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Tornado sirens blared through the dark evening sky in downtown Columbus -- panic seemed in the air as torrential rains and nugget-sized hail came crashing down. It was apropos, though, since Widespread Panic (WSP) was in town to play at the downtown Palace Theater. As we cautiously drove through the meteorological chaos toward the Palace, we thanked our lucky stars the show was indoors. Ohio's wacky weather is not for the timid.
By the time we parked, the storm had stopped, and we didn't even get wet walking to the theater. Entering the venue was a refreshingly hospitable change of pace as patrons were welcomed inside with nary a search of any kind, at least compared to, say, Cleveland's House of Blues, where customers are all but strip searched on their way through the door. WSP fans -- variously called Spreadheads or Spreadnecks -- are known as a hard-drinking, fun-loving bunch, and the Palace bars were doing a brisk business. We had just enough time to grab a drink and find our seats before the lights went down.
The band is entering a new phase on this tour as they welcome ace lead guitarist Jimmy Herring into the lineup. Herring replaces George McConnell, who abruptly left the band with a week left on their summer tour. McConnell had joined the band in the summer of 2002 when original guitarist and founding member Mike Houser became too ill from pancreatic cancer to continue -- he tragically passed away that August. The band took a hiatus in 2004 but came back strong in 2005, so McConnell's departure was something of a surprise. Still, Herring established a reputation as one of the smokingest six-string slingers on the scene while playing as a member of Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh's band from 2000 to 2005, so Spreadheads are understandably optimistic.
WSP are known by most as a jamband, but for bassist Dave Schools, that moniker is a pigeonhole. "Most of 'em [jambands] can't write a fuckin' song. I don't want to hear someone noodle aimlessly," said Schools in a June story in Harp magazine. "I want to hear a master of their instrument playing theme and variation on a great melody… Without a great song, there is no great melody. Without a great melody, there is no jam."
This approach to the craft is what has made WSP one of the most popular bands on the rock tour circuit. With deep roots in the classic rock, blues, and soul and a forward-looking attitude to improvisation, WSP have positioned themselves as one of the quintessential American rock 'n roll bands of the 21st century.
The band came out, guns blazing, playing "Thin Air" in a tribute to the evening's weather: "Drivin' in the walkin' rain / Let's go, let's go / Stream down my windowpane, / Thru the fields, where does all the water go?" sang rhythm guitarist/vocalist John Bell.
This is one of the things that separate great veteran jambands from radio bands -- a vast repertoire that allows them to choose songs based on a particular evening's mood. This in turn helps create the transformative circuit between the band and the crowd that generates a collective consciousness, which in turn propels the music to a higher level. Bell's uniquely soulful vocal delivery may be an acquired taste, but it makes him a true original and enables the band to dabble in a wide variety of sounds.
Herring demonstrated his expertise from the get-go, ripping sharp solos. Yet, like all the great ones, he knows how to pick his spots and when not to overplay. Longtime Panic friend and producer John Keane joined the band for the next two songs and six others throughout the night, continuing a tour residency on guitar/banjo/mandolin and steel pedal that brings yet another dimension to the Panic sound.
The show really took off with "Tall Boy," a WSP classic usually reserved for later in the show. Playing it as the third song was an indicator that the band was pulling no punches -- "We're gonna summon the Holy Ghost from the battlefield / And in the morning this old world won't be the same / Show me the way, Lord!"
For those who saw the band's second-night performance at the first Bonnaroo Festival in 2002, this song will always rekindle memories of what may have been original guitarist Houser's ultimate triumph. At that show, the band was joined by the Dottie People's Choir for a raucous "Tall Boy>Testify>Tall Boy" that ended their first set before a throng of 70,000 fans. It was one of the most triumphant moments in the band's career, and it was one of Houser's final performances. No one will ever replace Houser's melodic ear, but after five years spent helping conjure the Holy Ghost of no less than Jerry Garcia, Herring knows better than anyone how to pay homage to his predecessors while at the same time adding a bit of his own flavor to the mix.
Another thing that separates the great jambands from the pack you're never really sure that they have a new album out. WSP released Earth to America last June, yet served only one song from the album. Played toward the end of the set, the anthemic "Good People" had the crowd grooving to such heights that it almost seemed an old classic. On the album, the song goes into a two-minute bridge of psychedelic bliss. On stage, that bridge was extended into a monster jam. Drummer Todd Nance and percussionist Domingo Ortiz propelled it with polyrhythmic precision, and keyboardist John "JoJo" Hermann took the proceedings to another level with his electric organ.
Hermann's virtuoso skills on piano and organ are an essential aspect of what sets WSP apart. The band has always had great lead guitarists, but the sonic mesh of Schools' dynamic bass playing with Hermann's thick organ sound is what really gives the band its unique sound.
The second set was more of the same, featuring "Greta", a near half-hour "Chilly Water>Drums>Chilly Water", and an ever-timely and well received cover of the Talking Heads' "Life During Wartime."
Schools kept dropping bombs throughout the night and Herring shredded one jaw-dropping solo after another -- a casual fan would have been hard-pressed to guess that he had only joined the band three weeks before. When the band reemerged for a final encore, it was a rousing rendition of "Ain't Life Grand." It is indeed, and, from the looks of things, it'll stay that way for quite some time.
— 19 October 2006
