After three nights at Milwaukee’s Riverside Theater, Widespread Panic took to the spacious Akron Civic Theatre last night as a part of a precursor to their two-night Halloween run in Asheville, NC. Not a traditional room per se, but the Civic last night provided one of the most breathtaking backdrops and surroundings you’ll ever be lucky enough to catch a concert in. Constructed in 1929, the venue still looks and feels pristine and warm, a domed ceiling overhead recreating the night sky with twinkling stars and swirling clouds. They just don’t make ’em like this anymore.

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Starting a little before the clock struck 8 PM, Panic came outs guns-a-blazing with the energetic drum beat to “Travelin’ Light” that seemed to open up the sky at the Civic. Not interested in taking prisoners on this night, a full out sonic assault ensued in the first set with things heating up during “Little Kin” > “Makes Sense To Me” and fully igniting when “Rock” hit. It’s during tunes like this when you realize how dynamic a band like Widespread Panic. To have so many moving parts in unison is no easy task, and to have them as well oiled as they have it, well, it doesn’t happen over night. Panic is in it for the long haul.

The centerpiece of the first set came next with a downright dirty “Dyin’ Man.” With keyboard player JoJo Hermann holding down keys and primary vocal duties, guitar player Jimmy Herring was able to open up and take this tune out for a walk. After a transition into “Weight of the World,” WSP dropped their first two covers of the night to an enthused Tuesday night crowd, a 1-2 combo of The Band’s “Ophelia” and “Shape I’m In.” The covers would only get better from here.

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Set two opened with Herring busting an ampeg during the opening notes of “Junior,” but after a quick fix, all was well again with Herring blowing away the rest of the tune with ferocious melodic runs and lines that make you shudder. Next up, Warren Zevon’s “Werewolves Of London.” Lead by Dave Schools on vocals and bass, this was an absolute treat to hear live, as it was only the 8th time Panic has ever played the number, the last coming during last year’s fall run in Huntsville, AL (10/10/14).

A good ole’ dance party broke out with a transition into “Big Wooly Mammoth” and a “Party At Your Mama’s House” > “Ribs & Whiskey” combo. If the angelic statues placed around the venue could have broken away from the walls and plaster, they would have, just to have danced and flutter their wings to this grooving set. 

Coming down the home stretch, Panic offered up Murray McLauchlan’s “Honky Red” from their new album, Street Dogs, a heavy, stirring song that almost seems to have been written for John Bell to sing, as well as sequence of “Impossible” > “Drums” > “Heart Of Gold” that heard the Civic erupt with applause when the beginning notes of Neil Young’s classic song were played. This was only the second time the band has covered “Heart Of Gold” (10/31/14).

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The night wrapped up with a fitting encore in “Old Joe” and “Protein Drink/Sewing Machine,” with Bell delicately singing the lyric “Hope we live long and lucky,” a notion we all hope to aspire to. If we’re truly lucky, we’ll be able to see Panic rock for another couple of years. 

Listen to the full show via PanicStream here. Full gallery of photos by David Heath of Lofty Views can be seen below: