11/19/08 Widespread Panic Live at the Filmore East

Nothing wrong with a little mid-week panic, and last month’s Bill Graham Memorial Foundation benefit at the Filmore East certainly didn’t disappoint. The Filmore itself has a reverence about it. I guess it has something to do with being in the same house where legends like The Grateful Dead and Miles Davis once graced the stage with their presence.


At the conclusion of David Graham’s coked out (yet informative) rambling sermon on the importance of the Billy Graham Memorial Foundation, JB and Jimmy proceeded to take the stage and commence a face melting 2-set inferno, much to the surgeon general of rock’s chagrin.

Highlights from the first set for me included a supercharged “Heroes” and “Disco.” Then the boys really turned up the heat with a classic toe-tappin’ rendition of “Fixin to Die” by the legendary Mississippi bluesman Booker T. Washington White. They teased that into “Henry Parsons Died” before proceeding to crank it up again with part II of the Booker tribute in a fiery “Green Onions.”



Second set they charged out of the gate rippin through the timeless classics “Space Wrangler” and “Airplane.” Chestnut covers always bring the heat and the two headed monster “Protein Drink” and “Sewing Machine” burned the East Village to the ground.

We actually overheard some of the staff at the end of the second set bitching about the show’s length. Come on, honestly what’s with that blasphemy? What could you possibly have to do that’s better than watching a dirty Panic encore in the city? Nothing that’s what. Expiration Day>Pilgrims>Goin’ Out West will always be > your plans.

















11/19/08 Irving Plaza, New York, NY

1: Heroes > Disco > Angels on High, Smoking Factory > Fixin' To Die > Henry Parsons Died > Green Onions > Henry Parsons Died > Dark Day Program, Pigeons, Ain't Life Grand

2: Space Wrangler, North > Smokestack Lightning > Jam > Protein Drink > Sewing Machine, Let's Get The Show On The Road > Airplane > Under The Radar Jam > Papa's Home, Holden Oversoul > Conrad

E: Expiration Day, Pilgrims, Goin' Out West

4/5/08 panic NYC

4/5 Widespread Panic at the United Palace Theatre

SET 1:
BIG WOOLY MAMMOTH, NORTH, ANGELS ON HIGH, LITTLE LILLY>ROCK>JAM>HATFIELD, HOPE IN A HOPELESS WORLD, CONRAD
SET 2:
FROM THE CRADLE, BOWLEGGED WOMAN, PAPA'S HOME>THREE CANDLES>AIRPLANE>DRUMS>PAPA'S HOME, HENRY PARSONS DIED
ENCORE:
LETS GET THE SHOW ON THE ROAD, BLACKOUT BLUES

There really isn't a bad spot in the United Palace Theatre, and our seats 6 rows back stageleft in the School Zone Saturday night were certainly no exception. Decided to flask it for night two, avoiding the elongated beer lines and contributing to the record setting soft drink sales instead.



The boys wasted no time getting things started night two with the always popular "Big Wooly Mammoth," and great renditions of "North" and "Angels on High" off the new album Free Somehow. The highlight of the first set Saturday night though was "Hatfield" hands down. Great percussive intro by Sonny, and I always love JB's gritty vocals on this jam.

Jimmy came out strong in set 2 with an electric "From the Cradle" and really brought the heat on "Papas Home." It's always great to hear "Airplane" and Herring shredded that classic jam off Ain't Life Grand as well. You really can't say enough about him, the man can play. It's certainly an improvement over George but for me there will never be another Houser. Again certain songs remind you of that sad fact, and "Let's Get This Show on the Road" did it again as they closed out the second night during the encore before livening the mood with a rousing "Blackout Blues." *****

widespread panic 4/4

4/4 Widespread Panic at the United Palace Theatre

SET 1:
HOLDEN OVERSOUL, BETTER OFF, CLIMB TO SAFETY, PAPA JOHNNY ROAD, SLEEPING MAN, SLEEPY MONKEY, FREE SOMEHOW, PLEAS>LOVE TRACTOR.
SET 2:
SPACE WRANGLER, RADIO CHILD, JACK, WONDERIN'>SECOND SKIN>DRUMS>*SURPRISE VALLEY>*PROTEiN DRINK,
*SEWING MACHINE.
ENCORE:
THIS PART OF TOWN, WALK ON THE FLOOD
* W/ WARREN HAYNES

Let me just start off by saying that this was a pretty amazing weekend, two nights of Panic with a day game at Yankee Stadium in between. Like everyone else I was stoked to see the band but a little wary of the venue. Way up on 175th and Broadway (the hood), this Christ Community United Church by day actually turned out to be a great spot to see a show. Despite a lack of adequate facilities and a steep $7 for an 8oz cup of checkered cab blonde, the acoustics and ornate architecture created a great atmosphere to enjoy an evening of southern rock.


Friday night they straight ripped it, coming hard right out of the gate with a supercharged “Holden Oversoul.” JB and Jimmy were on point, shredding great versions of “Climb to Safety” and “Papa Johnny Road.” It was great to hear Herring’s dancing guitar riffs accented by Sonny’s percussive wizardry on one of the band’s original classic tracks “Sleepy Monkey.” Ending the first set Friday night with rousing “Love Tractor,” the tone was set for the whole weekend.

Second set was much of the same. They kicked it off with one of my favorite tracks from Light Fuse Get Away - “Space Wrangler” followed by solid versions of “Wonderin” and “Second Skin.” Then a man who needs no introduction, a legend in his own right, the one and only Warren Haynes took the stage for “Surprise Valley” and two ridiculous Vic Chestnutt covers “Protein Drink” and “Sewing Machine.” Needless to say Warren’s signature grainy guitar solos fit in seamlessly on those jams, and somehow he and Jimmy were able to keep it together amid the endless stream of bras and panties flying at the stage. Apparently chicks really dig these guys.


The first night ended with a “This Part of Town” encore which made me reminisce of the old days with Mikey Houser on lead axe, RIP. Then they closed Friday night with great version of “Walk on the Flood” from the new album Free Somehow. I haven’t gotten a chance to really get into the album yet, but this performance definitely brought the place to its feet.



You can actually pinpoint the exact point that Jimmy torched my grille at approximately 4:25 during this face melting solo on “Walk on the Flood.” The result isn't pretty...

Legalizing Credit

So I was on the way into the office this morning, and somewhere between my sprinting down the escalator at Porter Sq. and shuffling in between the suits on the subway, a Keller Williams cover of “Legalize It” began to play on my ipod. So far nothing out of the ordinary, yet as I stared at the front page of one of my fellow commuter’s Boston Herald, I read the headline “Credit Crunch Continues Market Woes,” and I began to think that maybe Keller is on to something here. Maybe the answer doesn’t lie in endless rate cuts, a presidential “stimulus” plan, and midnight congressional promises. Maybe Jeff Spicoli had the answer all along and we just haven’t been listening.

You really have to hand it to the Fed. Drastic times call for drastic measures, and they certainly have attempted to come up with some innovative solutions in the short term. The problem that weekend at Bernanke’s faces now is not a shortage of cheap money in the market, but convincing investors that cheap money actually exists. Not only that, but they have the daunting task of compelling markets to believe that there are no future rate cuts on the horizon. Otherwise what incentive is there to not delay lending even longer with the likelihood of a lower funds rate right around the corner? You can lead a horse to the water but you can’t make him drink. That overused idiom certainly rings true in this case. The Fed’s primary role in economic policy is to regulate the supply of money, and while cheaper money helps to stimulate the economy it also fuels the fires of inflation as supply grows. In short they’re in a tighter spot than Lefty’s caddy on the 72nd hole at Winged Foot.

Bernanke undoubtedly recognizes the threat of inflation, however he has stated explicitly that Fed is now more focused on economic growth. That’s all well and good but at what point is enough really enough? We saw another rate cut yesterday down 75 bips to leave the fed funds rate (the interest that banks charge each other on overnight loans) at 2.25%. Just to put things into perspective a year ago today it was 5.25%. All the signs are there. Gold, the ultimate historical indicator of inflation hit all time high’s last week upwards of $1000 / oz. Oil, another critical gauge of inflation for the consumer, rose to unprecedented levels of $110 per barrel. Basically monetary policy alone will not fix our current credit anguish, we need Uncle Sam to step in with some solid fiscal strategery. Unfortunately the current occupants of the Whitehouse have never felt that discretion is the better part of valor when it came to government spending and have thus created the largest budget deficits in US history. With little room left for an increase in deficit spending Keynes undoubtedly rolls over in his grave.

So how are an album by Peter Tosh and the stoner from Fast Times at Ridgemont High going to solve our current financial crisis? Simple. Legalize it, regulate it, and tax the hell out of it.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. growers produce nearly $35 billion (18 billion pounds) worth of marijuana annually, making the illegal drug the country’s largest cash crop, bigger than corn ($23.3 billion) and wheat ($7.5 billion) combined.

Why are we ignoring the potential revenue streams from our would-be largest cash crop? Why are we, through current legislation, guaranteeing that 100% of the proceeds from marijuana sales go to iniquitous syndicates rather than legitimate businesses? A 2005 analysis by Harvard visiting professor Jeffrey Miron estimates that if the United States legalized marijuana, the country would save $7.7 billion in law enforcement costs as well. The fact that cannabis remains America’s #1 cash crop after 3 decades of government prohibition clearly indicates not only the squandering of manpower but a blatant disregard for the potential profits from this untapped resource. What we should do is take the proceeds from the legalized cannabis sales and provide banks access to more treasury paper while accepting mortgage backed securities as collateral. This way we can boost lending confidence by making highly liquid Treasuries available in exchange for the increasingly unpopular mortgage bonds. Just a thought. And for all those with moral objections, Genesis 1:12 - I have given you all the seed bearing plants and herbs to use.