Widespread Panic resumed the second night of their three-show New Year’s Eve run at Atlanta’s prestigious Fox Theater with an absolute gem of a setlist. Just as the second night of the Halloween run was dedicated to “the ladies,” the band attuned to the modern tradition that Saturdays are for the boys.
The barrage of male-related songs began with a scorching version of their original “One-Armed Steve”, a humorous anecdote describing JoJo Hermann’s initial lukewarm reception into the band. Keepin’ the tempo saucy, Widespread Panic then began sawing out the opening licks to the well-known Bloodkin tune “Henry Parson’s Died” with a respectful nod toward their Georgian roots and brethren of the road. The tempo slowed down to a tranquil pace for a stirring rendition of “C. Brown”.
After a moment of peace, Dave Schools kicked his bass into high gear for a dynamic, bass-driven “Bear’s Gone Fishin’”, which also featured a lively JoJo Hermann dominating the keys. This heavy jam segued into an extensive “Hatfield”, complete with all the colorful John Bell raps and Jimmy Herring solos that aren’t included on the album cut. This “Hatfield” was truly special and deserves additional attention as one of the best and most complete versions of the song in recent years.
An outstanding rendition of the original “Papa Johnny Road” kept the fire burnin’ and the crowd dancin’ before settling into the casual shuffle of “Space Wrangler”, the honest and straightforward Michael Houser tune. After the music settled down, Jimmy Herring seemed to be messing around with some guitar licks, which eventually the rest of the band jumped in for an impressive cover of Steve Winwood’s “Dear Mr. Fantasy” with Jimmy Herring captivating all with a phenomenal guitar performance. The music transitioned directly into Neil Young’s “Mr. Soul”, preserving the male theme and closing the first set in spectacular fashion.
The masculine theme continued into the second set, with an upbeat cover of the Talking Head’s song, “Papa Legba”, a jazzy ode to the mystical deity represented in voodoo cultures. An explosive rendition of the original tune “Junior” erupted after, with John Bell echoing the lyrics in his trademark style, treading a fine line between emotionally distraught lunacy and carefully, calculated constraint. The studio-written jam “Steven’s Cat”—inspired by Cat Stevens—followed with its slowly building, progressive tempo and quirky lyrics.
If the music was a fire and the band was its guardian, they threw caution to the winds when they poured figurative gasoline on the flames when “Tall Boy” began playing. This song has long since been a crowd favorite and the fervent energy was palpable. The profound musicians explored some musical niche for a moment before segueing into a rockin’ cover of Curtis Mayfield’s classic “Pusherman”. John Bell instilled all the soul into the lyrics as the rest of the band played with an audacious jazzy swagger, underscoring the wide range of musical capabilities and expert prowess of this well-seasoned sextet.
The music didn’t slow down as the band continued the acoustic onslaught with another crowd favorite, the original “Papa’s Home”, which they sandwiched a Duane– and Sunny-fueled “Drums” inside before returning to finish the second half of “Papa’s Home”. The band blew the dust off an older original, “Jack”, from the album Ain’t Life Grand, which has recently been being played with increasingly frequency (no complaints here, this song kicks ass).
The gritty and harrowing riffs of “Saint Ex” followed with the echoes of the lyrics: “Don’t you recognize we are not enemies?” This sentiment expressed in utter disbelief resounds especially true in these troubled times. The fiery, boot-stomper “Conrad” closed set two, and when the band left the stage, it was to my surprise that the theater was still intact.
The boys casually resumed their positions before enchanting the audience with the ethereal tune, “Blue Indian”. The original song climaxed in rowdy fashion and the whole audience sang at the top of their lungs: “Well, we gotta party going on, and the spirits strong… ain’t no preacher, I’m just happy to meetcha!” before ending on a sweet and sentimental note. Dave Schools took vocal reins for the next song on the bass-heavy “Sleeping Man”. Schools was outstanding in providing the gritty vocals that coupled with Herring’s extraordinary guitar playing to complete this smokin’ hot jam. To add to the already unstoppable music conflagration, the band played a third encore, the original, “Action Man”, to wrap up an unbelievable night of explosive riffs and fiery jams.
When the band departed the stage for the third and final time of the night, it was certain that there would be no quarter or mercy granted for anybody in attendance, regardless of gender, and set an unbelievably high standard for the final night of this New Year’s Eve run.
Setlist: Widespread Panic | Fox Theatre | Atlanta, GA |12/30/17
Set 1: One Arm Steve, Henry Parsons Died, C Brown, Bear’s Gone Fishin’ > Hatfield, Papa Johnny Road, Space Wrangler, Dear Mr Fantasy > Mr Soul
Set 2: Papa Legba, Junior, Steven’s Cat, Tall Boy > Jam > Pusherman > Papa’s Home > Drums > Papa’s Home, Jack, Saint Ex, Conrad
Encore: Blue Indian, Sleeping Man, Action Man
[Photo: Josh Timmermans / Noble Visions]