Widespread Panic wrapped up three shows at the Riverside Theater on Sunday night, bringing their signature southern rock and roll to a sold-out crowd in Milwaukee, WI. With only two more runs before 2018, the band wasted no time getting right to business with a weekend full of bust-out originals, rare covers, and a debut Tom Petty tribute. Following the recoveries of “Papa Johnny Road” and “Smoking Factory” on Saturday night, the band returned to the stage with a triumphant, two-set finalé sprinkled with long-lost favorites to close the weekend.
Widespread Panic Debuts Petty Tune, Shows Gratitude In Milwaukee [Photo/Video]
Half way through their first set, Widespread Panic delivered a “Walk On” for the ages, a Neil Young song that hadn’t been played by the band since September of 2016 in Philadelphia. The second set featured a double-highlight surprise with the return of “Help Me Somebody,” which had not been played since September of 2014 at the Phases of the Moon festival. To close the second set, Pink Floyd‘s “Wish You Were Here” made a haunting recovery after a 108 show gap, performed last on Halloween of 2015 in Asheville, with a scorching guitar solo from the one-and-only Jimmy Herring. The highly-praised encore featured “Don’t Be Denied” > “Porch Song”, a hefty closer to a jam-packed weekend.
Watch some video highlights below, courtesy of YouTube user Fred Ramadan:
You can listen to the full show audio from Sunday’s show below, as recorded by Z-Man and uploaded by Jam Buzz.
Setlist: Widespread Panic | Riverside Theater | Milwaukee, WI | 10/22/17
I: Bear’s Gone Fishin’ > I’m Not Alone > Drivin’ Song > Breathin’ Slow > Walk On > Good People > Worry > Nobody’s Loss, Walkin’ > Space Wrangler
II: Papa Legba > Jam > *That Thang > Ribs And Whiskey > Better Off > Fishwater > Drum Solo > Jam > Ride Me High > Drum Solo > Fishwater > Help Me Somebody > Rebirtha > E On A G > Wish You Were Here
E: Don’t Be Denied > Porch Song
* Jimmy Plays Frere Jacques Riff Near The End
’Walk On’ LTP 9/11/2016 Philadelphia (44 shows)
’Help Me Somebody’ LTP 9/14/2014 Phases of the Moon festival (196 shows)
’Wish You Were Here’ LTP 10/31/2015 Asheville (108 shows)
[photo by Daniel Ojeda from 10/20/17]