The crowd was different Saturday night. While Friday night was full of folks who were into the show, there was an element to the crowd that weren’t the normal kinda folks. There were more angry people. During the second set I looked down in front of me to find two guys doing blow. Five minutes later they were screaming “WOOOOO” during a slow song. I’m surrounded by tons of hippies just swaying to the music and these two assholes are screaming like it’s a Kid Rock concert.
Before the concert I actually walked the lot. Not the area where all the locals park, but Shakedown Street where all the hippies park in a community and try to sell wares to get them from one show to the next. I just thought it would be kinda cool, but all I could smell were people who obviously haven’t showered in days. It was nasty. I watched them as they tried to sell things or even carry on conversations completely intoxicated. It was really pathetic.
“No, dude, wait, how much did I say it was?”
“No man, it would be killer if they played like ‘Song A’ not ‘Song B’.”
“Grilled Cheese Sandwiches! Grilled Cheese Sandwiches For Sale!!”
Although it all sounds rather clichéd, that’s actually what I heard. After walking shakedown street. I got inside and couldn’t find Zac and the rest of those guys. They said they were just above where we were the night before. So I headed to the top to look down. Sure enough that’s where I ran into Dr. JR so I sat with them. Here’s the setlist from Everyday Companion:
7/29/06 Mid-South Coliseum, Memphis, TN
1: Space Wrangler > Rock, Mr. Soul, Old Neighborhood*, Crazy*, Holden Oversoul** > Sharon, Dyin' Man, From The Cradle, Give*
2: Second Skin > Protein Drink > Sewing Machine, Pigeons, Ribs And Whiskey*, Ride Me High > Drums > City of Dreams, Impossible***, Visiting Day***, Last Dance***
E: Expiration Day*, This Part Of Town*
* with John Keane on guitar** with John Keane on pedal steel*** with Sam Holt on guitar[Last 'Protein Drink' - 12/31/01, 285 shows; Last 'Sewing Machine' - 12/31/01, 285 shows]
Here are a few pics from the show:
This is the stage as the band is about to kick off the first set. That's zoomed in. I told you I had bad seats.
This is a shot during the show where they were actually rocking hard. Unfortunately you still can't see jack.
This is at setbreak. This is a non-zoomed shot of the stage. Remember I'm at the top of the stands.
Here is a better shot of the crowd. Most everyone had already gone to the toilets or to get beer.
After setbreak they started up the second set. I really dug Second Skin, Ribs and Whiskey, and Ride Me High. I lasted up in the sweltering heat until the end of City of Dreams. I told Dr. JR that if they didn't play something I knew/liked, I was going to leave the stands and head down below. They played Impossible. I don't really know that song. Yeah, it's on the Light Fuse/Get Away live album, but I never really listened to it. So I headed down the stairs. I hung out sitting on a concrete wall trying to cool off. I saw a few folks I knew and mostly watched the hippies dance. There was this one hippie chick who was barefoot and spinning around to the music with wings. I said "Hey Tinkerbell, can I get a pic?" She said "My name's not Tinkerbell" and posed with her friend:
Yeah, I told you she had wings. I know her parents must be proud.
After that I went back to sit on the wall again. I tried to get more interesting characters but there were no more of the ones other than the dirty hippies. So I hung out and listened to the music. At one point these ladies came by pushing carts full of unsold merchandise. One had about 10 things of cotton candy. I said, " 'scuse me ma'am. How much for one of those?" She smiled and tossed me one. I wasn't that hungry but once I started eating it, it was pretty damn good. It was a blue one. 
After I finished my cotton candy, I wondered where the bus was. So I went walking. I found the bus outside and decided to hell with the end of the set and the encore. I'll get on this bus because SURELY THERE IS ANOTHER BUS AFTER THIS ONE. Wow, was I mistaken. I walked out of the coliseum and found out that this was in fact the last bus of the night. She was going to wait until everyone got outside. So I got to wait a while in a bus full of A/C. The bus driver was on the phone with 'one a herr gerfrends.' Her grammar was so horrendous that I actually used my camera to record it. Once I post it on youtube I'll link it here.
After she talked for a while, she went off the bus to find more folks who were supposed to ride the bus. That didn't work well. She just stood out there. I was looking out the window waiting on the crowd to come out when I noticed this guy and girl standing there. All of a sudden the girl took her water bottle and threw water all over the guy. Then she threw water in the opposite direction. She dropped her bottle and started shaking. She collapsed on the groud convulsing in a seizure. Thank God, there was an empty ambulance just in front of our bus with paramedics standing by. They came over, tended to her, hooked up an IV, and took her away. I hope she was ok. I still have no idea what she could have taken to cause that. Is there a drug that'll give you seizures? This is a pic of them about to take her to the hospital.
After that the crowd finally came out and we headed to Newby's. I went in, had one beer, and decided to go home and go to bed. That was my Saturday at Widespread Panic. It was a pretty good time, but not as much fun as Friday night.
Ok, I'm going home. Have a good one and don't get none on ya.
Songs on the Playlist:
The Grateful Dead – Bertha
The North Mississippi Allstars – Skinny Woman
Pink Floyd – Time
Led Zeppelin – Rock and Roll
Robert Earl Keen – That Bucking Song
Bob Dylan – Buckets of Rain
Jimmy Buffett - Ragtop Day
Hank Williams Sr. - Your Cheatin' Heart
Van Halen - Ain't Talking bout Love
Bush - Everything Zen
Jane's Addiction - Superhero
Jimmy Buffett - Migration
3 comments:
So, I think I was only a few rows down from ya. The pictures I took look exactly like yours, except you know, maybe a few rows closer. :)
I guess it was hot judging from the yellow shirt guy in the tinkerbell photo. He looks a little lost. I'm sure many of the people there were.
K
Do people still go to Panic shows? Wow. I was unaware.
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