Widespread Panic Carries The Torch Into New Orleans' Legendary Jazz & Heritage Festival [Videos]

The Southern behemoths of rock and roll, Widespread Panic, left Charleston and Trondossa Music & Arts Festival in a blaze of glory to return to the swamps of New Orleans. New Orleans’ notorious Jazz & Heritage Festival rivals Mardi Gras celebrations in attendance and exuberance. The jam band from Athens, Georgia are no strangers to Jazz Fest, having played the festival 11 times in 22 years. The band returned to their traditional Thursday headlining spot as they have in 2017 and 2015, after the cancellations of both The Rolling Stones and Fleetwood Mac.

To open their Jazz Fest set, Panic played their psychedelic opus “Pigeons” with all the mayhem, kitty cat raps, and avian shrieks intact. Spreading the cheer, Widespread performed a jubilant “Ain’t Life Grand”, with John Bell playing his tiny guitar, or mandolins for non-Panicstream users. After a short pause, Dave Schools introduced “Little Lily” to the murky depths of the bayou before the dance-inducing “Tall Boy” resonated into the open air of the Fair Grounds Race Course.

An even better version of tall boy is from the first bonnaroo (the only one that mattered, they all went downhill from there)

For those who don't know, this bonnaroo one was the first and only bonnaroo and this performance happened at something like 3am after the normal scheduled show times, late night on friday night, maybe saturday, I can't remember that part but it was way late 3 or 4 am and outside the scheduled hours and with a full on choir

For anyone who wonders, the kitty cat song that is referred to in this article is this one: