With a tour schedule much less demanding than in past years, every Widespread Panic show counts. After having played some great shows in St. Augustine, Florida, despite the hurricane damage and destruction in the area, last night, Widespread Panic brought their signature show experience to the Riverside Theater in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for the first of three nights. Any Spreadhead knows that these shows are always some of the best of the year, and last night’s run opener did not disappoint. There is no home away from home like the Riverside for the band that hails from Athens, Georgia.

Widespread Panic Concludes St. Augustine Run With War & “Coconut” [Videos]

To make the experience even better, this year was more like a festival than just a show. For the first time in the history of the fall Widespread Panic runs at the Riverside, the street actually closed down and a beer garden sprouted up out of the concrete jungle of Milwaukee. Fans were absolutely delighted by this new part of the spectacle as the road was absolutely packed. The fact that it was an absolutely gorgeous and unseasonable 70-degree October day in Wisconsin didn’t hurt either.

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The party moved indoors once the showtime neared. With many discussing the proverbial age-old question of “What song will they open with?”, the band organized their biggest surprise of the night when they wasted no time in paying homage to the late Tom Petty by opening with “You Wreck Me”. It was fiery and filled with energy, and singer/guitarist John Bell was able to summon his inner Petty to belt out the vocals. Of course, the Petty cover shouldn’t have been too surprising as he only passed away at the beginning of the month, and Friday’s show was the first Panic show since then.

“You Wreck Me”

 

[Video: Fred Ramadan]

Ultimately, “You Wreck Me” was a great way to start the show. Another first-set highlight was the “Machine-> Barstools & Dreamers -> Machine” segment. Besides the silky smooth transitions blending the songs together, “Barstools” had a nice “Thank You Falletinme Be Mice Elf Again” jam that undoubtedly was one way the band was thanking their devout and loyal followers in the Wisconsin area. One JoJo tune that is rarely played but delivers every time is “Big Wooly Mammoth.” Later, an instrumental “B of D” helped wind down the first set before the set’s closing “Action Man”.

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Second set couldn’t have started out any funkier with “Old Neighborhood.” Funk turned to straight rock with “Make Sense to Me” and “You Should Be Glad”. A breather came with “Jesus Just Left Chicago,” as the ZZ Top staple slowed it down after the previous, peak-oriented tunes. Another slower number, “Mercy,” followed and was played with equal emotion and soul. After the drummers’ segment, they returned to rock-n-roll with “Rock” and “Protein Drink/Sewing Machine” to end the set. “Honky Red” was played in the first encore slot and was followed by “Ain’t Life Grand.” Widespread Panic will play two more shows in Milwaukee before heading out to Vegas for Halloween and Atlanta for New Year’s Eve.

You can check out photos from last night’s Widespread Panic show below, courtesy of Daniel Ojeda.

Setlist: Widespread Panic | Riverside Theater | Milwaukee, WI | 10/20/2017

Set One: You Wreck Me, Weight of the World, Machine -> Barstools & Dreamers -> (with Thank You Falettinme Be Mice Elf Again tease/jam), Machine, Travelin’ Light, Visiting Day, Big Wooly Mammoth, Aunt Avis, B of D, Action Man

Set Two: Old Neighborhood, Makes Sense to Me, You Should Be Glad, Waiting for the Bus -> Jesus Just Left Chicago, Mercy -> Jam -> Bust It Big, Drums, Rock, Protein Drink -> Sewing Machine

Encore: Honky Red, Ain’t Life Grand