Lacing up their boots for the wild week ahead, the desperados of Widespread Panic kicked off their six-show residency at The Moody Theater in Austin, TX. Like a diamond in the mud after a spit shine and elbow grease polish, this particular gem of workingman’s blues draws folks from around the country to witness and behold the scintillating six-piece powerhouse of jam rock and roll.
John Bell led the legendary band onstage as a roar of excitement embraced the frontman’s backward cap. Hardly his first rodeo, JB still casually radiates vibes of self-assured coolness on just his second day as a 61-year-old.
Duane Trucks and Sunny Ortiz dropped into the beat of “Better Off” and Jimmy Herring quickly unraveled echoing guitar riffs. An infernal “Disco” got the party going early with its well-known instrumental progressions. Dave Schools grabbed the bull by the horns to wrestle the direction into an unselfish “Give” before beginning a sequence of unbroken jams during “Shut Up and Drive”.
The percussive rhythm rolled into “Good People” which featured an esoteric breakdown into JoJo Hermann’s favorite dive, “Dark Bar”. After returning to “Good People”, WSP paused for half a second before the introduction of “Up All Night” broke through the silence like the sun at dawn, vanquishing the darkness. Closing out the rowdy set, Panic performed Warren Zevon’s “Lawyers Guns and Money”, the first cover of the night and run.
After a short set break, Widespread Panic resumed its musical conquest on the Live Music Capital of the World with a triplet of originals. “Heroes” strolled into a mellow “Walkin’ (For Your Love)” until kicking their spurs into “Space Wrangler”.
Not waiting long for the cover to collect dust, Widespread revisited Black Sabbath’s “Fairies Wear Boots” for the first time since Panic en la Playa earlier this year in Mexico and the 25th time overall since debuting the Paranoid track at Bonnaroo 2007. JB then switched from a gritty rock and roll tone in favor of the hair-raising desperation of a god-forsaken man for a haunting rendition of “Mercy”.
The slew of originals continued relentlessly and without stopping as an ominous transition jam unearthed a piano-laden “Big Wooly Mammoth” before another powerful segue—which featured a “Red Hot Mama” bass tease—cascaded into “Tie Your Shoes”. The cataclysmic momentum spilled into a bawdy “Blackout Blues” to close the second set, but not before improvising on Curtis Mayfield’s “Freddie’s Dead” in the space between songs.
Returning for an encore, Widespread Panic dusted off The Beatles’ “Come Together” for the 11th time ever and the first time since Panic en La Playa Nueve in 2020. Strangely enough, this cover also debuted at Bonnaroo—though this one emerged in 2005. Traversing back into more familiar territory, WSP plowed into a bouncing “Love Tractor” finale to wrap up the first of six nights.
With five more shows ahead, much more lies in store for the anxious Austin audience. Tonight, Panic continues its residency with a rare second show coinciding with Sunday service. Tie your shoes and get ready for night two, it will be here soon enough.
Check out some fan-shot videos of Saturday’s run opener in Austin from whereshaynes. Full show audio is available on PanicStream.
Widespread Panic – “Better Off” – 4/15/23
Setlist: Widespread Panic | The Moody Theater | Austin, TX | 4/15/23
Set One: Better Off, Disco, Give, Shut Up And Drive, Good People > Dark Bar > Good People, Up All Night, Lawyers, Guns and Money (Warren Zevon) (54 mins)
Set Two: Heroes, Walkin’ (For Your Love)^, Space Wrangler, Fairies Wear Boots (Black Sabbath), Mercy > Jam > Big Wooly Mammoth > Jam > Tie Your Shoes > Blackout Blues (83 mins)
Encore: Come Together (The Beatles) > Love Tractor (14 mins)
Notes:
^ w/ pause
– ‘Red Hot Mama’ jam after ‘Big Wooly Mammoth’
– ‘Freddie’s Dead’ (Curtis Mayfield) jam after ‘Tie Your Shoes’
– LTP ‘Come Together’ 1/25/20 Playa (94 shows)
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