Widespread Panic celebrated Halloween on Sunday night in Las Vegas, where they concluded a three-night stand at Park Theater with a Laugh-In-themed show. The band debuted a handful of covers from the period when the sketch comedy program ruled supreme and busted out the long-lost “Godzilla” as part of a memorable night in Sin City.
The members of Widespread Panic dressed in costume for last night’s concert. Guitarist John Bell and bassist Dave Schools were decked out as Laugh-In hosts Dick Martin and Dan Rowan. Wrestling fan Duane Trucks dressed as Dude Love, a hippie-like character played by Mick Foley on WWF/WWE broadcasts. Keyboardist JoJo Hermann chose Football Hall Of Famer Joe Namath as inspiration for his costume, while guitarist Jimmy Herring represented the city where Laugh-In was filmed by wearing a Los Angeles Dodgers uniform. Meanwhille, percussionist Domingo “Sunny” Ortiz showed love for Home Team and ASL interpreter Edie Jackson did Goldie Hawn proud with her outfit.
Sunday’s concert began with a pre-recorded feature in which the members of Widespread Panic took part in a joke segment that was part of every Laugh-In episode. The band then took the Laugh-In-themed stage and dusted off a cover of “Godzilla” by Blue Oyster Cult to kick off the first set. Panic hadn’t played “Godzilla” since Halloween 2011. Next came a run of career-spanning originals that included “One Arm Steve,” “Imitation Leather Shoes,” “Better Off” a sequence pairing “Time Zones,” “Diner” and “Blackout Blues.” The first cover debut of the evening, The Rolling Stones’ “Jumping Jack Flash,” brought the frame to a close.
Gogo dancers accompanied the music during “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” and came back out for large portions of the closing stanza and encore. The final set of Panic’s run in Las Vegas started with the debut of Jethro Tull’s 1971 classic “Aqualung.” Next came a version of “Pigeons” complete with “Here Comes The Judge,” the theme song for a recurring Laugh-In skit originally penned and performed by Pigmeat Markham. Recently debuted original “Sundown Betty” followed before the band worked rarity “Four Cornered Room” into a cover of War’s “Slippin’ Into Darkness.” The “Slippin’ Into Darkness” jam gave way to “Henry Parsons Died.”
Last night’s concert featured a standout sequence at the end of the second set. First came the emotional “Mercy” which led into an impressive jam. Out of the improv came the debut cover of Blue Oyster Cult’s “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper.” Panic ended the frame with “North” and returned for a three-song encore. Laugh-In regular Tiny Tim’s “Tiptoe Through The Tulips” was the first of two cover debuts in the encore. WSP also played Dobie Gray’s one-hit wonder “Drift Away” before they said farewell with “Ain’t Life Grand.” The six-piece is now off the road until a New Year’s Run in Atlanta.
Laugh-In Parody, Godzilla
Aqualung
Drift Away Captured by MrTopDogger
Don’t Fear The Reaper Captured by MrTopDogger
Setlist (via Everyday Companion)
Set One: Godzilla, One Arm Steve, Imitation Leather Shoes, Better Off, Time Zones > Diner > Blackout Blues, Jumpin’ Jack Flash
Set Two: Aqualung, Pigeons > Here Comes The Judge > Pigeons, Sundown Betty, Four Cornered Room > Slippin’ Into Darkness* > Henry Parsons Died, Mercy > Jam > (Don’t Fear) The Reaper** > North
Encore: Tiptoe Through The Tulips, Drift Away, Ain’t Life Grand
- * with Steve Lopez on percussion
- ** with Ben Draper on cowbell
- [Only ‘(Don’t Fear) The Reaper’, Only ‘Aqualung’, Only ‘Drift Away’, Only ‘Here Comes The Judge’, Only ‘Jumpin’ Jack Flash’, Only ‘Tiptoe Through The Tulips’; Entire show with Edie Jackson, sign language interpreter; GoGo Dancers onstage for ‘Jumpin’ Jack Flash’, ‘Pigeons’ > ‘Here Comes The Judge’ > ‘Pigeons’, ‘Slippin’ Into Darkness’ > ‘Henry Parsons Died’, and ‘(Don’t Fear) The Reaper’ through the end of the show; ‘In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed’ tease by Jimmy during ‘Four Cornered Room’; Last ‘Godzilla’ – 10/31/11, 376 shows]
