Search - Widespread Panic :: Live in the Classic City

What a revelation, exhilaration!

Larry Diamond | Austin, TX USA | 06/17/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Ok first this is an amazing product and an incredible value for the money. Let me give a little of my background. I had heard of the group but never really come across their music. I shied away because I thought with their name it was a punk or heavy metal band 2 genres I am not overly fond of. But I flipped on Austin City Limits as all good Austinites (and music fans should do) and the announcer starts of saying serving up a spicy gumbo of music....Widespread Panic. And then I sat there for the next 50 minutes in groove induced bliss.What kind of moron was I to never have heard these guys? Well I tried to rectify my peccadillo by buying Live in the Classic City. Wow. Ok they were great on Austin City Limits and I thought a live 3 CD set....nice. And yes it is very nice. Some of the best jams I have heard on CD ever. Again, I am a widespread novice but for anyone like me who does not have any of their CDs, buy this if you at all like great classic rock music. Some of the best percussion work you will ever hear is on this, along with great guitars, drums, keyboards. The vocals? Kind of earthy, kind of mellow, not the biggest part of the performance but not bad.And you get over 210 minutes of music. That is like 4 or 5 CDs worth of music given the average size of a release nowadays. For 20 bucks, are you kidding me? And you can dance ALL NIGHT with this or jam down the highway. And make it more then halfway from L.A. to San Francisco, how is that for value? But it is not length; this is some fine, fine music. I guess for people new to them like me they are like (from bands I know) the String Cheese incident, little feet, the grateful dead, but they are also their own wonderful 'music gumbo'."

Good live WsP, but "been there, heard that!"

Matthew L Meyer | Northfield, MN United States | 06/11/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Live in the Classic City is a great album overall, however, similar to DMB live discs, there's not much new live material on the disc (new not meaning brand new, but unheard live). If you have "Light Fuse, Get Away" the "Don't Tell the Band Bonus" (which is the first 4 tracks from the first disc here) and "Live at Oak Mountain", then you've heard much of this disc already. But remember... Widespread Panic is a jam band, so though you've heard the songs done before, they're always done a bit different! Some of the songs are wonderfully done (Little Lilly, Bear Gone Fishin', Climb to Safety). Oh, and did I mention the SPECIAL GUESTS??? Makes it all the more worthwhile!If you're just getting into the band, I highly would reccomend this disc, as it gives you a good overview of a lot of the band's material, though the set revolves around later discs ("'Till the Medicine Takes" especially). For the veteran WsP fan, it's still a good addition to any CD collection.Great disc, just go buy it... you know you want to!"

Panic rocks hard, predictably

tod | Bozeman MT | 06/20/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The release of Live at the Classic City was highly anticipated by any sane spreadhead, and it's hard to say it truly let anybody down. Panic is standing alone nowadays, being perhaps the most popular jam band not releasing troves of live discs to obsessive fans. While I would be willing to snap these up as assuredly as anyone, the decision for not producing live discs en mass is simplified with the release of Classic City and the fact it presents: Panic likes to play their hits. Their new album will present you with live versions of some of their most radio friendly tunes and mix it up only so-so. The music is incredible but the song selection hardly does it justice. Til the Medicine is especially emphasized through the performance of Dyin', Bear's, Steve, Safety, Indian, etc. while Ain't Life Grand is mysteriously ignored once again: Fishwater remaining the only released live song off the incredibe album. Bombs and Butterflies is disappointedly represented only by Tall Boy, which clearly isn't a live song to begin with. Finding I'm Not Alone and Mercy is noteworthy for the songs unpredictably concert-friendly sound, and Panic pulls off impressive versions. The previously unreleased covers are my favorite moments of the album, however, with the hopping FFF, strangely melodic Blight, climaxing in the BLAZING Ride me High (Followed by an incredible Drums)and Time is Free, and appropriately ending with LGTSOTR. I would love to be treated to more off-the-wall covers from Panics bag of tricks, but this album is not the case. Until the band pulls a "Phish" and becomes a bit more experimental, we'll continue to be spoon fed WP hits like Walkin' and Lilly; happy, yes, but never completely content. Not until I get my Jack and Gradle."