Flush with any tax refunds and in a celebratory spirit for the 40th anniversary of Widespread Panic, the band’s loyal fanbase congregated at Birmingham, AL’s Coca-Cola Amphitheater for two nights of swampy jam-rock. After WSP test-drove Huntsville’s Orion Amphitheater the previous two summers, Birmingham’s patience was rewarded with its first Panic shows in eight years. Panic was duly welcomed in the city where the band has been performing since 1987.
John Bell rolled up his sleeves and gave a modest “Hello, everybody!” before WSP opened with two instrumentals in the first three songs. “The Take Out” shattered the static until dialing into “Radio Child”’s frequency as JoJo Hermann jumped between his multi-tiered keyboards. The gun-for-hire, Nick Johnson, held down the fort in Jimmy Herring’s absence for the tenth time (not including his sit-in during last year’s New Year’s Eve), looking—and sounding—more comfortable with each passing show…