern rock to any and every pair of ears they could pack in front of them. With a new tour under way and shows lined up across their south eastern base, the band is at home on the stage as they have ever been, and it shows in every facet of their performances…masterful, comfortable and in the zone. They brought all this to bear for a packed house of diehard fans at the Louisville Palace for the first of a two night stand that had the feeling of a homecoming.
While jam titans Widespread Panic was in Louisville last week for a two-night stand at the Palace, singer/guitarist John Bell and drummer Todd Nance performed an acoustic show with Daniel Hutchens and Eric Carter of Bloodkin before a small crowd at the WFPK Performance Studio. Wednesday’s four-song set was broadcast live for those in the listening area and tuning in on the internet.
Audio of the four-song set, which included Wet Trombone Blues and Success Yourself, Bloodkin classics that Widespread Panic hadn’t played in years but wound up performing again that night electric at the Palace with Hutchens and Carter, has been shared by WFPK…
Here’s the setlist and more of Joshua Timmermans’ amazing shots of the intimate radio show…
Friday was an afternoon and evening of endless sit-ins at the Wanee Festival in Live Oak, Florida. There were guest spots galore, especially on the main Peach Stage. Warren Haynes and Gov’t Mule brought out John Bell, Dave Schools, Jimmy Herring and JoJo Hermann of Widespread Panic for an incendiary, set-closing version of Neil Young’s Cortez The Killer. Widespread Panic was up next and returned the favor by bringing out Mule keyboardist Danny Louis for a cover of JJ Cale’s Ride Me High and later ended their set with Warren guesting on covers of Jesus Just Left Chicago (ZZ Top) and Maggot Brain (Funkadelic) as well as Chilly Water.
For the evening’s finale, Wanee hosts the Allman Brothers Band welcomed Panic’s John Bell for Can’t Find My Way Home, former member Jimmy Herring for In Memory of Elizabeth Reed and North Mississippi Allstars Luther and Cody Dickinson for One Way Out.
Watch Mule team with Herring, Bell, Hermann and Schools for Cortez The Killer…
Here’s a look at the Mule, Panic and Allmans’ setlists from Friday night…
HT faves Widespread Panic concluded a two-night stand at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago last night, where they used part of their encore to pay tribute to Levon Helm and The Band. Panic has been covering Ophelia and The Shape I’m In since 1987 and 1995 respectively. JB and Co. paired the tunes up at an October 30th, 2009 performance in Austin, Texas along with another The Band cover they do – Chest Fever. Since 2011, with the exception of one show, Panic continues to link Ophelia and The Shape I’m In when they play the songs as they did last night in The Windy City.
Thanks to YouTuber faketaper we can watch exceptional video of last night’s Band covers…
Here’s the setlist from the Widespread Panic in Chicago finale…
HT faves Widespread Panic continue to embrace the technologies of the time as they’ve followed up years of tweeting setlists on Twitter and sharing photos from shows on Facebook with a few new wrinkles for their just-underway Spring Tour. For each performance on the tour, which kicked off on Tuesday in St. Louis, a representative of the band is posting show recaps that include setlists, photos and videos to a special section on WidespreadPanic.com.
[Last Night's Setlist From Chicago]
So far there’s only been one video posted along with full recaps from St. Louis. Watch as fans outside of the Spring Tour Opener in St. Louis guess what will kick off the first show of the tour that’s followed by band-shot footage of the Let’s Get Down To Business opener…
Also, check out this fantastic clip of Protein Drink/Sewing Machine from last night’s second set…
With each passing day Couch Tour is becoming more legit. Fans have been streaming Phish, Widespread Panic and other bands’ shows for years and now the groups themselves are getting in on the act. This afternoon Widespread Panic announced it will stream tonight’s show live from Chicago.
Panic has teamed up with Mixlr to offer an audio stream via their Facebook page. The HT faves are expecting to take the stage at the UIC Pavilion at 7:30PM CDT. For those on mobile, download the Mixlr app and search for “Widespread Panic.” We hope more bands provide this wonderful service.
Widespread Panic kicked off their Spring Tour last night at the Peabody Opera House in St. Louis, Missouri; where they treated fans to a vast array of material from throughout their lengthy career. The band mostly focused on originals, but also delivered a few choice covers including Neil Young’s Are You Ready For The Country? and Life During Wartime by the Talking Heads.
