When Widespread Panic walked off the stage at the Beacon Theatre following their fifth consecutive sold-out show at the New York City venue back on March 2nd, even the most intoxicated attendee would never have thought that it would be the last live show that the band played for the rest of the year. As fate would have it (pending a drastic drop in COVID-19 cases) the last few days of Winter held their frozen grasp over the country and quite literally masked the advent of spring. The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent shutdown eclipsed the warm weather and exchanged the prospect of a summer tour with the bleak uncertainty of life in quarantine.
With few updates from the band–other than the slow and steady spread of concert cancellations in Chicago, Austin, and most recently, the annual Winespread run in Napa–only the “Never Miss a Sunday Show” weekly archive streams keep the starved community together and sane. Weeks rolled by with the “Good People” celebrating each Sunday and relishing in the times when live music was able to be enjoyed on any night of the week before JoJo Hermann stepped up to break the doldrums.
JoJo Hermann announced his four-part livestream video series aptly titled, Shut Up and Play, to the great relief of many earlier this week. From the stage at East Nashville’s Purple Building on Thursday, JoJo filled the void and hollow feeling in our hearts with a solo trek across his piano with a setlist comprising of Professor Longhair covers, Widespread Panic originals, and even a pair of notable debuts. Proceeds raised from Thursday’s night one webcast were donated to Panic’s longtime support group and fellow Athenian friends at Nuci’s Space.
Kicking off the first show of the four-part series, JoJo honored Professor Longhair with a bawdy cover of “Tipitina” before diving into the Panic catalog for a condensed coupling of “One Arm Steve” and “Imitation Leather Shoes”. After a quick rundown in which JoJo described the awkwardness of eye contact during a virtual concert and playing without any crowd interaction and energy reciprocation, the pianist debuted a new tune inspired by his love of space, the universe, wormholes, and the physicist Sean M. Carroll. Without further adieu, JoJo then performed “Almost Infinite”, a Bach-like symphonic roller coaster that meshes carefree bliss with darker, dystopian undertones, enrapturing with its contrasting melodies and tempo changes. The top of JoJo’s piano was exposed as the tiny hammers shadowed the quick movements of his fingers, resembling the musical embodiment of Arachne at her fabled loom.
Returning back to Panic’s repertoire, JoJo then dished out a prehistoric helping of “Big Wooly Mammoth” which featured uncharacteristically scrambled lyrics. Pausing to reflect after the song, JoJo mentioned, “It’s the first time doing this, and I feel like I’m in my living room. This is typically what I do when I’m down in my basement,” before flaunting his Nuci’s Space t-shirt admitting that it is by far, the most comfortable T-shirt he has ever worn.
Getting back to his piano, JoJo dazzled through a nice and smooth cover of J.J. Cale’s “Ride Me High” with a majestic breakdown in the middle. JoJo broke the fourth wall once more to explain why he cannot fulfill a viewer’s request to revive the “dirty verse” as his kids are watching.
After thanking Todd Snider and his Purple Building studio, JoJo introduced the second debut of the evening, which he explained was inspired by a trip to the Nashville Zoo.
“I love the pink flamingos and the way they stand on one leg to look at the sky,” he told the audience in relation to the new song, which upon conclusion, JoJo declared to be “Blue Parasol”. The song’s lyrics parallel the theme of “Visiting Day” with the lyrics, “Do you ever get the feeling that we’re not alone / in the best kind of way” and “Just happy at you being alive” mirroring Visiting Day’s “Why can’t we just take a look around us/ and only see the things that make you smile?”
He then introduced a Smiling Assassin song, “Lazy Bum”, dedicated to Paul “Crumpy” Edwards and prompted by “Gavin Cooper and Gavin Maloney,” (JoJo’s friend from high school). Rounding out the set, Hermann aced a stripped-down jazzy version of “Tall Boy”, the classic Panic tune with improvised psychedelic peacocks thrown into the zoological mix. JoJo came full circle to end the set the same way he started with “Red Beans”, another tribute to Professor Longhair, one of JoJo’s biggest musical influences.
Watch the first episode of Hermann’s Shut Up And Play series from Thursday below.
Jojo Hermann – Shut Up And Play Ep. 01 – 6/18/20
[Video: Widespread Panic]
Tune in next Thursday for the second session of JoJo ripping his piano solo-style. Until then, stay well, Goodpeople and look after each other; now more than ever.
Setlist: JoJo Hermann | Shut Up And Play Ep. 1 | Purple Building | East Nashville, TN | 6/18/20
Set: Tipitina (Professor Longhair cover) > One Arm Steve > Imitation Leather Shoes, Almost Infinite*, Big Wooly Mammoth, Ride Me High (J.J. Cale cover), Blue Parasol*, Lazy Bum (Smiling Assassin cover), Tall Boy, Red Beans
Notes:
*First Time Played