Fresh off Panic en la Playa Diez, Widespread Panic’s four-night destination event in the sunshine drenched beaches of Mexico, the band returned stateside for a three-night run at The Township Auditorium in Columbia, South Carolina beginning on Friday night. The venue’s intimate acoustics, limited capacity of just over 3,000 seats, and storied history with the band made it the ideal location for a Widespread weekend in the South.
Widespread Panic dug their heels into the first set with a scorching cover of Van Morrison’s “Send Your Mind” before moving into the familiar territory of “Porch Song”. Keeping it original, Dave Schools strolled hand-in-hand with “Little Lilly”, reminding the audience that “It’s only real if you believe.”
As the song wound down, an inexplicable Zambi feeling overcame John Bell and empowered his vocals to embody the robust spirits of Col. Bruce Hampton and original songwriter Bukka White on a saucy rendition of “Fixin’ to Die”.
To follow, JoJo Hermann moved to the forefront to revive a behemoth “Big Wooly Mammoth” before Jimmy Herring unveiled a calculated solo, complete with a subtle dose of “Fishwater” teased at the end. For the fifth time ever, Panic split “I’m Not Alone” into two parts—this time, around the uplifting “C. Brown”—making for a wholesome song sandwich.
To punctuate the first frame, Panic soared through “Holden Oversoul” before the floor dropped out into a heavy “You Got Yours”. As the smoke cleared, the band sauntered off into the shadows to catch their breath and let the audience—and instruments—cool off.
Widespread Panic – Set One – 2/18/22
[Video: Squarepile 103]
Upon returning, Widespread Panic brought the bawdy streets of New Orleans to Columbus, South Carolina with a haunting cover of Dr. John’s “I Walk on Guilded Splinters”. Sunny Ortiz and Duane Trucks introduced the tune to open a set for the first time since 5/4/93, and it dripped with unholy funk.
Eventually, JB’s slide guitar was replaced by Dave Schools’s thundering notes striding through an extended “Rebirtha”. The audience picked their jaws up off the floor and found their legs to dance to the grooving rhythms of JoJo’s clavinet, Herring’s lightning hands, and Schools’s bouncing bass.
After a monster jam, Panic kept the pedal to the floor with a rowdy “Junior” before slowing down the tempo for a romantic “Walkin’ (For Your Love)”. The mellow vibe persisted throughout “Jamais Vu”, but when JoJo took the wheel, he didn’t hesitate before re-accelerating into a backroad joyride for J.J. Cale’s “Ride Me High.”
As an improvised, esoteric jam wound down “Ride Me High”, Widespread kept the music flowing with a hearty take on Jerry Joseph’s “North”. The nostalgia stung like a Riviera Maya sunburn when JB voiced a popular sentiment of the Panic En La Playa veterans: “Take me back to Mexico!” From there, the band covered the legendary New Orleans band, The Radiators, with “Zigzaggin’ Through Ghostland”, just the second-ever Panic rendition following last year’s NOLAween festivities.
To wrap up the second set, the Panics performed consecutive classics with “All Time Low” cascading into fiery rendition P-Funk’s “Red Hot Mama” closer. In an instance timing so uncanny that it could only be attributed to the full moon—if not sheer coincidence—Billy Strings played a show in Knoxville, Tennessee last night and “All Time Low” was performed on both stages at nearly the same time.
Widespread Panic returned to the stage as the first night’s encore presented a choice bust-out of The Yardbirds’ “Drinking Muddy Water” and kept all pistons firing to finish the first night with a rolling “Love Tractor.”
Two more nights of music remain on the horizon for the Goodpeople in Columbia, South Carolina. Enjoy the camaraderie and debauchery that only a Widespread Panic run in the South can bestow. Until tomorrow, folks!
Setlist [via PanicStream]: Widespread Panic | The Township Auditorium | Columbia, SC | 2/18/21
Set One: Send Your Mind, Porch Song, Little Lilly, Fixin’ To Die > Big Wooly Mammoth, I’m Not Alone > C. Brown > I’m Not Alone, Holden Oversoul, You Got Yours (63 mins)
Set Two: I Walk On Guilded Splinters, Rebirtha > Jam > Junior, Walkin’ (For Your Love), Jamais Vu > Ride Me High > North, Zigzaggin’ Through Ghostland, All Time Low > Red Hot Mama (90 mins)
Encore: Drinking Muddy Water, Love Tractor (14 mins)
– LTP ‘Im Not Alone’ split 4/19/16 Augusta, GA (5th all-time split & FTP sandwiched with ‘C Brown’)
– LTP ‘Guilded’ as set opener 5/04/93 Madison, WI
– LTP ‘Drinking Muddy Water’ 6/29/18 Mud Island (101 shows)
– Entire show with Edie Jackson (ASL interpreter)
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