Widespread Panic

"I agree this swamp is amazing "

"SICK SHOW, SICK Venue! Only like 7-800 people at this burner!! Volcano from the outside, arcade on the inside! Sit at the tiki bar and watch the boys kill it, priceless!! Special show in my heart for sure!! "

"Kahunaville, Wilmington DE 7-22-01 I Glory> C Brown Give Diner> Rebirtha> Blackout Blues E on a G Dirty Business> All Time Low II Swamp> 1 x 1 Sleepy Monkey> Stop Breaking Down Blues Party @ Your Mama's House > Red Hot Mama> Drums> The Last Straw> All Along The Watchtower> Travelin Light Enc. Old Joe North "A.E.I.O.U & sometimes Y" Intense, Intensify, Intensity......... I...... Me, not U, or is it Us.........? WE!!!! All of U & I R here for each other!!! The day started waking up in Lisa's arms. After a little dream conference, and a mutual brushing of the teeth, I flicked on the tube and lost myself in the world of Sponge Bob Square Pants for an hour. Show day. Day's like no other, as the seconds seem like hours and then the hours seem like seconds. Preparation is the key. By show day, you should already have the ticket procured, enough of this finger-stretching, miracle needing, shameless begging like a fucking bum, that is going on in every lot from Townesville to Timbuktu. The gas should be filled in your car the day before. You should already have a plan on where you're going to sleep for the night (if applicable) and how you're going to feed your face. One more thing....... Don't break the law, when you're breaking the law. When fully prepared, show day can lift you to the heavens, deliver the goods, and then blow you safely home. When not prepared, you can end up hungry, cold, lost, in jail, or worse. You could wind up anywhere, but at the show, while it's going on. It's in your hands. The artist will do their part. You must also share in the responsibilities for keeping the vibes positive. Do your part. In the old days, I would be so wound up before show time that I would make people around me nervous. Running around with no clue as to what to do. Now I see it's about U and Me...... Friends to share in the groove. A safe clean parking space. Something to wet my whistle. Accurate venue scheduling. That Veggie Burrito. Finding that choice T-shirt or other trinket's to further reveal our pride in our tribe. On this day, I felt great. Relaxed and rested. We left Vineland around 3:00, and within an hour we were parked in the Kahunaville parking lot. Kahunaville is a great place. I went to the moe. show here, back in February, so I was familiar with the inside layout, but this was my first time seeing a show on the back deck, and I had no idea what to expect. I would find out soon enough. The lots were mellow and clean. Spreaks were smiling and laughing. I met some new friends, and found some old ones. Dog's, Frisbee's, and that kick ass Going Out West magnet. Cold, Cold, Beers!!! Brand new Port-O-Potty's that even had Purell inside for cleaning the hands. We make our way in around 7:00 and just before the gate, we walk past this van that is tricked out with big Widespread Panic decals all over the sides and back, and a kick ass sound system that is pumping out live Panic. This nice lady is giving out free stickers for the new album, and she gives me two. The outside deck of Kahunaville is like a typical bar deck, but with a stage set up at one end. It's pretty much an open air venue with the main bar being the exception. It is covered and the overhang extends about three feet out. Not that it mattered. The weather was gorgeous. A little hot during the day, but as the sun fell, things cooled off and made it perfect weather for a show. To give you an idea of the neat little setting for a show it was, imagine that you're standing center stage about 10 feet back on the floor. Turning to your left, you would see the large building that makes up Kahunaville acting as a natural barrier for the back deck. Turning to your right, you would see a wooden deck w/ rails, and steps leading up. This is a side area, that is raised up from the floor that offers a beautiful view of the river as it meanders on towards the high rise buildings of downtown Wilmington. A weathered dock, overgrown with reeds, slowly succumbing to the slow but eternal assault of the flowing water, glowed in stark contrast to the creations of man towering around it. Facing away from the stage you can see the main bar on your right, and several mini-bars with a lovely female in a bikini selling cold ones on the left. Bathrooms were clean and you could buy a pack of smokes or gum from an attendant if you wanted. A very nice touch. The crowd was packed in, but not unbearably tight. There was an interesting murmur that arose from the dense pocket of people. I kept making out song names and laughter from the din, and it only heightened my readiness for the first sounds from Panic. Just when I thought I couldn't wait any longer, the lights went out, and the band walked out on stage. Glory was the opener. It built itself from the usual cacophony that you hear when the band is first on stage and ended up rolling out the other end. Very well played, it showcased some excellent growls from J.B. and very tight changes from the whole band. Calling on us to dance, promising it will bring us closer...... I gave myself to the Hydra, and it has only been a minute into the song. All sense of time was distorted as soon as the band took the stage. In the five minutes it took for the first set to finish (not really, but time flies when your having fun, and we all know