For What It’s Worth: Widespread Panic New Year’s Run… and “The Waker”
Article by Tony Carey & Jeff Fernandez
Photographs by Jeff Fernandez
Videos by Mr. Topdogger
Famed Georgia jam rockers Widespread Panic deployed their annual New Year’s Eve ammunition on Atlanta’s Fox Theatre during the celebrations as 2018 segued into 2019. New Year’s Eve Fox Theater visits from Widespread Panic have made Atlanta a second home, as tour manager Steve Lopez described overseeing the band’s 2018 New Year’s run festivities alongside bass player and founding member Dave Schools. The New Year’s three-night run played host to two previous nights of Widespread Panic’s timeless jam-based rock and roll before the 2018 send-off.
Songs from the band’s albums Space Wrangler, Mom’s Kitchen, and ’Til the Medicine Takes took center stage alongside covers like “Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress” and “For What It’s Worth.” 2018 was like so many years, showcasing classics and providing opportunities to envision the band’s new frontiers. The biggest bust-out ever, according to tour vets the song that would never return, “Waker” brought the crowd to its feet, and tears of joy and sadness continued throughout evening. The New Year’s Eve night’s musical tornado ended just as it began, with all concert-goers satisfied.
Widespread Panic, to so many fans, have become a memorable destination to the past and the future. 1987 was the year the band played their first show with “For What It’s Worth” as their first song ever played live, and it was the 2018 New Year’s Eve show opener. 2018 showed the band has no signs of slowing their love for rock and roll as the night showcased songs from a 30-year-old playbook. “Saturday night I was downtown,” was echoed by the band’s lead singer and songwriter John Bell, with the crowd closely following with cheers and smiles to lead all in attendance into 2019. Great originals played host to the weekend’s festivities as band favorites such as “Ain’t Life Grand,” “I’m Not Alone,” “Pigeons,” and “Chilly Water” brought cheers to everyone.
“Vacation” (first time ever played as on opener), a Widespread Panic song classic, began the New Year’s run first night brigade as hit after hit washed over concert-goers receiving even more than they bargained for. All three nights, the band delivered every song with incredible energy, way more than expected. “Almost 23” was the band’s three-night run opening lyric, and the theme never stopped as everyone in attendance searched for their younger years while enjoying the present. The three-night run finished with a blistering rock metal “Protein Drink > Sewing Machine” Vic Chesnutt tune meshed with his Brute. song “Bastards in the Bubbles” as so eloquently sung by frontman John Bell.
“With you by my side I might get back alive from my next vacation” was hummed by all fans in and after the first night’s opening hurrah. The New Year’s Eve night’s musical tornado ended just as it began, with all concert-goers satisfied. The three-night run saw the 1970s covered just as well as Woodstock. Keeping roots close to rock and roll, Widespread Panic has been able to enjoy the Southern tradition of playing the Fabulous Fox Theater for several years now just as much as Southerners eat collard greens and black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day. Widespread Panic created a New Year’s Eve mecca at Atlanta’s Fox Theater in 1998 that is still strong today, leaving devoted fans with promising hopes of future performances year after year.
Thank You Widespread Panic, Paul Hoffman and Pulse Lighting for making this New Year’s Eve run the best since Mikey’s passing by far and one that will never be forgotten.
Next Stop La Playa… See You There…
[12/29/18 1: Vacation, Send Your Mind, Up All Night, Walk On, Walkin’ (For Your Love), Fishwater > Bear’s Gone Fishin’ > Papa’s Home > Fishwater;2: Disco, Lawyers, Guns, And Money, Driving Song > Ride Me High > Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys > Airplane > Drums > Cease Fire > Jam > Driving Song > Contentment Blues; E: Chainsaw City > Mr. Soul]
[First known ‘Vacation’ opener; ‘Worry’ teases before ‘Drums’; ‘Run Like Hell’ jam after ‘Cease Fire’]
[12/30/18 1: Porch Song > Chunk Of Coal, Christmas Katie > Action Man > Jam > Radio Child, Gradle, Cotton Was King, Big Wooly Mammoth > Love Tractor; 2: Hatfield, Surprise Valley > Tie Your Shoes > Blue Indian, Rebirtha > Jam > Ribs And Whiskey, Sleeping Man, Climb To Safety, Tall Boy; E: Pickin’ Up The Pieces > Proving Ground > Porch Song]
[Slow ‘Porch Song’; ‘Ball of Confusion’ jam out of ‘Rebirtha’]
[12/31/18 1: For What It’s Worth, Ain’t Life Grand, Genesis, Blight, May Your Glass Be Filled, Space Wrangler; 2: Thought Sausage, Travelin’ Light, Pleas > Goodpeople, Honky Red, I’m Not Alone, Saint Ex, Holden Oversoul; 3: The Waker > Arleen, Pigeons, Greta, I’m So Glad*, Little Lilly, Pilgrims, Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress > Chilly Water; E: End Of The Show, Protein Drink > Bastards In Bubbles > Sewing Machine]
[* with Kevin Scott on vocals/shaker, Nick Johnson on vocals/shaker]
[Only ‘Bastards In Bubbles’; Set 1 JB seated; Last ‘Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress’ – 10/29/00, 1209 shows; Last ‘The Waker’ – 06/28/02, 1082 shows]
