Orange County Register

The first time I saw Widespread Panic, back in 1998, I distinctly remember thinking that the Athens, Ga.-based sextet could, with a little luck, eventually grow bigger than at-that-time (and now again, remarkably) reigning jam kings Phish.

It hasn’t exactly turned out that way.

The 2002 death of founding member and lead guitarist Michael Houser unfortunately set the band back, and the ensuing musical-chairs, guitarist-by-committee approach didn’t end until 2006, with the addition of Jimmy Herring, formerly of the Allman Brothers Band and the Dead.

This incarnation of Widespread Panic has been touring continuously ever since, including a three-night run at downtown L.A.’s Orpheum Theatre this past weekend. But in light of Phish’s own three-night stand at the Coachella site over Halloween, comparing the two bands seems almost laughable at this point.

For the first half-hour of Sunday’s show, the band looked … well, tired … and a little bored … with each member waiting around until his respective turn to solo. Halfway through a 32-show tour, this listlessness can likely be chalked up to road fatigue, but thankfully Panic eventually found its groove.

When the band launched into “Diner” midway through the first set, members of the audience looked around and nodded, as if to say, “Finally, here we go.” Herring and keyboardist John “JoJo” Hermann pushed “Diner” onward, finally getting animated, lively and — most importantly — exciting.

Following “Diner,” Panic closed its first set with its classic “Space Wrangler” and the swampy funk of “Henry Parsons Died,” which saw Herring let loose a scorching solo as Hermann laid on heavy organ chords. As the closer reached its peak, the band members looked at each other quizzically, as if they weren’t quite sure where to go from there; the set had been so short on genuine improvisation that stretching “Henry” to its limits looked like an accident.

The second set was far more open-ended and jam-heavy, featuring a dark, minor key, pseudo-metal jam that connected “Holden Oversoul” to “Imitation Leather Shoes” and more jazzy Herring/Hermann interplay in the reggae-tinged “Sleepy Monkey.”

The show’s high point came midway through the second set, during an open-ended stretch that linked the dreamy “Driving Song” to the jumpy instrumental “Disco” and a drums segment that spotlighted kit-man Todd Nance and percussionist Domingo “Sunny” Ortiz. During this run, the rhythm section (including bassist Dave Schools) made constant eye contact and locked in through changes, driving the beat, over which lead vocalist John Bell crooned and cried.

Joining Panic for the jam out of the drums segment into a cover of the Meters’ “It Ain’t No Use” was former Black Crowes lead guitarist Marc Ford, who deftly traded solos with Herring; after Ford’s brief stint, Schools shepherded the band through the end of “Driving Song,” which morphed into the set-closing “Fishwater” (with yet another drum duel).

Thankfully, Ford reappeared onstage for the double encore of the Band’s “The Shape I’m In” and Blind Faith’s “Can’t Find My Way Home,” giving the guest guitarist ample room to stretch out and prove his mettle.

They may never be Phish and draw 40,000 fans to the California desert for a festival. But for the thousand-plus Spreadheads in attendance Sunday night, an honest tune with a lingering lead was enough.

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