how fun a Panic show is) I went from the state of Delaware to a State Of Mind...... Awash in the power of vowel's and consonants. Filled with sound older than the instruments used to make it. Surrounded by brothers in arms and powerful sisters of light.. Twisting, turning, massaging, rubbing. Friendly human contact that allows us to give of ourselves, and become one of the beautiful people. Just as Glory was ending, Lisa needed an escort to the ladies room and we danced our way over smiling at the faces that glided by. As they band switched gears and settled down into a happy little C Brown, I leaned back against the railing by the bathroom and let the wholesome sounds wash over me. Sean and I have been chasing a Charlie for several shows, and this one was spectacular. Again J.B. sounded wonderful, and during the jam, his fills, were perfect accents to the shrill piercing lead of Mikey. Give was up next, and again the lyric "I know this may sound funny, but how dare you show up on time!" hit me with laughter. Lisa and I had made that statement to a few friends we invited over the night before... Give is a rocker. This one really rocked. The next segue of music showcased Panic's "Escape Velocity", and let the Hydra really flex some muscle. Diner started it off, and worked its subtle magic on me. A repetitive groove, that sinks its teeth into you and before you know it, they are jamming their asses off, and you are woken up by some soul screams from Mr. Bell. just along for the ride sir! Rebirtha took the energy built in Diner and worked it into a funky ball of knot's. But, the funk just got too deep and the ball exploded into strings. Strings of Dave bass runs, that moved the hips. Strings of Mikey runs that moved the spine. Strings of percussive noise's from Sonny and Todd that told stories to my feet. And JoJo......... He should be put in jail for the attack on my bobbing head. Great beginning, and even better jam. Rebirtha's jam is a sneak attack. You know its coming, you know it's good, but you always forget just how good it can get. A full turn over of sound, (I call it rolling over) where the jam reached its frenzied peak, and then goes even higher. Then, a sound is made that is unlike any sound you have heard from another band. All sounds. When many sounds become one sound. Rolled up in a tight ball. Then it collapses into itself like a dying star. Of course with the mass of the jam so dense, it enters a black hole backwards and like nothing had ever happened to the jam, it rolls out the other end unscathed. Like a hike along the A.T., Panic gave the fans and up and down ride. Blackout Blues was born from the monster before it and wasted no time in pushing the envelope further. While not a trippy exploratory vehicle for the boys, it has one of the most infectious grooves ever. This song, will fire you up and get you stomping. Interesting to note the mass migration to the bar for refills during this ode to the pleasures of Alcohol. Blackout is like a shot in the arm. The Panic was all around me, filling me with electricity. From one head to the next. Particles of life danced the firefly waltz. Visions...... On the reflected lens of human eyes, cast spells! Sharing in the eternal dance of life. Love is twofold, and returned in heaps, with smiles, spinning and laughing to the band. It's a give and take. A swap meet. A Cosmic Yard Sale. On my own, I pick my head up off the ground. E on a G was next and it was tight. Always nice to hear an instrumental from Panic, as they have so many good ones. This is their newest since Action Man got words, and the band worked it to some really nice places. I was caught up in the power of Panic. Full of raw power, they concoct songs like chemist's mixing chemicals with blindfolds on. They and us, are never really sure of the result until the experiment is over. Each member's layer of sound is so finely interwoven with the rest that it sometimes feels like a wool blanket is wrapped around you. And yet, at the drop of a hat, one of them can step to the forefront and present you with a musical idea. Just a little hint. Then just as you shift your focus on that one layer, it takes off like a rabbit and you are forced to chase its tail. Then, the rest of the band is suddenly on your feet like a pack of rabid dogs, hallelujah! Think of six circles intertwining into themselves. Each has its own revolution, but they all eclipse at one point in time/space. Dirty Business slowed things down a little but did nothing to the excitement of the crowd. It was a down and dirty country ditty that gave me a hankering to see a show down south. I think this was only my second DB in the past six years, so I relished it like the last sip of water. Which by the way, I was all out of, so I danced my way over to the refreshment stand as the last bit of chorus were being sung. The band chose All Time Low to close the set and it light a fire in our asses before taking a break. Crowd fully into it, the band again hit us with their unique version of Southern Hippy Metal. JoJo was laid out a beautiful path for the band to follow. J.B. and Dave's rhythm growled like a tiger. Mikey seared through the riffs and cooked the song like it was a Delmonico steak on my back yard grill. A song of warning. A song of knowing your limits and choosing the right path. The band preached to me on this glorious evening, flooring me with the weight of the songs chorus. Little electric men were pouring out of the speakers and walking single file into my brain. Panic was ON...... All