Photo Credit: Josh Timmermans

Over the weekend, Widespread Panic pulled into Savannah, Ga. for a two-night stand at the Enmarket Arena. During the initial evening, Friday, Oct. 27, the ensemble delivered a welcomed mix of originals and classic cover songs that have dotted their setlists over the years. As a follow-up, on Saturday, Oct. 28, the group set aside the expected, opting for a conceptual approach to the 1939 musical fantasy film The Wizard of Oz: Telling Dorthy’s story during the first set and entering The Emerald City–with a twist–during the later frame. 

Night one presented various material from across Widespread Panic’s discography, ranging from early cuts from 1988’s Space Wrangler to their 2010 LP, Dirty Side Down. The mix of tunes was a welcomed entry point for the band’s holiday stand, which presented favorites and frequented numbers prior to night two’s elaborate display of creativity derived from Oz.

Complimenting the night’s approach, the members of Widespread Panic each embodied a character from The Wizard of Oz, with John Bell acting as the Apple Tree/ Dorothy Gale, Jimmy Herring as the Cowardly Lion, John “JoJo” Hermann as the Tin Man, Dave Schools posing as Ms. Almira Gulch, otherwise known as Auntie Em’s stern neighbor as well as the Wicked Witch, Sunny Ortiz as the Scarecrow and Duane Trucks as Glinda the Good Witch. 

Playing off the recognizable start of the film, the MGM lion’s iconic roar, the band replaced the entertainment company’s logo with their own brown cat iconography. Saturday night’s initial frame presented Dorothy’s story through the lens of Widespread Panic songs and cover material, beginning with Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here,” touching on the legend associated with Darkside of The Moon and the film’s synchronicity. The cover represented a bust out, ending a 207-show gap since its last play on Oct. 22, 2017. 

They continued by adding material that assisted in evoking the storyline, including live debuts of Harold Arlen’s “Over The Rainbow,” a Herring-led instrumental, in addition to Talking Heads, “This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)” and the Grateful Dead’s “The Golden Road (To Unlimited Devotion).” Continuing the theme, they dusted off Willie Dixon’s “Weak Brain, Narrow Mind,” followed by the Bell-penned “Life as a Tree” and Neil Young’s “Heart of Gold.” Set ender, “Puppy Sleep,” served as the night’s transition into Oz(z)… The poppy-induced slumber was counter-acted by snowfall that cascaded from the ceiling to start the second half of the night. 

The later frame was dubbed Blizzard of Ozz and served as wordplay off the flurries and Black Sabbath’s frontman Ozzy Osbourne. Aligned with the theme, set two started with a first-time cover of “Snowblind” off Sabbath’s 1972 Vol. 4 LP. They picked up Young’s “Walk On” next, which mingled with a “Turn on Your Love Light” jam. After a pair of originals, they dusted off another Sabbath song, this time, “Iron Man,” last played by Widespread on Oct. 29, 2016. 

Other highlights included a live debut of Sabbath’s “The Wizard” with Bell on harmonica during the intro, as well as the Osbourne-penned “Mr. Crowley,” representing another first-time cover. Widespread Panic’s 2001 cut “Action Man” served as the final song of the latter frame, which gave way to the night’s encore: A debut of Osbourne’s “Crazy Train” followed by a cover of Jerry Joseph’s “Climb to Safety,” a fitting end to the night’s theme and musical presentation. 

Scroll down to view setlists via panicstreams.com. For more information on Widespread Panic’s upcoming tour stops, visit widespreadpanic.com. 

Widespread Panic

Enmarket Arena – Savannah, Ga.

October 27, 2023 

Set I: Junior, Tall Boy > Up All Night, Down, You Got Yours, Proving Ground > Bowlegged Woman > Proving Ground, We Walk Each Other Home, Space Wrangler

Set II: Pigeons > Henry Parsons Died, Airplane > Take-off Jam > Second Skin > Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys > Four Cornered Room > Chilly Water > Mini Drums > Chilly Water > Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys > Pilgrims, Conrad

Enc.: Saint Ex > I’m Not Alone, All Time Low

Widespread Panic

Enmarket Arena – Savannah, Ga.

October 28, 2023 

Set I: Wish You Were Here, Jack, Better Off, Greta, Over The Rainbow > Tornado jam > Rebirtha, This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody) > Wicked Witch jam > Walkin’ (For Your Love), The Golden Road, Weak Brain, Narrow Mind, Life As A Tree, Heart Of Gold, Tail Dragger, Puppy Sleeps

Set II: Snowblind, Walk On, Little By Little, King Baby, Iron Man, This Part Of Town, Postcard, The Wizard, Mercy, Mr. Crowley, Action Man

Enc.: Crazy Train, Climb To Safety

Notes: 

– MGM Lion roar opened the show (the REAL Brown Cat)
– LTP ‘Wish You Were Here’ 10/22/17 Milwaukee (207 shows)
– FTP ‘Over the Rainbow’ (Jimmy-led instrumental)
– FTP ‘This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)’ (Talking Heads)
– FTP ‘The Golden Road’ (Grateful Dead)
– LTP ‘Weak Brain, Narrow Mind’ 9/18/22 Oxon Hill (50 shows)
– LTP ‘Life As A Tree’ 8/25/19 Nashville (134 shows)
– LTP ‘Heart Of Gold’ 6/24/21 Denver (112 shows)
– LTP ‘Puppy Sleeps’ 6/28/19 Red Rocks (144 shows)
– FTP ‘Snowblind’ (Black Sabbath)
– ‘Turn On Your Love Light’ jam during ‘Walk On’
– LTP ‘Iron Man’ 10/29/16 Broomfield (205 shows)
– FTP ‘The Wizard’ (Black Sabbath) – JB w/ harmonica for intro
– FTP ‘Mr. Crowley’ (Ozzy Osbourne)
– FTP ‘Crazy Train’ (Ozzy Osbourne)