After a rough spell of wintry weeks since New Year’s Eve, Widespread Panic returned to stage on Thursday to rekindle the Good People’s love of life with a brief, warming respite from both cold temperatures and grief at the Stifel Theatre in St. Louis, Missouri.
John Bell, his hat turn backward in “we mean business” position, guided his five cohorts to their respective positions and introduced the show with a simple “Good evening, St. Louis.” Intent on destruction, the band detonated “Little Kin” like a fistful of dynamite to open the first set.
Sunny Ortiz and Duane Trucks rolled into J.J. Cale’s “Travelin’ Light” before Jimmy Herring and JoJo Hermann passed the jam baton back and forth. JB broke the silence with a serene rendition of “C. Brown” layered with wind chimes from Sunny before switching styles with the jaunty rhythms of “Better Off”. A pairing of the recently debuted “King Baby” (featuring a mean Dave Schools solo) and Vic Chesnutt‘s “Sleeping Man” (featuring some choice Schools ad-libs), the bassist remained at the helm for a topsy-turvy trounce through extended takes on both “Rebirtha” and “Bear’s Gone Fishin’”.
JoJo’s organ announced the advent of one last bombastic beast to close the first frame, “You Got Yours”. JB’s haunting vocals echoed around the venue until the house lights flickered on for set break.
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Back onstage for round two, JoJo teased a piano riff reminiscent of an imminent Jaws attack before crashing through the gates of “Greta” with gale force. Cracking open a crispy, cold “Tall Boy”, the originals flowed in succession as the bass drum pulse awakened “Shut Up and Drive”.
Ending one of the longest droughts since its debut, Panic paid tribute to Bloodkin’s Daniel Hutchens with “Trashy”. With Herring holding the reins, an improvised transition steamrolled into a blazing “Worry” that left no stone unturned.
A quick pause gave the audience—and Jimmy’s equipment—time to cool off before a wave of sound immersed the venue in the nourishing notes of “Diner”. In a traditional improvisation spot, JB landed amidst a swirling sea of piano notes to furnish snapshot of his vivid imagination: “Found my spot in the corner / open early to let a poor boy in / I got off my bench a little early this morning too / or maybe I slept in / before all the respectable people / before the churchgoers / I’m just basking in your light / sunshine sliding down the rooftop / ray come through the window / keep my coffee cup a little warmer, a little longer”.
Stirring in some more sweetness, JB followed a drum solo with a raunchy rendition of Calvin Carter and Bobby Rush’s “Bowlegged Woman”, though chose to forego another ad-libbed rap. As Schools dug his heels into the opening bass line, geologists as far as Bozeman, Montana picked up the resulting seismic activity.
The tone remained merciless as “Papa’s Home” cruised along the switchback’s trail, slow and steady, before putting the pedal to the floor and accelerating toward an unfathomable depth with abandon. After a cataclysmic breakdown, the pace plateaued toward the finish line, evening out into Jerry Joseph’s “North” to finish the second set.
After a momentary encore break, Widespread Panic shuffled back onstage for a combination of Michael Houser tunes, “Travelin’ Man” and the rare “The Waker”. Finishing off the night with one more treat, Panic tacked on the Thursday night special, James Taylor’s “Knocking ‘Round The Zoo”, for the first time since the Durham run in February of last year.
Warmed up and primed to rumble, the band rolled up its sleeves and threw the first punch last night. Two more nights of this St. Louis slugfest ahead, so buckle up and don’t slip. Sure is icy out there. Pro tip: warm apple cider and dark rum.
View the full setlist from the 1/18/24 Widespread Panic show at the Stifel Theatre in St. Louis. For a full list of upcoming tour dates, head here.
Setlist [via PanicStream]: Widespread Panic | Stifel Theatre | St. Louis, MO | 1/18/24
Set One: Little Kin, Travelin’ Light, C Brown, Better Off, King Baby > Sleeping Man, Rebirtha > Bear’s Gone Fishin’ > You Got Yours (71 mins)
Set Two: Greta > Tall Boy, Shut Up And Drive, Trashy > Jam > Worry, Diner > Bowlegged Woman > Papa’s Home, North (89 mins)
Encore Travelin’ Man > The Waker, Knocking ‘Round The Zoo (16 mins)