After a whirlwind first show, Widespread Panic returned to The St. Augustine Amphiteathre’s stage on Saturday for a scorching penultimate show in St. Augustine, FL.
The structural integrity of the oldest city in America was tested as swarms of zealous Spreadnecks ran amok in the hotels, along the pristine beaches, congesting the narrow alleyways downtown, and even rappelled up the stone walls of the Spanish fort, the Castillo de San Marcos, to briefly commandeer the strategic high ground. Widespread Panic, unfazed by their loyal followers’ spring fever, conducted business as usual with another hard-hitting setlist chock full of fan-favorites, two Jerry Joseph covers, and cemented “Trashy” as a new WSP anthem, immortalizing Daniel Hutchens and Bloodkin’s legacy.
Onstage, John Bell emerged with a backward hat on, foreshadowing the night ahead, and donned his slide for a delicious combination of “Ribs and Whiskey” before JoJo Hermann’s voice and piano retold the fabled story of Sugarman’s heroics during the Clear Creek Bridge Disaster in “1 x 1.” As the tune wound down, the percussionists, Duane Trucks and Sunny Ortiz, didn’t miss a beat, smashing their way into the introduction of “Pigeons”.
The psychedelic rhapsody subsided and Panic perched on top of a new rental property in “New Blue” before Dave Schools cranked the intensity once more with a beastly metamorphosis into “Imitation Leather Shoes”. Back-to-back instrumentals flowed as Panic romped through “A of D” and an infernal “Disco” before pausing to cover Jerry Joseph’s jaunty “Time Zones”.
Winding down the first frame, JB invoked the power of the backward cap for a doggone dirty cover of Sonny Boy Williamson’s “Good Morning Little Schoolgirl”. JoJo flourished in the bluesy roadhouse spotlight before passing the torch to Jimmy Herring to give new meaning to an old song. As the sound faded, JoJo switched gears to segue into a behemoth “Bust It Big” set closer.
Returning from set break, Panic performed consecutive covers as Jerry Joseph’s “North” blazed the way (“The sun here burns my eyes”) for “Trashy”, a glorious tribute to the late Daniel Hutchens. The song was released on Bloodkin’s latest album, 2021’s Black Market Tango, and has been a recurring addition to WSP’s extensive catalog, performed ten times since Hutchens’ passing.
An extended jam section transitioned into “Pleas” before showcasing “Halloween Face” for only the fifth time since its debut at last year’s NOLAween. The heavy metal riffs descended into the lonely depths of “Mercy”. JB’s bone-chilling vocals personified the desperation of a scorned lover.
JoJo led an improvised jam before the band stepped aside to let the percussionists duel. The band returned and Schools stepped in to hammer out the introduction of WSP’s interpretation of Winston Riley’s “Arleen”. Though once a mellow reggae melody, WSP has injected it with a concoction of gun powder, swamp water, and moonshine and loaded it into their double-barrel shotgun as JB warned that “Daddy in the window across the street / ya better get down, get down / if ya hear shots coming… / if ya hear shots / Ya betta get flat!”
As a mischievous misdirection, Schools added a short tease of “Little Lilly”, but when the audience rubbed their eyes to make sure it wasn’t a dream, WSP trodded on into “Walkin’ (For Your Love)”, complete with a fake ending before the real finish. A short pause gave the band a chance to catch their breath for the fourth and final time in the second set until Duane and JoJo took over for the excavation of “Big Wooly Mammoth”. Maintaining the “evolutionary reject” theme, Jimmy Herring helped “Conrad” burst from his cocoon to end the second set with a raucous finale.
From the shadows, Widespread shuffled back onstage to finish off the penultimate show of the St. Augustine run with a sneaky “Christmas Katie” before galloping down the final stretch for a photo finish, “Action Man”.
Widespread Panic returns to The Amp for one last show before setting sail into the horizon for a short springtime hiatus. As always, never miss a Sunday show. Otis’s predictions include: “Swamp”, “Coconut”, “Last Dance”, “Chainsaw City”, and “Sandbox”. Audio of last night’s affair is available thanks to the Goodpeople at PanicStream.
Widespread Panic – “Good Morning Little Schoolgirl” (Sonny Boy Williamson) – 3/26/22
[Video: Fred Ramadan]
Widespread Panic – “Bust It Big” – 3/26/22
[Video: Fred Ramadan]
Widespread Panic – “Trashy” (Bloodkin) – 3/26/22
[Video: Fred Ramadan]
Widespread Panic – “Arleen” (Winston Riley) – 3/26/22
[Video: Fred Ramadan]
Widespread Panic – “Big Wooly Mammoth” – 3/26/22
[Video: Fred Ramadan]
Setlist [via PanicStream]: Widespread Panic | St. Augustine Amphitheatre | St. Augustine, FL | 3/26/22
Set One: Ribs and Whiskey, 1 x 1 (Beanland) > Pigeons, New Blue > Imitation Leather Shoes, A of D, Disco, Time Zones, Good Morning Little Schoolgirl (Sonny Boy Williamson) > Bust It Big (64 mins)
Set Two: North (Jerry Joseph), Trashy (Bloodkin) > Pleas, Halloween Face, Mercy > Jam > Drums > Arleen (Winston Riley) > Walkin’ (For Your Love), Big Wooly Mammoth > Conrad (95 mins)
Encore: Christmas Katie > Action Man (12 mins)
Notes
– “Little Lilly” tease after “Arleen”
Fool’s Paradise, the fan-favorite destination music festival in historic St. Augustine, FL, will return from a five-year hiatus for its third edition on Saturday, June 4th and Sunday, June 5th, 2022 at the spacious St. Augustine Amphitheatre.
In addition to a diverse and exciting artist lineup led by prog-jam vanguard Umphrey’s McGee and Fool’s veterans/Grammy-nominated future-funk heavyweights Lettuce, Fool’s Paradise 2022 will feature surprise sit-ins, artist-led excursions, and more. Other acts set to perform at St. Augustine Amphitheatre for Fool’s Paradise 2022 include raucous party outfit Andy Frasco & The U.N.; Isaiah Sharkey Band, the outfit led by the acclaimed neo-soul guitarist (two sets); soulful acoustic duo Jennifer Hartswick (Trey Anastasio Band) and Nick Cassarino (The Nth Power); and more to be announced in the coming weeks.
Tickets and travel packages for Fool’s Paradise 2022 on June 4th and 5th in St. Augustine are available here.
[Art: Nouvelleo Creative & Merchandise]
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