The Show
But the story isnt over here. I havent even gotten to the soundtrack yet. Wait till I tell you about it. It seemed like it followed the script perfectly. Or maybe we were dancing to the beat the whole time and just didnt realize it. Hearing rumors of a "Hope In a Hopeless World" soundcheck didnt get me excited to hear that specific song per se, but it made me think the band was at least on the same page. After the fallout from their show in Starkville the night before, things probably seemed pretty bleak to them at that point.
By the time we had carried all the cans into the Von Braun Center by hand and stacked them in the back corner of the employees entrance, we were pretty bushed. It took all the energy we could muster to grab a beer and stumble out onto the floor. Truly, by this point we would have been happy for just about anything we got. Its hard to be picky about song choices when you are just so grateful to be there. But all the fans in Huntsville would be rewarded for their efforts.
First set got off to a quick start with "Disco." Always a solid set-opener, the instrumental gave everyone a chance to get comfortable in their dancing space. Likewise, the sound crew got a chance to make sure all 6 musicians were dialed into the mix correctly. Moving swiftly into "Wondering," the band made the transition smoothly and prepared to launch things skyward from there. Song choice and placement are definitely subjective things in Widespread Panics sets, but "Wondering" always seems like a great pick early in a first set. The themes of working, wondering, and driving all hit home on a Friday evening after a long week.
"Greta" seems to remind me more and more of "Airplane" from the fact that the main lyrics and chorus stay the same, but the jam at the end is always over-the-top. Some fans do complain that "Greta" is over-played and trite, but as long as the jam at the end justifies the road taken to get there, it seems like it should remain in the rotation. The transitions throughout the first set were all fairly smooth, as the band exuded confidence both during and between the 9 songs selections. As "Greta" broke down, the dark, staccato jam that followed sounded to me like it might be "Sharon." That would have been an amazing song choice, given the circumstances, so it was equally impressive that they broke out the rare cover "Do What You Like."
"Do What You Like" seemed almost ironic given the reality of the bands situation. Some trouble with fans in Starkville the night before compounded with the problems in Huntsville in 2000, seemed to point toward the need for greater discretion throughout the scene. The bands response: "keep your head right, do what you like." Dont be foolish, but do be true to your beliefs. Just be yourself and everything will be alright. Not so much a political statement as a word of caution, the band threw down a dark and nasty vocal and instrumental arrangement to hammer home their point.
From there the long jam continued, twisting and turning courtesy of some sweet slide guitar work from JB. After a few stringy licks, it became apparent that the band was about to "Stop Breakin Down." There arent many cover songs that have become band favorites so quickly, but its not hard to see why. Thinking back to the Stained Souls show from a few months ago, this is Widespread Blues. "You Got Yours" shared first set highlight honors with the "Do What You Like." Rarer and rarer in the rotation these days, this one sounded unlike any I recall hearing before. It was loud and tight, with plenty of well-timed guitar effects from Mike Houser. Maybe Im reading too much into song choice, but the theme also seemed to be a wry commentary on the controversy surrounding the band and its fans at the time. For a song I dont think about much, I was really excited.
The first set ended up being one of the longer first sets the band had played in a while. I didnt have a stopwatch, but after the "Thought Sausage" closer, it seemed like close to 90 minutes. "Thought Sausage" continues to improve, becoming a real beast of a song. That along with the second set opener, "Give" seem to be the two strongest songs the band is playing right now.
"Give" to open the second set was the real theme song for the day. Charity, generosity, and yes, partying down were all on the menu. It tasted good. It was amazing how loud the band sounded. I mean, "Give" is a rocking song anyway, but it sounded like the crew just turned the dials up until the soundboard started to smoke. I didnt really notice the loudness until "Dyin Man," because the first song of the set, I was bouncing about 6 feet above the crowd. Housers guitar effects have given this song an extra dimension to keep it fresh, even though he did tend to rely on his pedals a whole lot, throughout the entire tour. "Jack" is always a treat, regardless of the situation. "Surprise Valley" and "Papas Home" were both solid and well mixed going into drums. The energy level was consistently high all night. "Tie Your Shoes" coming out of drums was a real crowd pleaser, as were the "Pickin Up The Pieces" and "Henry Parsons Died" to close the show.
The encore of "Dream Song" paired with "Chunk O Coal" didnt really showcase the strengths of the band as a whole, but the rest of the show up to that point more than made up for it. I think most anyone would agree that "Chunk O Coal" is a decent song, just not one that fits in the encore slot. Otherwise, the show was an overwhelming success. Outside after the show, things went down about like they do at your average Widespread Panic concert. Everyone was orderly, and no incidents of any trouble were reported. Music fans young and not so young mingled together outside having a snack and drink to refill their tank. Every hungry soul was filled on this night, that was for sure.
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