Photo Credit: Wesley Hodges 

On Friday, July 28, Widespread Panic commenced a three-night stand at the Orion Amphitheater in Huntsville, Ala. The group’s time in The Cotton State presented a range of noteworthy moments, from bust-outs to live debuts of newly scribed material. Night one got underway with some well-conceived noodling that merged into “One-Arm Steve” and “Little Kin,” which preluded Neil Young’s “Vampire Blues” and Cat Steven’s “Trouble,” played for the first time since their March 1, 2020 concert at New York’s Beacon Theatre. 

The initial set saw the band take on originals like “Tall Boy,” “Hatfield,” and “You Got Yours” before landing on the Vic Chestnutt-penned “Aunt Avis,” which ran over into “Space Wrangler” to close out the first half of Friday night’s show. After a break from the stage, Widespread Panic resumed the concert with “All Time Low.” Next, they picked up Van Morrison’s “Send Your Mind” and continued the frame with a sprinkling of originals and a handful of covers, including Traffic’s “The Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys,” which segued into “Tie Your Shoes” and back into the 1971 classic, prior to “Papa’s House.” 

“You Wreck Me,” by Tom Petty, represented the final song of Friday night’s second set. For the encore, Widespread Panic worked through “Nobody’s Loss” and Warren Zevon’s “Lawyers, Guns, And Money.” After capping night one on the Orion Amphitheater stage, the group returned for the second part of their three-night stand on Saturday, July 29. After jamming through the first set, the Peach State natives turned out the David Bromberg Band’s “Sharon” and followed up with fan favorite, “Walkin’ (For Your Love).” 

After another pair of covers, John Bell took the vocal lead on a first-time “Little by Little” performance, representing the initial debut during their Huntsville, Ala. stand. The new number was elevated by each musician’s prowess, which accentuated the almost eight-minute run-through. The group closed out the second set with BloodKin’s “Henry Parsons Died,” returning for their encore and cutting into “Old Joe” before another highpoint: a bust out of The Late Bronze Age’s “Elevator to the Moon,” last played on April 4, 1991, at Cat’s Cradle in Chapel Hill, N.C. “Climb to Safety⁣,” by Jerry Joseph, was the final song of Saturday’s display.

With two nights on the books, Widespread Panic well fueled for their final stand on the Orion stage. During the show, they reframed from playing a grand number of covers, mainly concentrating on originals, during the first and second half of the concert, which once again featured a debut. The first-time performance of “We Walk Each Other Home” saw a vocal lead courtesy of Bell, supported by Duane Truck’s steady backbeat, bassist Dave Schools, guitarist Jimmy Herring and Jojo Hermann’s supreme slap of the keys. 

Bell brought out the mandolin to conclude Widespread Panic’s Alabama run, adding the instrumentation to Sunday night’s encore take on BloodKin’s “End of the Show” and a fitting send off with “Ain’t Life Grand.” Following this weekend’s entertainment, the band will take some time off the road and return for a three-night stand in Napa, Calif., on the Oxbow RiverStage, lasting from August 25 thorough 27. Tickets remain on sale; learn more via widespreadpanic.com. 

Scroll down to view debuts of “Little by Little” and “We Walk Each Other Home.”

Widespread Panic 

Orion Amphitheatre – Huntsville, Ala. 

July 28, 2023 

Set I: Jam > One-Arm Steve, Little Kin, Vampire Blue (Neil Young), Trouble (Cat Stevens)+ > Tall Boy > Hatfield > You Got Yours, Aunt Avis (Vic Chestnutt) > Space Wrangler

Set II: All Time Low > Send Your Mind (Van Morrison), Tackle Box Hero > Saint Ex > Trashy > Papa’s Home > The Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys (Traffic) > Tie Your Shoes > The Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys > Papa’s Home > You Wreck Me (Tom Petty) 

Enc.: Nobody’s Loss > Lawyers, Guns, And Money (Warren Zevon) 

Notes: 

+ Bust out last played on March 1, 2020

Widespread Panic 

Orion Amphitheatre – Huntsville, Ala. 

July 29, 2023 

Set I: Rebirtha, Ribs and Whiskey > Stop Breakin’ Down Blues (Robert Johnson), Better Off, Dyin’ Man, Who Do You Belong To? (BloodKin), Sleep Monkey, King Baby > Bust It Big

Set II: Sharon (David Bromberg Band) > ⁣ Walkin’⁣ (For Your Love), Blight (brute.) >⁣ Honkey Red ⁣(Murray McLaughlan),

Little by Little*, Diner > ⁣Vacation > ⁣Greta >⁣ ⁣Henry Parson’s Died ⁣(BloodKin) 

Enc.: Old Joe, Elevator to the Moon (The Late Bronze Age)&⁣, Climb to Safety⁣ (Jerry Joseph)

Notes:

* Debut, first time played 

& Bust out last played on April 4, 1991

Widespread Panic 

Orion Amphitheatre – Huntsville, Ala. 

July 30, 2023 

Set I: Driving Song > Disco > Driving Song > Goin’ Out West > Christmas Katie > Radio Child, Thought Sausage, Pleas > Jam > Jack, Halloween Face

Set II: Airplane, Wondering, We Walk Each Other Home%, Surprise Valley > Rock > Drums > Surprise Valley > Dear Prudence (The Beatles), Postcard, Blackout Blues, Action Man 

Enc.: End of the Show (BloodKin)*, Ain’t Life Grand* 

Notes: 

% Debut, first time played 

* John Bell on mandolin 

All setlist via panicstream.com.