In the middle of America yesterday, Widespread Panic brought their brand of southern rock to eager fans at the Orpheum Theatre in Omaha, NE. What ensued was a superlative Tuesday.
The first set opened with a rocking “Glory.” The crowd was still trickling in, and those who were inside were then treated with a raucous “Greta.” Everyone was dancing and singing. Other highlights of the first set included “Shut Up and Drive” and “Tail Dragger.” They closed the first set with an energetic “Makes Sense to Me,” almost exactly sixty minutes after they began “Glory.”
The second set continued right where they left off. “Weak Brain, Narrow Mind” was a great opener to the set. “Weight of the World” continued the high-energy start to the set. Perhaps one of the high points of the show was the “That Thang (Party at Your Mama’s House).” The instrumental tune ensured that everyone was dancing hard despite how hot it was inside the venue. The crowd especially went crazy when the image of a honeybee was produced on the LED screens. This was the same bee image from the show poster by Subject Matter Studio, and the crowd recognized it. As the song continued, the image of the bee started becoming wavy, much like a mirage, and this was perfect for the moment considering the temperature during the day before the show and inside the venue as they rocked out “That Thang.”
The best segue of the night came when they went slowly and deliberately from the instrumental into “Ribs and Whiskey.” “Red Beans” was fun, and the “Surprise Valley > Drums > Surprise Valley” was great. The “Drums” really highlighted drummer Duane Trucks on the skins as even percussionist Sunny Ortiz stopped playing and just watched the former in amazement. “Proving Ground” was incredibly swampy and the set closed out with “Mr. Soul.”
The band began the encore with “Me and the Devil Blues.” It seemed especially appropriate, at least the lighting. The band and stage were cast in a very red light. The red was very crimson, and perhaps they did this to match a certain group of Spreadheads present at the show. Anyone in the pit saw this red-shirted clan, and anyone in the balcony saw the shirts thrown onto the stage, littering the ground of the musicians. It was a red shirt that had the outline of Nebraska and said “paNic” inside, with a capitalized n for Nebraska. Even bassist Dave Schools said with a smile, “Those are some red shirts,” right before they cast the stage in red and began the song. Even keyboardist JoJo Hermann donned one of the shirts to salute the Nebraska Spreadheads. So they played the bluesy tune and ended the show with a crooning cover of Talking Heads’ “Heaven.” And that was the Tuesday night Widespread Panic show! As the back of those red shirts said, the show in Nebraska exemplified “The Good People in the Good Life.”
Widespread Panic continues their summer tour tonight in Kansas City before heading to the storied Red Rocks Amphitheatre for three nights this weekend. Those shows will be webcasted here, so check it out!
Check out the setlist, courtesy of PanicStream, and the full gallery by Ojeda Photography, below.
Setlist: Widespread Panic at Orpheum Theatre, Omaha, NE – 6/21/16
Set 1: Glory, Greta > Walk On, Tickle The Truth, Worry, Shut Up and Drive, Tail Dragger, Flicker > Makes Sense To Me (60 mins)
Set 2: Weak Brain, Narrow Mind > Weight Of The World, Solid Rock, I’m Not Alone, That Thang (PAYMH) > Ribs and Whiskey, Red Beans > Surprise Valley > Drumz > Surprise Valley > Proving Ground > Mr Soul (99 mins)
Encore: Me and The Devil Blues, Heaven (16 mins)
Check out the full gallery of images below.
