Sometimes I Remember Myself

“I really wanna move like I’d like to
Sometimes I remember myself
I really wanna feel like I’m supposed to
Sometimes I remember how to feel” -from “Proving Ground” by Widespread Panic

I had not seen a Panic show in two years, three and a half months. Partly due to the band’s year-plus hiatus, and partly due to a shift in focus. So it was great to “remember myself” last night in Savannah.

George McConnell on lead guitar

The Athens boys took the stage at 7:09 pm and did not relinquish it until 11:30. There were several memorable moments in the show, including a three song run with George and JB on acoustic guitar, followed by three more tunes–Jerry Joseph’s “Chainsaw City,” Grateful Dead’s “Nobody’s Fault But Mine” and Fishwater–all with John Keane on electric guitar to close the first set.

Keane, the band’s record producer, also joined the band out of drums on P-Funk’s “Maggot Brain,” “Proving Ground” and JJ Cale’s “Travelin’ Light” to close the second set. Keane then played on Vic Chestnut’s “Sleeping Man” and Talking Heads’ “City of Dreams,”which served as the evening’s double encore.

Keane’s presence on eight songs really made this show about guitar heroics, with JB, George and John driving each other to take the music higher and higher. Thanks to their fine work a lot of happy freaks were moving as one.