Widespread Panic continued to mine the archives on Wednesday with pro-shot footage of a live cover of the Grateful Dead‘s “New Speedway Boogie”. The video comes from the band’s performance on February 11th, 2011 at The Classic Center in Athens, GA. This marked the second show of Widespread Panic’s three-night 25th-anniversary run in its hometown.
This video comes as the latest in an ongoing rollout of archival material from Widespread Panic’s extensive vault. This month has seen footage from the band’s 2002 documentary, 25th anniversary run of shows, concert films, interviews, vintage TV appearances, and more all uploaded to Widespread Panic’s YouTube page.
This take on the Workingman’s Dead classic that immortalized the events of the Altamont Free Concert in Robert Hunter‘s prophetic prose plays right into Widespread Panic’s wheelhouse with its driving blues rhythm. Though the song was never much of an improvisational vehicle for the Dead, Panic manages to squeeze every drop from the fruit of the Grateful Dead’s blueprint. Between John Bell‘s evocative growl of the song’s timeless lyrics, Jimmy Herring explores the familiar terrain that he covered extensively as a post-Jerry Garica ringer in projects like Phil Lesh and Friends, The Other Ones, The Dead, and his own Jazz Is Dead.
Watch Widespread Panic cover Grateful Dead’s “New Speedway Boogie” during its 25th-anniversary run.
Widespread Panic – “New Speedway Boogie” (Grateful Dead) – Athens, GA – 2/11/11
[Video: Widespread Panic]