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
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
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
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
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