A look at the group 5 years into its career

Last night Widespread Panic kicked off its 25th Anniversary tour in the band’s hometown of Athens, Georgia. The group looked back to its earliest days from the start, opening with the same three songs it performed at its first official Widespread Panic show. Panic kicked things off with a cover of “For What It’s Worth,” just as it did at the The Mad Hatter Ballroom in Athens on February 6, 1986. The band then delivered takes on “Sleepy Monkey” and “Chilly Water,” again emulating that very first setlist. From there the group turned to recent material with “Saint Ex” from its latest release, Dirty Side Down. Late in the second set, however, Panic once again offered a nod to that first gig, with a surprising cover of the Grateful Dead’s “Fire on the Mountain” (the band had last performed the song on 10/2/88). The evening also saw the return of “You’ll Be Fine,” last played on 11/12/01 which also featured John Keane on pedal steel and Anne Richmond Boston on vocals (the pair also guested on “Cruel Thing,” which followed). The second set saw a guest appearance by longtime friend and collaborator Randall Bramlett, who added sax to a sequence that moved from “Goin’ Out West” into “Arlene” and then a jam that led into a drums sequence.

Tonight Widespread Panic returns to the Classic Center.