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| from @widespreadpanichq |
It was shaping up to be an epic weekend in one of the most glorious, storied, cultured cities of the Southeast. Not only are we lucky enough to witness these two bands together during the height of each other's fall tour, we find ourselves in an outdoor, 10,000 seat capacity tennis stadium.
Umphrey's McGee is a perfectly appropriate band to share the stage with Widespread Panic. Their funky improvisational grooves force you to shake your hips, as was evident by the movers and shakers that made it in early to see this wonder. Slice those funky grooves in half with hardcore prog-rock riffs and reggae tones that make you scowl and rock your head like you've ingested something illegal. It's awesome. Really a site to behold. Umphrey's always seems to play the sets I want to hear. 40's theme, All in Time-both songs I've grown to love. We had floor tickets for Friday night so the view was spectacular. During the next tune, Higgins- a rocking reggae number, they weaved in a nod to the band Chicago with a '25 or 6 to 4' jam. The crowd was loving it and starting to fill in the stadium. About this time I ventured to find the bathroom and happened to run into longtime percussionist for Panic, Sonny Ortiz. We fist pounded as he was letting his family into the VIP area. Super nice guy.
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Panic's first set was rambunctious and filled with fan favorites. A Ribs and Whiskey opener greased the wheels and set the tone for what we were in for. First set, 3rd song Blight? Man, they aren't messing around! Postcard, Stop Breakin' Down Blues, Greta, Proving Ground- all heavy hitters during that first smoking set. The 2nd set comes out with a jam packed Makes Sense To Me, John Bell howlin' and moanin' like he does. They showed no signs of letting up. 'Pigeons' sends the stadium into a get down frenzy. The band is tight, and you can tell they're having a blast. Dave Schools with his typical demeanor; picking out poor(or lucky) souls in the crowd and giving them a spooky smile or a nod of gratification if he sees you enjoying yourself. He nearly brings the bleachers down with a bone crushing solo on his custom Modulus bass. A short pause for a breath and they take the Family Circle Stadium into Use Me. As usual, the crowd is loving the cover. Jimmy Herring solo's high as the sky using his unique blend of note/tonal knowledge and frequent use of the tremolo bar. Clocking in at over 8 minutes, they really keep the energy up. John Bell then gives a brief intro to the next tune: 'Thought Sausage'. "This is a little tune born in New Orleans!" I've always loved "Thousage" because it's a rocker and gets a little dark and weird. Perfect combo for Panic. The next 30 minutes is a solid jam sandwich. Starting off with Travelin' Light, both a tribute to the late JJ Cale and a Panic cover staple. That slowly leads into Rebirtha. A song that has become one of my favorites mostly because it leads into Rebirtha Jam. A keys and bass funk session lasting around 5 minutes, highlighted by Sonny and Todd's multifunctional beats. Herring creeps in toward the middle and the whole band finds itself in the middle of a full on improvisational masterpiece. Take a look around at fellow show-goers at this point and they're either getting down or staring in amazement of what they're are witnessing.
> Ride Me High. The ever popular JoJo tune has been known to incite passionate relationships on the spot. This is followed up by an exceptionally placed Porch Song. A true nostalgic gem for any Panic fan. The band builds off the slow momentum of Porch and goes nuts for the last songs of the 2nd set. Bust it Big and Conrad.
First song of encore is slow, and I'm OK with that. Trouble; a beautiful rendition of the old Cat Stevens song. To close out the night they went with Climb To Safety, a sing a long, excuse me scream along, that brings you, the band and all your neighbors into one harmonious hell of a time! It's really a life changing experience and I highly suggest it.
Fortunate enough to spend the next day on the marsh with the gators and crabs, we were able to enjoy the full Charleston experience. Ok, no gators, but we set the crab traps with some stank chicken and 2 half thawed bait fish cut in half. Good eatin'. We cabbed it to Daniel Island. Our cabbie Andrew looked like an ole regular Head himself . He had Jerry Band playing and had beer and cocktails for sale. I'll take a Stella please sir. The up-and-coming, almost high-browed Daniel Island was crawling with Widespread Panic fans, always an interesting mix. I can only hope everyone was respectful and well behaved enough to let us come back and enjoy this beautiful place again. Panic loves the Lowcountry! JB even said something along the lines of, "Thanks for findin' this place for us!"
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