All photos by Adam McCullough.
Widespread Panic closed out a sold-out three-night stand at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York on Sunday night. The shows marked the band’s first headlining performances at the historic rock palace and first visit to the venue since opening for The Radiators on July 18, 1992. As the adage goes, “don’t miss a Sunday show” and last night’s concert was no exception. The band threw in plenty of improvisation, 2019 debuts and ended with an extended encore.
The sextet kicked off the action with the old school pairing of “Holden Oversoul” and “Makes Sense To Me.” Guitarist Jimmy Herring shredded through each as he showed he’s still got it after all of these years. John Bell‘s voice was in fine form throughout the evening. The Cap was filled to the brim with Panic fans dancing and grooving to the music, yet still felt comfortable and was a somewhat intimate experience for a band that had once made Madison Square Garden their New York City tour stop.
Panic honored old friend Vic Chesnutt with “Let’s Go Down To Business” and then linked “Little Lilly,” “Airplane” and “Jaded Tourist.” All but “Airplane,” which featured one of Herring’s most intense solo of the night, were 2019 debuts. “Jaded Tourist” gave keyboardist JoJo Hermann his first turn in the spotlight. Next up was “Blue Indian,” the song that features the lyric which gave Panic’s 1999 studio album its name. “The Last Straw” then gave way to a cover of Talking Heads’ “Life During Wartime” during which the rowdy crowd went wild.
Sunday’s second set began with one-time rarity “Lawyers, Guns & Money,” though the beloved Warren Zevon cover has been played more frequently in recent years. Bell then belted out “Little Kin” before WSP raged through “Love Tractor.” The beautiful “I’m Not Alone” filled the ballad slot and gave way to the Dave Schools-sung “One Kind Favor.” Next up was a take on Jerry Joseph’s “North.” A pair of jammed out songs followed in the form of “Bust It Big” and “Mercy.” Both tunes broke form with “Mercy” going so far out it’s listed as “Mercy” > “Jam” on PanicStream’s setlist. The interplay between Herring and Hermann was impressive throughout the show but especially during “Bust It Big” and “Mercy,” the latter of which featured a jam on the Grateful Dead’s “The Other One.”
Widespread Panic ended their final set of the run with an outstanding three-song sequence. Up first was just the fifth-ever Panic version of the Cream-popularized “I’m So Glad,” a tune brought back in honor of the late Col. Bruce Hampton. Then, the six-piece went with staples “Postcard” and “Ain’t Life Grand.” For the encore, WSP started by serving up the 2019 debut of “This Part Of Town.” The concert wasn’t over yet as the sextet embarked on their fan-favorite cover of Traffic’s “Low Spark Of High-Heeled Boys.” Panic then did something they’d only done once prior in 215 versions of “Low Spark” — they fit in the instrumental “Disco.” The last and only other “Low Spark Disco” took place on October 1, 1999. For the finale, the Georgia rockers served up The Guess Who’s “No Sugar Tonight/New Mother Nature.”
Watch the entire show thanks to The Relix Channel:
Setlist (via PanicStream)
Set One: Holden Oversoul > Makes Sense To Me, Let’s Get Down To Business, Little Lilly, Airplane > Jaded Tourist, Blue Indian, The Last Straw, Life During Wartime (66 mins)
Set Two: Lawyers Guns & Money, Little Kin > Love Tractor, I’m Not Alone, North, One Kind Favor, Bust It Big, Mercy > Jam > I’m So Glad, Postcard, Ain’t Life Grand (85 mins)
Encore: This Part of Town, Low Spark of High Heeled Boys > Disco > Low Spark of High Heeled Boys, No Sugar Tonight / New Mother Nature (27 mins)
Notes: [‘The Other One’ jam after ‘Mercy’; Show webcast live via Relix]
