| Widespread Panic at Madison Square Garden for Halloween? Well, I wasn't the biggest fan of their music, but it was a guaranteed party. My brother was in town for an environmental conference and his buddy John Paul rented an unbelievable room across the street from MSG (Southgate Towers). From one side of his mammoth balcony was the south side of MSG; on the other was the Empire State Building. JP, on his first trip to NYC, below right, smiles knowingly of a good night ahead. |
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We hung out at JP's sweet suite as we assembled assorted folks for a pre-show party. I had seen two previous Widespread Panic shows: one in Boston during college and one at the Beacon in 2001. I found the shows good, but the music a bit one-dimensional. That said, I was attempting to go into the show with an open mind. And if the music wasn't inspiring, I could always listen to a Phish show on my headphones. (See below.) |
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The Chicago Cubs were 5 outs away from their first World Series appearance in more than 50 years. They had already beaten the heavily favored Braves in 5 games--their first series win since 1908. But Steve Bartman, shown right, interfered and impaired the Cubs' chance to win--thus extending the Curse of the Goat. Steve and I were both 26, baseball fans, and wore glasses. It was a natural fit. |
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I dressed up as Steve Bartman, the unfortunate Cubs fan who reached
out and single-handedly crushed the Cubs' 2003 season.
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Quite obviously, the pictures of Steve Bartman to the right were not taken by me. And I think Gabe took the one above. Two friends of mine, Robert Elstein and Adam Weintraub, had independently suggested that Beth dress as Moises Alou. Earlier in the day, I won $100 at my Halloween office costume contest. That helped set the tone for a great night. |
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Above, Bethy smiles sandwiched between Aaron and Jason, otherwise known as Waldo and Waldo's evil twin Odlaw. Each used some colored masking tape to create an effective, inexpensive, and highly visible costume. My costume was a lot more subdued; in fact, most people didn't know that I was dressed up at all. Those who did, though, acknowledged it; throughout the night people screamed, "Hey, you're the asshole who killed the Cubs!" Others just called me a son-of-a-bitch. I went with it and apologized to everyone. And I spoke from the heart: "I'm sorry! Trust me, I wanted the Cubs to win the pennant, too!" JP and his lavender girlfriend Tina smile below left. (Well, I bet JP was smiling behind that scary mask--which, thankfully, he didn't wear to the show.) Below right you will find Marilyn Monroe, Waldo, Scarlet O'Hara, and an Electric Toothbrush, or also known as Melissa Tabor, Aaron, Cory Swindle, Josh Baron. (Apparently it was Josh's sixth Halloween using a toothbrush and an electrical cord to become Electric Toothbrush Guy.) |
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| On to the show. Like I said, I'm not the biggest Panic fan. But the excitement from the fans was infectious, and I couldn't help but be drawn into the good vibe of the scene. Well over half of the Garden was filled by out-of-towners: mostly Georgians, Tennesseeans, folks from Alabama and all over the south. It was amazing hearing everyone's stories. Some kind folks said "We drove from South Carolina this morning," others said "We flew in from Savannah last night," and quite a few mentioned, "This is our first time in NYC!" Widespread Panic didn't disappoint their faithful fans and their devoted dancers whatsoever. |
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| A wizard sold me a pair of extra tickets for the middle of the floor (for less than face), and we got to see Panic from a pretty perspective. Guitarist John Bell dressed as Liberty, a nod to New York that would repeat throughout the show. The opener was a fiery Chilly Water; spouts of water sprayed up from the floor as hundreds of fans doused their neighbors with agua. Beth and I were grooving down in out awesome spot on the rail of the second section of the floor; we could even see Jordan in the general admission first section in his cat suit. The set closed with an homage to New York musicians: Lou Reed, The Ramones, and the Talking Heads: Vicious> Pet Cemetery> Beat On The Brat> I Wanna Be Sedated> Life During Wartime. |
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Before the first set had a chance to finish, Beth and I left out cushy floor seats to explore and find some friends. We found a girl that Beth knew from Jersey, Devon, at left, and Dan and Jordan at right. We chilled with Gabe and Dan in the 100s until we decided to explore the scene some more (and find girls gone wild, as shown at top). |
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The second set was a bit of a blur, as I tried to capture the drunk spirit that seems to accompany the Panic experience. At one point, Jordan, Beth, and I took an elevator to another part of MSG; we were inside the empty MSG Theater, far from the southern tunes of the band we had paid to see, and needed a random Garden employee to help us find our way home. One strong memory I do have is of the encore. Beth and I had been in a bit of an New York rut; the school system was frustrating Beth, and we hadn't left the city in a few weeks. Alas, we were enjoying the start of a perfect weekend in the city. Aided by the enthusiasm for New York that all the tourists brought to the city and the show, we fell in love with NYC. Again. Then for their first encore, WSP pulled out an amazingly underrated Talking Heads/David Byrne song, "City of Dreams." It was a majestic version, and I had my first transcendent Widespread Panic experience. "From Germany and Europe/And Southern U.S.A./They made this little town here/That we live in to this day!" Beth and I realized that we were living in the city of
dreams, and we live together here--and our dream it has come true. And
if we needed to feel better about it, Panic asked us rhetorically for
the second encore, "Ain't Life Grand?" Indeed it is; thanks,
WSP, for reminding us. When the lights came up, I took photos of the
smiling strangers around me. Check out the "I Love New York"
sticker on the dude below right--specifically the heart on his sleeve:
It says WSP in place of the heart. Widespread Panic Loves New York. |
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| We walked out of the grand arena hugging strangers and making best friends at every turn. At the base of an exit escalator, Beth hugs the villains from the Gangs of New York. It was going to take a lot more than a cleaver to put Beth in a bad mood. |
| Our crew regrouped back at John Paul's suite across the street. We drank a few celebratory beers and then headed downtown to catch the post-show party at Star Foods, a bar/club/restaurant on 1st Street and 1st Avenue. (It's the nexus of the universe, Jerry!) We had to make a few stops on the way down, so we just walked the 3 miles or so through the city. JP kept asking why we didn't take the subway, but it was more fun to explore with our feet above ground. |
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Our long, strange trip took us through numerous New York neighborhoods. The autumn weather was perfect for the stroll, and we found ourselves rolling down Broadway. Above left, Beth puts her arms around Gabe and Dan as they make their way downtown. Above right, the Tahoe two grin. Click on the picture to the right (or here) to get a glimpse of the madness. Or, as always, you can click below to be taken home. |
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