plugs were firing! When the song ended and J.B. told us they would be back in a bit, I could not believe it. I swear the first set was over in 10 minutes I was so caught up in it. With the set finished and my hands full of bottled water, I made my way through a grinning crowd and back to my corner of friends. Set break was spent as usual. Smiling at people, finding friends and wondering what would happen next. Remember. This IS a WSP show and the people that are here, are right were they want to be. When you're at a Panic show, everything else is just peanuts....... After the boys came back out on stage, they started into Swamp, a Talking Heads cover. This song wasted no time in getting the party going again. A great tune, made even greater by Panic's unique take on it. This song is a rare one for me, and always cherished when it comes. Mikey had a very trippy solo in the middle section, with a slightly different Wah sound than usual. It had a sort of Christmas Katie twang to it. The jam built up into a musical golem, which broke loose from its cage a smashed the stage up a bit. just as it seemed to be completely out of control, JoJo stepped up and tried to tame the beast, by relentlessly pounding out the intro to 1 x 1. 1 x 1 flowed out of swamp, like water out of a cup and eventually lost the battle with the monster. I couldn't believe my good fortune. For six years I managed to see about two 1 x 1's in all that time, and now within two shows I caught two, one in the first set @ MMP, and now one here in the second. Is it even possible for this song to fall flat? I can't imagine it ever happening. The lyrics tell of a terrible event (A car spinning off the highway and sinking into a body of water) and a supernatural being who comes to rescue the occupants....... Or is he really rescuing them? The groove is so full of that "Wild West Piano Pounding Sound" that I get a hankering for some Can Can girls and a mug of Sarsaparilla. JoJo is the fuel for this barn burner and this one just about burned the place to the ground. As the last note was fretted and the engine shut down, cheers erupted from the crowd. The only left to do to keep the Fire Marshal from stopping the concert was to shift gears and let the subtle ambient sounds of Panic surface. So the next song up for the boys was Sleepy Monkey. Sleepy Monkey is also a rare one for me, so I was happy to get a handful of songs, that I have not seen live, more than a couple times. Very mellow, this song will hypnotize you with its slow and shuffling reggae beat. Mikey makes or breaks this song, as it all hinges on his piercing lingering lead. In and out, he threaded the needle with his unique style. Throwing out triplets, followed by a nice bending of strings to squeeze the juice from them. All capped off with a flurry of notes accented by his back irritating Volume/Wah pedal. From the midst of this slow insanity, J.B. started in with some tasty blues runs, and pushed the band into the next vehicle. You can say what you will about the band, but their large repertoire of music makes for some fresh and surprising set lists. This was my second time seeing Stop Breaking Down Blues, with the first one being this spring in Raleigh. This is a great song with excellent interplay from the whole band. Almost half of the songs played up to this point were rarities for me and I loved it. Getting lost in the slide work of SBDB was refreshing to the soul. I felt like I was at an old blues revival. J.B. proved once again that he is a rock star with excellent vocal work, aside from his playing. He also teased a few RHM lines in his improv lyrics. Me and the people close by started into a mutated version of square dancing and brought smiles to all involved. Party @ Your Mama's house was up next, and damn, if this wasn't somewhat of another rare song for me. They play this instrumental often, but I still keep chasing it. Normally, I'm pretty good at song names a couple of notes in. This one always makes me search the recesses of my brain for the title. It took me several minutes and a couple conferences with the heads around me before any of us could even think of what this songs name was. Picture me asking a Panic virgin if he knows what this song is. This one kid looked at me funny and said, "I have no idea, but its gooooooood!" Why can't I remember this song name? Happy, no. B of D, no. How about that one? No, not Galleon. I call myself a Spreak and I can't even figure out that they are playing Party @ Your Mama's House? Anyway, I am deep in the middle of it, enjoying every note. Watching its tension rise and fall like the tidal waters beside me. And after all sums were checked and balanced the boys let it roll into a Red Hot Mama. This Red Hot Mama seemed like it came out of nowhere, unless you picked up on the RHM lyrics I thought I heard in SBDB. It was kind of short, with only the two verses sung, but it made its presence felt, in the short time it was there, before giving in to a jam. For drums, actually just before...... As RHM was building its steam up. J.B. wanted to get his! He needed a drink from the cup like the rest of us. He put this band to work. This cat, sit's down in a chair, just off of stage right, and kick's back, fold's his arms behind his head, prop's a leg up on the other, and let's the music play. He is all smiles as he watches the rest of the boys, rip shit up. Papa Bell is one proud cowboy......... Wee doggie! I'm telling you he just put his guitar down, walked to the side of the stage and let the band