23 More Reasons to See Widespread Panic at Wanee

The Wanee Music Festival begins with Wanee Wednesday Happy Hour (April 13th), and music continues until late Saturday night. After the Allman Brothers retired in October 2014, the Wanee torch was passed to Widespread Panic for the 2015 edition and this year’s as well.

When it comes to Widespread Panic, people fall into four categories:

[1] Diehard Spreadheads

[2] People who have seen them a time or two and thought they were OK or had friends play them 83 different versions of “Chilly Water” — and survived

[3] People who truly know nothing about the band

[4] People who are repulsed by the very notion of WSMFP and plan to sit at their campsites and partake or take a nap until the midnight madness starts at Wanee.

Clearly, I am [1]. These will be my 39th and 40th shows. Fellow Spreadheads are in lockstep with me.

Thanks to the folks in category [2]. I know you’ll be out there raging with us Friday and Saturday night.

This is for the people in categories [3] and [4]. Panic virgins [3] are always welcomed into the family. And I still attempt — however fruitlessly — to proselytize my reluctant if not downright disdainful friends in the last group.

So here is one last shot. Recently, we posted about the 20th anniversary of Panic’s magical Huntsville show (4/3/96) at the von Braun Civic Center. That was back when the late great Mikey Houser put the ‘Panic’ in Widespread Panic.

Let’s examine recent evidence from the show in Savannah on 2/26/16, the last day of the winter tour. Jimmy Herring has been with the band nearly a decade now. I had planned to attend but did not, which clearly was a mistake. First, Panic always blows it up in Savannah (everywhere else, too). But this show was just sick, sick, sick. (What are the chances they played “Red Hot Mama?”)

Give this one a listen. If I can convert just one non-believer…

02/26/16 Civic Center, Savannah, GA

1: A of D > The Last Straw > Up All Night, Sell Sell, Bust It Big, First We Take Manhattan, Tail Dragger > Rock, Bowlegged Woman > Blackout Blues

2: A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall, Driving Song > Tie Your Shoes > Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys > Arleen > Papa’s Home > Drums > Papa’s Home > Red Hot Mama > Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys > Driving Song > Chilly Water, Flat Foot Flewzy

E: Lawyers, Guns, And Money > Porch Song, I Can See Clearly Now

[‘Use Me’ rap by JB during ‘Bowlegged Woman’; ‘Love Her Madly’ tease during ‘Tie Your Shoes’; ‘Junior’ rap during ‘Arleen’; ‘Blight’ tease after ‘Arleen’; ‘Jessica’ teases before ‘Drums’ and during ‘I Can See Clearly Now’; ‘Arleen’ rap after ‘Red Hot Mama’]