Show Review - Widespread Panic Charleston SC 11-28-09

One thing that Panic fans love about their band is that the music is a living growing organism. It never gets old or stagnant and every show is unique. The songs and jams are constantly evolving and the band is always experimenting, often bringing together these elements to create something magical. That is exactly what took place in Charleston on this cool, crisp Saturday night in November. Panic opened the show with Chilly Water, sending the crowd into an immediate frenzy and setting the pace for a night of non-stop intense musical madness. Friday night’s show had been interesting but not extremely high energy so I was hoping the boys would bring the heat tonight. The Chilly opener had me feeling pretty confident, and when they sandwiched Henry Parsons Died in between Chilly I knew for sure we had better hold on tight because we were in for one hell of a ride. We were treated to not just one first set sandwich, but three. Saturday’s show was down and dirty hard driving southern rock and roll at its finest with a dash of psychedelia and a splash of funk, all twisted together in perfect balance to create pure musical nirvana. The boys were focused and in perfect sync all night. The synergy was amazing, and the crowd quickly caught the vibe, reflecting it back to the band. So began the beautiful exchange of energy that is typical with Panic and its fans. That positive energy expanded and pulsated throughout the night, a tangible force that was felt by all. The boys were definitely firing on all six cylinders. Jimmy Herring isn’t the new guy anymore; he has made his mark. He has adapted stylistically while also bringing his own influence and style to the band. He has put his stamp on the songs making them his own while at the same time staying true to them.

The set list flowed beautifully. Each song seemed perfectly placed in the right spot at the right time as if pre-ordained by the music gods themselves. Jimmy blew me away immediately with some blistering licks during Henry Parsons. C Brown was a treat, dark and cynical yet hopeful and JB sang it with passion. Going into Driving Song I suspected this was going to be a classic old school set, but new jams and nuances peppered throughout kept it fresh while still keeping it classic. Jimmy Herring made a statement. Panic is a guitar driven band and he showed us how comfortable he is in the driver’s seat. Mastering a very classic Panic set list and playing the songs Herring style, he made even the long time hard core fans love every minute of it.

Things quickly turned nasty with Bowlegged, and I completely lost all composure. Panic played this song the way it should be played, dirty! JB’s soulful, gritty vocals backed by Dave’s groovy bass lines made this sultry Hot Tuna cover one of the highlights of the show for me. Jimmy jumped in with just the right amount of heat while Jo-Jo jazzed up the flavor a bit. All this backed by Todd and Sunny’s undulating rhythms had me swaying, swooning, and sweating! Man, it was hot! I had the strangest feeling that the band was playing this set especially for me. As I looked around at my Panic brothers and sisters' rapturous expressions, I realized I was probably not the only one who was feeling that way.

We were dazzled with the occaisional psychadelic jam, but they didn't go too far into space, only lightly touching on the bizzare. They were far too busy kicking our asses! I love the way Panic can wrap you in a warm fuzzy blanket one minute and then rip it to shreds the next. Papa's Home started slow and sweet, picking up tempo a little with some impressive conga action from Sunny, but then things took a dirty twist when Dave laid down some heavy bass and Jo Jo chimed in for Ride Me High. Funky and nasty, it was definitely a ride and we all jumped on, thrashing and gyrating to “The less you want the more you got so don’t you cry for more!” Jimmy kicked it up a notch and blew our minds and then Dave and Jo Jo took us back down to that nasty funky place we all love. I felt like I had been on an insane roller coaster ride. I can't remember when I've been lifted up and slammed back down so many times! From sweet to dirty to sweltering back to dirty to scorching heat, that is what Panic does and they do it like no one else! I was about to beg for mercy thinking they would surely slow it down a bit after that outrageous orgy, but Panic once again reminded me how unpredictable they are. Right into Action Man and I knew there would be no slowing down or letting up. And it was still only the first set! The boys were relentless, giving us all we could ask for and more! It was like the freakin’ Energizer Bunny on mescaline! After the first set I honestly could have gone home satisfied, but of course I was anticipating the second set with giddy excitement. I wondered where they were going to go from here. I mean, how could they possibly top what we had just heard?

