photo by Stuart Levine

Widespread Panic
Wiltern Theatre
Los Angeles, CA
July 16

As Widespread Panic mule-kicked Saturday night into Sunday morning at a sold-out Wiltern Theatre, closing a two-hour second set with the classic “Space Wrangler” as the clock ticked past midnight, an unintended consequence was the now-blurred memory of where the fun all started nearly four hours before. It was quite a way to end a summer run, almost as though the sextet needed to leave it all onstage before going into a break and resuming its touring in the fall. In front of the encore, bassist Dave Schools thanked what he called the best crew in the business, and led the group into “All Time Low,” one of three songs in the extra time capping off a Los Angeles appearance that could rank among the group’s all-time high area shows. But, that was the end.

It began neatly enough with a firm, somewhat cursory opener, Warren Zevon’s “Lawyers, Guns, and Money,” followed with frontman John Bell switching from guitar to mandolin for an upbeat “Ain’t Life Grand.” On the hi-hat tap of Duane Trucks came “Radio Child,” and the first of many solos by guitarist Jimmy Herring that married Formula One speed with Sunday drive elegance. Herring is a well-respected, accomplished player outside of the Panic parade, but within the ranks now going on a decade, is as essential to the group’s dynamic as he has ever been.

A dark and slogging “Imitation Leather Shoes” got a boost from Bell’s name-dropping “California,” with the L.A. faithful roaring in response, before the spotlight of rainbows twirled around the rock and roll of “Cotton Was King.” Trucks thundered on “Steven’s Cat,” offset by percussionist Sunny Ortiz’s tambourine shake over the bridge. Then, “Honky Red” burned slowly, with Herring lit in hues of fire, leading to a pairing of “Pleas,” the bobbing audience singing every word as Herring and keyboardist JoJo Hermann offered their musical thoughts. Sliding into a set-ending “Conrad,” the group exercised some unified tumbling, knot-tight through the changes as Ortiz chattered on woodblock.

The aforementioned second act, well, it was a beast. Sweaty, funky, and dense, it blasted off with “Old Neighborhood,” Herring again in blistering form, into Hermann laying down the familiar piano chords of Bob Dylan’s “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall,” that had Bell climbing to the top step of his vocal ladder. “Pigeons” came next, again the ‘Spread Heads serving as house choir, into the echoes of “Worry,” with Herring downshifting into a beautifully paced workout countered in step by Ortiz.

Schools’ bass walked into “Rebirtha,” and launched a continuous and determined strand of music, dissolving into “Second Skin” and then “Airplane,” the former accented by dizzying shaky pin lights. The men with sticks took over as Trucks and Ortiz traded percussive statements, recalling the rest of the ensemble for a duo of “Rock” and “Pilgrims.” Only “Space Wrangler” remained to close the stanza.

The final song, what else but “End of the Show,” summed up not only what was an outstanding evening, but a terrific West Coast portion of a spirited summer tour. With all the speculation about the future of Widespread Panic and its road schedule, this night in Los Angeles did its best to satiate the band’s dedicated following, as much as it reinforced why those fans never want this band to stop. It was equally hard to tell if the band, as well, had any interest in ever stopping.