“Ladies and gentlemen: We are brute. goddamit!”

With those words, Vic Chesnutt opened the first-ever show by brute., his supergroup with Widespread Panic. Remastered footage of the entire January 18th, 1995, show at Athens’ Georgia Theater is now available on YouTube, thanks to WSP archivist The Sandbox Channel, who restored the original footage by OG taper Fred Adams.

Billed as Bar Tab, the evening also included a set from fellow Athens locals Bloodkin and a set from Michael Houser and John Bell, where they debuted new originals “Smoke and Burn” (then known as “Burned Faceless”) and “Gradle”. Then, Chesnutt joined the full Widespread Panic lineup—Mikey, JB, JoJo Hermann, Dave Schools, Todd Nance, and Sunny Ortiz—for their first-ever show as brute.

The 12-song set leaned on new originals from the collaboration’s forthcoming album, Nine High A Pallet, which they recorded at John Keane‘s Athens studio in December 1993 but wouldn’t release until September 1995. By this time, Panic had already worn their admiration for Chesnutt on their sleeves like a “Mom” tattoo, regularly covering “Aunt Avis” and going on to include it on 1996’s Bombs & Butterflies. With brute., WSP was able to mold its already developed rough-and-tumble style of Southern jam-rock with Chesnutt’s lyricism, simultaneously bare and biting. This resulted in boisterous kiss-offs “Good Morning Mr. Hard On” and “George Wallace”, and compositions that would become Panic live regulars: “Sleeping Man”, “Let’s Get Down to Business”, the Dave Schools-sung “Blight”, and the carnal pairing of “Protein Drink” > “Sewing Machine”.

brute. would release a studio follow-up, 2002’s Co-Balt, featuring enduring live staple “Expiration Day”, plus “Puppy Sleeps” and “Morally Challenged”, both revived in the past few years after decades away. The band played just six shows between 1995 and 2002, usually one per year. Chesnutt still regularly sat in with Widespread Panic at their shows, making his last appearance with the band on April 25th, 2007, during a hometown show in Athens. Chesnutt died on December 25th, 2009, of an overdose of muscle relaxants. Panic continues to honor Chesnutt in their concerts, including dedicating an entire set to Chesnutt’s songs on New Year’s Eve 2019 to mark ten years since his death.

Revisit the first-ever show by Vic Chesnutt and Widespread Panic collaboration, brute. RIP Vic.

brute. — Georgia Theater — Athens, GA — 1/18/95 — Full Video

[Video: The Sandbox Channel]