The second set opened with Flicker, which was one of the very few newer (post Mikey era) songs of the night. By now I wanted more classic Panic. More, more, more, and I got it true New Orleans style with Fishwater. After feeling like we had been tossed around as if a hurricane had blown through the coliseum, Greta was right on time. Panic showed how southern they really are with "There's a pack of rabid dogs (Dawgs)" and "there's a swarm of yellow jackets" on the day that the Georgia Bulldogs had played the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Yes, SEC football is THAT important in the south! I felt great southern pride at that moment, especially since Georgia had beat Tech earlier that day. Go Dawgs! Sorry, I digress. Pretty soon Greta left us all thinking not of football but of holding on to our sanity because once again Jimmy was ripping us to shreds with the searing heat emanating from his guitar. The end of Greta took on a whole new dimension hardly recognizable and as the jam segued into All Time Low I couldn’t help but ponder that Jimmy Herring is a guitar genius and a great fit for Panic. Although stylistically very different in his other endeavors, it seems that he is now right where he belongs. I believe he has brought a renewed creative energy to the band that has come to full fruition recently. In my opinion it is the best it’s been since Mikey left us.

ZZ Top’s Waitin for the Bus was outrageous. JB belted it out like he owned it. He has the perfect voice for this song. I couldn’t freakin believe it when Jesus Just left Chicago followed, first time ever played. Another highlight of the night for me, and obviously I wasn’t alone because the crowd went insane. JB and the boys nailed it, and I mean really nailed it! They slowed things down a bit with Crazy, a song from Earth to America. This song has been showing up lately. Lyrically it is interesting, touching on the darkness of insanity. Musically it isn't real exciting, but I beleive it is a solid song with potential to grow. It will be interesting to see it evolve. Tall Boy, another classic crowd pleaser had us all singing along and going wild once again. Of course the crowd never really settled down all night. I noticed a significant difference in the energy level between Friday night’s show and Saturday’s. When the band took off on Tie Your Shoes I totally lost my mind. I love this song; it's a great guitar tune. I used to think that it would never again be phenomenal without Mikey, but soon Jimmy's nimble fingers changed my mind. The song is definitely different, but no complaints here. Jimmy's outrageous guitar work simply melted my brain! It just doesn't get any better than this! I really like the new direction some of the old songs are taking. The six headed monster has resurfaced with one of the heads clearly sporting a ponytail and a beard.

A beautiful, slow Porch Song was exactly what we needed next giving me the distinct feeling once again that this was a divine set list straight from heaven. Dave stepped up to drive a funky groovy jam, and then as if the night hadn’t been hot enough, they broke out Arleen! Unbelievable! Arleen can sometimes stretch out forever and get totally insane, but this time it was contained somewhat, lengthwise anyway. They played it with the usual driving intensity sending the crowd into yet another fit of spastic insanity. Just when I thought they had reached the climax and could not possibly maintain this level any longer, the boys showed me that they were no where near ready to lighten up, reminding me once again why I love this band. They brought the heat yet again with Junior. This was one the hottest version of this song I’ve ever heard. My hubby really digs this tune, and as I looked at him I saw his jaw drop in utter amazement. The big smile that followed told me that this was one of those moments that would be filed in the "holy shit!" folder in his memory. We were all totally blown away by the electrifying intensity of this song and of this show!

The encore started with Little Feat's On Your Way Down, the second of two new covers of the night. This is a good song for JB’s soulful voice and he wrapped us in that warm fuzzy blanket once again. They followed with one of my favorites from Free Somehow, Up all Night. This song is personal for me and my hubby because the lyrics are almost identical to one of our own experiences in Savannah, one of my favorite cities. As I continued to snuggle in that warm fuzzy blanket I was thinking that since they had rocked our asses off all night long, they were going to let us down easy for the encore, kind of like the cool down after a really intense work out. But Panic is anything but predictable and they decided we hadn’t had enough quite yet. Panic gave their fans a love song to end the night, but this was no soothing farewell. Love Tractor, one more balls to the wall ass kicking rocker sent us home feeling very loved for sure. What a nice big fat night of mind blowing, soul gripping rock n roll! I left Charleston feeling my life had changed just a little for the better. Yes music is that powerful to me, and this was truly one of the best shows I have experienced in a long time. Days later I am still reeling and glowing from the experience. I am psyched and can't wait till the NYE run in Atlanta! Its very exciting what the band is doing these days and I am looking forward to many more stellar shows to come! Thanks to my favorite band, I love you guys!

