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Widespread Panic : Live in the Classic City II

ATO

Widespread Panic has always allowed taping at its shows, so when the band announced a three-night run in its hometown of Athens, Ga. in 2000 and said that taping would be prohibited, fans had high expectations. The special guest-filled shows at the Classic Center lived up to the hype and a three-CD set of highlights from the run called Live in the Classic City was one of the best live albums of the last decade. Now, more than ten years after those performances, Panic revisits those special concerts with the release of the two-disc/three-vinyl album, Live in the Classic City II. The second installment features stellar versions of three of the band’s most cherished instrumentals—“Disco,” “E on a G” and “Machine.” Michael Houser’s lead guitar is up front in the mix as displayed on a smokin’ “Barstools and Dreamers.” The set culminates with two impressive takes on Bloodkin originals “Success Yourself” and “End of the Show” which features the group’s Daniel Hutchens. Sadly, a number of the most highly regarded moments of the run were left on the cutting room floor including guest-laden versions of “Low Spark” and “Rockin’ in the Free World.” Hopefully we won’t have to wait ten years for Classic City III.