work! Dave is thumping the crap out of me. JoJo is like a runaway demon from hell, tormenting me with his skeletal, kaleidoscopic tin-pan runs of notes. Mikey is the seamstress threading the needle and sewing me together. Sunny and Todd are playing don't break the ice with my head, and J.B. is kicked back and watching it all go down. This band is working. Getting the job done. Taking it up a notch. Raising the bar. Testifying.... Professional and crisp. Musical Notes of buttered lobster tail, wrapped in bacon. The jam gives way to the rhythmic pounding of drums and brings the whole venue back in time a couple thousand years. Sunny and Todd, worked a complex circle of patterns, communicating in a language far older than you or I. Each blow a voice from the past, brought to life through the friction of one skin on another. As drums gave way to The Last Straw, I felt a surge of joy come over me like never before. It's been quite a while since my last Straw (get it?) so I have been waiting for this jewel to surface. Delicate and fragile, this song builds itself on a wisp of a J.B. riff, and gets sent home with a huge blast from Dave and JoJo. The drummers colored it perfectly. Sunny filling the gaps with his bells and shakers, while Todd laid down the rails for the rest of the train. Again, J.B. belted out the lyrics with soul and meaning. The end jam picked up speed and twisted itself into some real spacey territory, before giving way to a first time cover of All Along The Watchtower. As the familiar chords for Watchtower pushed their way to the forefront, I had the strange feeling that I had passed out and woken up at a Dead show. Coming out of a deep space like that, it carried weight. To a very stunned crowd, Panic shifted gears and produced a crisp and tight rendition of this often covered Dylan song. Dave handled the vocals and he did a spectacular job with it. Mikey had a soaring solo and Dave dropped the bombs. This band was on fire. As Watchtower morphed into Travelin Light the pace picked up, the band tried to get that last little bit of jam out of the jar and send us home full. This was a little sloppy but still worked the crowd into a frenzy as we danced like it was going out of style. The final notes of Travelin Light sounded off and the second set was over. J.B. thanked us and the band left the stage. After a huge round of cheers from the entire venue, the band sneaked its way back on stage for the encore. Old Joe was played first and while it was good, I think it was a poor choice for this particular moment. The crowd was all riled up and looking to let loose with some more dancing. Lisa love's this song. A good version, nothing that stands out. I liked it, but would prefer something this slow for first set or pre drums. After the end of Old Joe, I thought that would be it. The song came to a stop, but then as an after thought, they counted out the time and launched into North. A great tune by Jerry Joseph, North is great song to send you home with. I have always loved the lyrics and they keep growing on me and coming back to me at the strangest times. This song is good for pulling deep emotional strings inside me and lighting a fire in my ass. And that is just what it did here. I was an ear to ear smile before the song was even over, as I knew that the Panic had grabbed my bones and pulled me in. I had to make the most of the two shows I was able to go to for summer tour and Widespread Panic did not let me down on either night. Realizing it would be a few months before I would be able to enjoy what Panic brings to the table again, I surrendered to the moment and smiled. It's all good. I am surrounded by friends and my soul mate. The power of WSP is still ringing in my ears and for the one moment everything is as it should be. As a nice icing on the cake, all we had to do to leave, was hop over the railing on the right side and walk along a paved walkway on the river bank back to our car. As we padded back to the lot, I thought about the next day at work, and whether or not I would be a zombie. Did it matter? I will have plenty of time to work and pay bills.......... This night however, was time for living the moon time. It was "Time To Live It Up!" I go see live music, so should you, Ron "Big Woolly Mammoth" Crowell ---------------->-------->>--------->>>=({[:|> "

"this was truly a great show at a great venue. for those how made the trip it was well worth it. the sleepy monkey was the highlight for myself with jb doing a kinky raggae and war rap. definatly one of my top 10 shows that i saw. thank you so much for putting this out, sound is great. now if i can put in my request for the next release id love to get the myrtle beach run from 2000. thanx again and keep up the great work!"

"kahunaville was a nice indoor/outdoor club . no longer around . they had a big volcano out front . a real nice outdoor deck on the river that you could hang out on and watch the band. it was a real nice july summertime night on the river and the band came to play !! horace another great pick from the '01 summer tour . the sound on this is very good and pretty darn close to osunding like a multi-track show.outstanding guitar work from mikey diner >rebirtha . j.b. sounding so good on give . j.b.'s vocals are stellar. and how about goood ole sunny jammin' on sleepy monkey and can't forget the cool toys sunny pulled out during drumz. dave singin' watchtower . what more could we ask for on this cool summer night @ kahunaville !! great show and sound !!! don't pass this one up !!!!!! "