Widespread Panic headed back the the Land of the Sky to kick off the band’s first run in Asheville, NC in half a decade. As case numbers for the delta variant continue to rise, the band and venue announced last week that all attendees would be required to present a negative COVID test or proof of vaccination at the door. Free rapid testing was conducted across the street from the venue all day for the crowd.
Harrah’s Cherokee Center—formerly known as Asheville Civic Center and various other sponsor-based monikers—has hosted dozens of Panic shows (16 to be exact), so they were well-stocked and prepared for the tumultuous, beautiful chaos of the Widespread crowd. After almost a year and a half of no shows, six shows in three weeks ain’t too shabby for the North Carolina WSP fans!
Widespread Panic kicked off the first set of the first night with a raucous cover of Vic Chesnutt’s “Let’s Get Down to Business” before returning to their own catalog for a sizzling “You Should Be Glad”. John “JoJo” Hermann’s clavinet and Jimmy Herring’s guitar were in cahoots as the interwoven melodies spun around in circles like a roulette ball looking for its “place in time / to call its own”.
After a slight pause, Duane Trucks bashed his way into the jagged rhythm of Alan Price’s “Sell, Sell”. Jimmy Herring resembled Charon, the mythological ferryman who shepherded souls across the River Styx and into the underworld, by navigating the crowd through the tunes with surgical precision and infernal fury. The scorching intensity of Herring’s guitar carried over into “Radio Child”.
John Bell showed off his vocal capabilities during an emotionally fraught “Gimme”. The tribute to fallen friend and bandmate, Michael “Mikey” Houser cut the crowd to tatters before grinding ‘em up into a saucy “Thought Sausage—with extra helpings of grits and gravy on the side.
JoJo piloted into a rare “Dark Bar” amid WSP’s ode to the community, “Goodpeople”, before Panic rounded out the first set with a cover of Howlin’ Wolf’s “Tail Dragger” and emptied the tank completely with a segue into a bouncing “Love Tractor”. Jimmy Herring was racing toward the point of no return and, like a responsible captain, opted to wind the set down instead of running out of gas somewhere out in the galaxy.
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Upon return from set break, the Panics came tumbling out the shadows with Link Wray’s “Rumble” before dropping into the explosive percussions of “Bust It Big”. A heavy, improvised jam built up and dropped into Neil Young’s “Don’t Be Denied”.
Consecutive heaters were catapulted back-to-back with Van Morrison’s “Send Your Mind” setting the band up for a massive, de-constructive jam on Vic Chesnutt’s “Sleeping Man”. After Schools picked apart the foundations, Herring pulled the trigger, engulfing the whole structure before the jam baton was passed to JoJo to pick up the fragmented pieces with his funky clavinet. Herring and Schools cleared the last of the rubble with a smoking call-and-response section with Sunny Ortiz launching mortars wildly from behind the front line.
Schools and JB strolled through a mellow “Walkin’ (For Your Love)” before the band piled into the taxiing “Airplane” and took off into the fluffy white clouds in the sky. The place where your pets, friends, and family go when they are too tired to keep walking. The takeoff was glorious and soared smoothly into a “Drums” section for brief turbulence before landing in a “Run Like Hell” jam. JoJo’s piano slipped a tease of the Allman Brothers Band’s “Mountain Jam” into “Airplane” before the drummers battled, and Schools pummeled through a Pink Floyd-inspired improvisation in the “Run Like Hell” jam.
Widespread Panic – “Airplane” – 8/6/21
[Video: Patricia Hatcher]
To close out the second set, the band offered up the familiar recipe to “Fishwater”—“Mo’ Fish Stew!” Essentially, the band adds miscellaneous ingredients (everything but the kitchen sink!) to the potent concoction, simmering in a large cauldron over the fire. JB murmurs esoteric chants and voodoo incantations to add an arcane flavor to the supernatural brew.
Widespread Panic returned for the encore to declare a deep love for eating chicken with “Contentment Blues”. After all, they already ate their sausage and drank their stew—and were in the midst of hosting a virtual food drive—why wouldn’t they include fried chicken into their family-style picnic encore.
For the third time of the night, Panic performed a Vic Chesnutt song to close out the show with another tune that expresses appreciation for chickens, “Expiration Day” (“I don’t make much money / so I sell eggs and chickens on the side.”).
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Captain Midnight Band and Big Something provided the after-hours entertainment at the Asheville Music Hall and at the Salvage Station, respectively. Two nights of Widespread Panic ahead, life is good—and so is the chicken. Until tomorrow, folks.
Setlist: Widespread Panic | Harrah’s Cherokee Center (Asheville Civic Center) | Asheville, NC | 8/6/21
Set One: Let’s Get Down To Business > You Should Be Glad, Sell Sell > Radio Child > Gimme > Thought Sausage, Goodpeople > Dark Bar > Goodpeople, Tail Dragger > Love Tractor
Set Two: Rumble > Bust It Big > Jam > Don’t Be Denied, Send Your Mind, Sleepin’ Man > Walkin’, Airplane > Take-Off Jam > Drum Solo > Run Like Hell Jam > Fishwater
Encore: Contentment Blues > Expiration Day