Thanks to the efforts of YouTuber colbruce we can watch ALL of last night’s show…
Set 1: Let’s Get Down To Business, Little Kin, Gimme, Wondering, Rebirtha > I’m Not Alone, All Time Low > Rock > Junior (64 mins)
Set 2: Thought Sausage > Machine > Barstools And Dreamers, Good People > Fishwater, Quarter Tank of Gasoline, Tail Dragger, Papa’s Home > Are You Ready For The Country? (76 mins)
TRI Studios’Weir Here webcasts have given us many magical moments both musical and otherwise. Last week’s episode was no exception as it featured Bobby teaming up with the impressive one-time-only band of guitarist Steve Kimock, bassist Dave Schools of Widespread Panic, vocalist Leslie Mendelson, Primus drummer Jay Lane and multi-instrumentalist Jason Crosby.
TRI has graciously shared video of the ensemble’s version of Cassidy…
We couldn’t be happier with the pace at which Widespread Panic has been putting out their Porch Songs live archival releases. These “warts and all” recordings might not be as crystal-clear as the multi-track archival releases, but offer a great document of the band during the Mikey Houser days. The latest Porch Songs release, number 15, features the series first foray into the year 1995, a September 22nd performance from Tad Smith Coliseum in Oxford, Mississippi.
After taking much of 2012 off, Widespread Panic will spend lots of 2013 on the road. In addition to a previously announced Spring Tour, festival appearances and an early June run, today the band revealed their Summer Tour dates. The tour kicks off on June 21 in Lincoln, Nebraska and runs through a two-night stand at Oak Mountain in Pelham, Alabama on July 19 and 20.
The tour includes a four-night stand at Red Rocks in Morrison, Colorado and a three-show run at Grand Targhee Resort as well as two shows at The Joint at Hard Rock in Las Vegas.
Here’s the list of just-announced Widespread Panic tour dates…
6/21 – Pinewood Bowl Theatre – Lincoln, NE
6/22 – The Starlight Theater – Kansas City, MO
6/27 – 6/30 – Red Rocks – Morrison, CO
7/4 – 7/6 – Grand Targhee Resort – Alta, WY
7/9 – Big Sky Brewery – Missoula, MT
7/10 – Idaho Botanical Gardens – Boise, ID
7/12 – 7/13 – The Joint – Las Vegas, NV
7/14 – Pepsi Amphitheatre – Flagstaff, AZ
7/17 – Verizon Theatre – Grand Prairie, TX
7/19 – 7/20 – Oak Mountain – Pelham, AL
In late January Widespread Panic played four full shows over four nights at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic for Cloud 9 Adventures’ Panic en La Playa Dos. Cloud 9 has shared a handful of performances from the event on their YouTube channel.
Today, Cloud 9 posted an amazing video of the band performing Walkin’ (For Your Love) that also includes very cool time-lapse footage from the event. Let’s take a look…
Jam stalwarts Widespread Panic embark on a spring tour starting in April that runs through early May. The group will return to the road in June for previously announced slots at Wakarusa and Mountain Jam. Today, they’ve filled out their early June tour by adding a pair of shows in Knoxville, a gig in Vienna, Virginia and a two-night stand in Raleigh, North Carolina.
The Knoxville shows will take place at the Tennessee Theatre on June 3rd and 4th. Tickets for these shows go on sale Friday at 10AM ET. Panic will play Wolf Trap in Vienna on the 5th, with tickets going on sale March 16th at 10AM and the Raleigh shows will take place at Raleigh Ampihtheatre on the 8th and 9th. Tickets for the Raleigh gigs go on sale February 22nd at 10AM ET. Head to WidespreadPanic.com for more details.
Widespread Panic June Tour Dates…
June 1st – Ozark, AR (Wakarusa Music Festival)
June 3rd-4th – Knoxville, TN
June 5th – Vienna, VA
June 7th – Hunter Mountain, NY (Mountain Jam Festival)
June 8th-9th – Raleigh, NC
Of the many covers that Widespread Panic performs somewhat regularly, one of our favorites is the jam stalwart’s take on Lawyers Guns and Money by Warren Zevon. At the recently completed Panic En La Playa Dos festival, Panic ended their final show of four with a great version of the tune.
Panic En La Playa organizers Cloud 9 Adventures have shared a killer clip of it…