Review CD - The Very Best of Jerry Garcia

As a rule, compilations leave me unimpressed, but The Very Best of Jerry Garcia proves to be an exception to that rule. The song choices for this two disk set were obviously well planned and carefully chosen. The first disk contains highlights of all five of Garcia's solo studio albums, demonstrating the distinctively different characteristics of each work. Jerry's first self titled solo album is pure Jerry, with a little help from Grateful Dead drummer Bill Kreutzmann. Jerry provided all the acoustic, electric, and pedal steel guitar, piano and organ tracks himself. Featured from this album are five Robert Hunter/Jerry Garcia classics, including one of my all time favorites, "Bird Song", a bitter sweet tribute to Janis Joplin. "Deal", "Sugaree", and "Loser" are all strong choices, and "The Wheel" is a perfect follow up with its upbeat and hopeful message of encouragement and redemption. From the album Compliments, Jerry covers two completely different heroes of American music. Chuck Berry's "Let it Rock", and Irving Berlin's "Russian Lullaby" are examples of Jerry's broad musical tastes. Fun, upbeat, and danceable, "Might as Well" from Reflections, is basically a Grateful Dead recording, as it features all the band members. "Mission in the Rain" and "I'll take a Melody" are both wonderful expressions of Jerry's rugged but beautiful vocals. The latter is absolutely so sweet, proving once again that sometimes less is more and simple can be incredible, especially Garcia style. The only song on this disk that I would not have included is "Rubin and Cherise". Though I like the lyrics, musically it is boring and sounds a bit too much like a typical pop song. "Rhapsody in Red" really rocks. Donna Jean Godchaux lends backing vocals on "Cats Down Under the Stars" and Melvin Seals on organ helps create a rich, full sound on "Run for the Roses". "Knockin on Heaven's Door" stays true to the dark, brooding tone of the Dylan classic, while lifting the mood a bit on the chorus with an almost reggae beat. The horns in "Without Love" along with the combination of Michael Omartian on piano and Merl Saunders on organ give this song a true blues feel.

As a Deadhead and a huge fan of live improvisational music, the 2^nd disk is of course my favorite. This collection of live performances is a wonderful reflection of Jerry's versatility and diverse musical talent, as it encompasses several of his side projects outside of The Grateful Dead representing many different genres of music. The live setting is where Jerry was truly free to be creative, spontaneous and experimental, often resulting in some of the most inspiring, soulful and beautiful music ever played. I was thrilled at the inclusion of "Catfish John" from Jerry's bluegrass band, "Old and in the Way" which introduced bluegrass to the jam scene, opening the door between genres and inspiring a whole new breed of improvisational bluegrass infused with rock and jazz. The Jerry Garcia Acoustic Band, another short lived side project, is featured with the traditional 1920's "Deep Elem Blues", bringing to light Jerry's love of American roots music. "Ripple" is another of my all time favorite Garcia/Hunter tunes. This is a nice performance by JGAB, although I think a Garcia /Grisman version of the song would have been a better choice. From acoustic bliss to electric heaven, Dylan's "Positively Fourth Street" is evidence that no one can express Dylan like Jerry could, including Bob himself. I own the CD that this track was taken from, Garcia plays Dylan, and it is a treasure. Jerry's guitar and voice interpret Dylan's songs in perfect harmony with the spirit in which they were written. It is almost as if Dylan wrote the songs specifically for Jerry to sing and play. Switching gears again we are treated to some reggae, with JGB's version of Jimmy Cliff's "The Harder they come", followed by another Garcia/Hunter tune, "Gommorah" which offers up a nice Garcia guitar solo.

In 1979, John Kahn, the bassist who was present in nearly all of Jerry's side projects, started a side project of his own while Jerry was touring with the Grateful Dead. Reconstitution was the name of the band and Jerry joined them for a few stellar performances. This jazz influenced project was an opportunity for Jerry to reconnect with old friend and keyboardist Merl Saunders. None of the performances were ever officially released until now. The Beatles "Dear Prudence" is in my opinion the jewel of this compilation. Saunders is fantastic. The saxophone and the jazzy touch give this beautiful song a spicy flavor, very tasty indeed. "Senor (Tales of Yankee power), another Dylan tune, is dark and beautiful. "Evangeline" is light and fluffy, again portraying the contrast so typical of Jerry's tendency to explore the spectrum, keeping it fresh and fascinating. The last song is a live "Deal" very different from the studio "Deal" which opened the first disk. Beginning and ending these CDs with different versions of the same song is brilliant, serving a purpose to enlighten those unfamiliar with improvisational music to something Deadheads know well. No matter how many shows you saw in a year, you never heard a song played the same way twice.

Jerry Garcia was truly a musical genius. He had a unique ability to express heartfelt emotion through both his playing and singing. His skill and inventive creativity made him truly one of the greatest musicians of all times. He was unsurpassed in the art of improvisation. He has been and continues to be a major influence on many musicians. Jerry is missed by many, but I believe his music is timeless and immortal, and will continue to inspire many for generations to come. The Very Best of Jerry Garcia strikes a perfect balance, giving fans a wide variety of live recordings which we can never get enough of, while also reminding us that Jerry was serious in the studio, and very capable of putting out masterpiece studio recordings. I enjoyed this CD immensely and I give it 5 stars!