Widespread Panic is reaching back to one of its most celebrated eras for the latest installment of its live archival series. The rock band will release Albany 2000 on Friday, Aug. 28, an 18-song recording of its April 9, 2000, performance at the Albany Civic Center in Albany, Georgia.
Albany 2000 is the 21st installment of Widespread Panic's Archive multi-track series, and it captures the band's classic six-piece lineup of John Bell, Michael Houser, JoJo Hermann, Dave Schools, Todd Nance and Domingo "Sunny" Ortiz. Danny Friedman recorded the original performance, Neal Warner handled the digital transfer at the University of Georgia's Brown Media Archives, and longtime collaborator John Keane mixed and mastered the release.
The Albany show came a week after Panic's three-night hometown run at Athens' Classic Center, which had kicked off the band's spring 2000 tour and later became the 2002 archival release Live in the Classic City. Unlike that guest-heavy run, which featured players including Derek Trucks and Chuck Leavell, Albany found the six-piece playing without additional guests.
The set opens with "Little Kin" and "Heroes" before moving through "Stop-Go," "Galleon," "One Arm Steve" and "Fishwater," with a second set built around "Mr. Soul," "Surprise Valley" and "Papa's Home." The band closes with an encore of Bill Withers' "Use Me" and the Grateful Dead's "Cream Puff War." Two tracks, "Stop-Go" and "Fishwater," are already streaming as a preview.
Physical copies of Albany 2000 are available as a three-CD set, alongside a commemorative show poster, while the digital release lands Aug. 28 through streaming services, nugs and Bandcamp. Widespread Panic returns to the road this fall, with the full itinerary tracked on the tour guide, including stops in Wilmington, North Carolina, Memphis's Mempho Music Festival and a three-night Milwaukee run before two Halloween shows in New Orleans.
The facts
- 21st installment of Widespread Panic's Archive series
- Captures an April 9, 2000, show in Albany, Georgia
- 18-song set from the band's classic six-piece lineup
- Digital release out Aug. 28 via streaming, nugs and Bandcamp
- Also available as a three-CD physical set
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