Review by Shawn Perry
Muggy, sweltering, steamy, hot — and then there was the weather.
By all accounts, Widespread Panic’s three-day run in Huntsville went off without a hitch. This was the group’s second appearance at the 8,000-seat venue, which opened in 2022. According to its architects, the Orion was inspired by the great classic amphitheaters of Greece and Rome. You can appreciate its breadth if you’re sitting in the back or standing in the pit, though you can’t gripe about the view because every seat has crystal clear sightlines. Given the spacious dimensions of the Panic’s repertoire, you couldn’t ask for a more suitable setting.
The heat and humidity merely added to the experience. One roll through Shakedown Street and primed with a couple craft cervezas, you’re immediately swept into the grounds where anglers grab their spot in the pit and everyone else eases into their seat, reserved or not. Jeff & Blues ran out of all their frozen tropical drinks, so you didn’t have much choice but to wander in and get lost.
About a minute after eight, the band was in place and ready to blast off, which is how everyone does it in Space City. After tuning up, they sprung right into a lively “Rebirtha” and the party was off and running. The slide into home gave way to JoJo Hermann’s elegant, defiant touch on the ivories to tease the hungry with a wobbling round of “Ribs And Whiskey.” Unlike the Rolling Stones, WSP stayed true and loyal to Robert Johnson’s “Stop Breakin’ Down Blues,” though “Dyin’ Man” likely won more hearts and minds in the pit.
“Sleep Monkey” twisted things into contemplative episodes in the upper reaches of the Orion as guitarist Jimmy Herring peeled off his licks and John Bell’s effervescent whine sent shockwaves into the parking lot. You could really feel the aches and pains in every verse. Hermann’s piano intro on “King Baby” suddenly pushed the band into overdrive and the floor blossomed into an open-air séance. Once Dave Schools hooked his bass onto the turnaround, there was no telling where this jam would go. If Herring had his way, it would have burned for another hour. Instead, an ample go at “Bust It Big” brought the first set to a rousing finish.
The longer second set was a myriad of odd covers (David Bromberg’s “Sharon,” Murray McLauchlan’s “Honkey Red” and Jerry Joseph’s “Climb To Safety”), one-offs from a spinoff project (Bright” by Brute), and the debut of a new song called “Little By Little.” It was easy to get pulled in by this one as Duane Trucks’ syncopated drum intro rolled right into a funky rhythm that continually built out and expanded.
“Diner” slowly spilled into “Vacation” and all was right in Huntsville. The night sky, starless without so much as a chill, became hypnotic in its grip. “Greta” reignited the swing before “Henry Parsons Died” spun the dancers in the aisles into an outright frenzy. Widespread Panic, as dogged and drained as their audience in the stifling warmth, stepped away briefly.
The three-song encore of breezy “Old Joe,” the newly restored, blissfully reckless “Elevator To The Moon,” and a second-wind consolatory “Climb To Safety” was enough to send the salty, saturated souls home and happy. Shakedown Street eventually buckled down for the evening as the parking lot emptied in preparation for Sunday. That’s when everyone within spittin’ distance would return for the final show of the tour. When you’re on the bus with Widespread Panic, there’s really no other way to do it — no matter the temperature or when Mercury is about to retrograde. Fortunately, as any of the locals will tell you, that won’t happen for another month.
