Widespread Panic Plays All Originals At Mobile's Civic Center Theater February 18, 2016 13:25
Photos by Jordan Kirkland: Live & Listen
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Widespread Panic's red hot Winter Tour continued on Wednesday night at the Civic Center Theater in Mobile, AL. Being the band's first stop in Mobile since 2005 (BayFest), anticipation and expectations were at an all time high for the Panic faithful. The band wasted no time busting into the instrumental jam "A of D," before working through "Holden Oversoul," "Bears Gone Fishin," "Pilgrims," and the heavy-hitting "You Got Yours." John "JoJo" Hermann (piano/organ) would then take the lead on "The Poorhouse of Positive Thinking," an instant crowd pleaser from the band's latest release, Street Dogs. John Bell (guitar/vocals) took the driver's seat for "This Part of Town," followed by another tune from Street Dogs, "Angels Don't Sing The Blues." Perhaps the biggest bust out of the evening came next with "Pleas," marking the song's first appearance since July 15th, 2015 in Albuquerque. Just when it seemed that the first set was coming to an end, Dave Schools (bass) led a seamless transition into an "Imitation Leather Shoes" that had the entire theater rocking.
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Watch Widespread Panic jam on "Bears Gone Fishin" here:
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The second set kicked off with a rocking take on "Steven's Cat," followed by another major bust out with "Little Lilly," another tune which hadn't surfaced since last July in Albuquerque. A nice, lengthy jam on "Little Lilly" led straight into "Hatfield," one of Panic's vintage hits that always seems to light a fire under the crowd. There was no turning back from this point, as "Hatfield" led into "Surprise Valley," another classic from the Panic catalog. The pleasantly frenetic "Tie Your Shoes" couldn't have been placed more perfectly, rolling right back into "Surprise Valley." Duane Trucks (drums) and Sonny Ortiz (percussion) carried the momentum right into "Fishwater," adding onto an absolutely scorching vintage Panic set. "Old Joe" would follow and provide a brief moment for the crowd to take a breather. Hermann then took the spotlight once more as the band rocked through "Blackout Blues," wrapping up arguably the best set of Panic's Winter Tour thus far. After a brief exit from the stage, the band returned for rollicking blues number,"Contentment Blues," before a beautiful take on "Vacation." The encore wrapped up a truly unforgettable night in Mobile, Alabama.
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Watch Widespread Panic jam on "Pleas" here:
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Widespread Panic is known for taking many tunes from the likes of Vic Chessnut, Jerry Joseph, and JJ Cale and truly making them their own. On this night, Georgia's finest rock band powered through both sets and the encore with no covers, sticking strictly to the band's original catalog. The last all-originals show was 3/10/2014 (Bluegrass Underground) and the last two-set all-originals show was 4/03/2007 (Richmond, VA).
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Setlist: Widespread Panic - Mobile, AL - 02.17.16
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Set 1: A of D, Holden Oversoul > Bear’s Gone Fishin’ > Pilgrims, You Got Yours, The Poorhouse of Positive Thinking, This Part of Town, Angels Don’t Sing The Blues, Pleas > Imitation Leather Shoes (71 mins)
Set 2: Steven’s Cat, Little Lilly > Hatfield > Surprise Valley > Tie Your Shoes > Surprise Valley, Fishwater > Drums > Drums & Bass > Fishwater, Old Joe, Blackout Blues (88 mins)
Encore: Contentment Blues, Vacation (17 mins)
Watch one of the countless guitar solos from Jimmy Herring here:
