Panic worth another chance

The Union Board seems to be doing its best to please IU's jam band fans this fall. Between the String Cheese Incident show Oct. 19 and Tuesday night's Widespread Panic concert, one might expect the next show to be jam band supreme Phish. (Too bad this group has suspended touring next year.)\nI'm relatively new to the jam band scene -- this fall's shows were my first experience with both bands, and, no, I've never seen Phish live. But I'm enjoying this new-found genre. The String Cheese Incident show was a more-than-pleasant surprise, and I expected no less of Widespread Panic.\nIt wasn't by any means a disappointing performance, but I was disappointed nonetheless. There's no denying that Widespread Panic can jam -- the classic rock rhythms with a detectable Southern twang had the audience bouncing in the aisles.\nEach song seemed longer than the previous, and each time I looked forward past the lyrics (well-written and well-sung, I'm sure, but pretty difficult to hear) to the drawn-out breakdown I knew was coming. At times, it seemed like the band almost forgot they were performing, and I felt like a privileged guest at a rehearsal where the band had decided, "Forget the set list -- let's just jam."\nSo why was I disappointed? I can't put my finger on it. The performance was good, but it wasn't electrifying. The songs had me tapping my feet, but they didn't make me want to go out and buy a Widespread Panic CD. The performance didn't offer the twists and surprises of the String Cheese show. While it might not be fair to compare the two, I was still more impressed with the live show put on by the String Cheese Incident.\nBut Widespread Panic was not without its moments. The highlight of Tuesday's show came during the second set. During one jam, Domingo "Sonny" Ortiz began what I thought would be a typical conga solo. I wish I had glanced at my watch when he started.\nDuring the next 10 minutes, the other band members left the stage, and Ortiz proved beyond a doubt that he owns the hand drums. It was like he couldn't stop -- as soon as it sounded like he was about to wrap up, he started a new beat, threw in cymbals, cowbells, and who knows what else.\nAfter what must have been at least 15 minutes (and I want to say 20), Todd Nance joined Ortiz on the standard drum set, and the endurance of their duet rivaled that of John Bonham in Led Zepplin's "Moby Dick."\nJust when I was sure the other four band members were packed up on the tour bus waiting for Ortiz and Nance to finish up, they wandered back on stage, picked up their instruments and joined back in for the end of the song.\nThe sheer stamina of Widespread Panic is perhaps one of its strongest points. They can jam for a long, long time. And while they didn't quite live up to my expectations, I admit that my standards were pretty high. Widespread Panic showed promise, and I'm more than willing to give them another chance.