Things have gotten a little better. Despite being on the receiving end of some brutal Monday morning quarterbacking at work on Tuesday, the day turned out to be a great one — largely because of the Widespread Panic show at the fabulous Stanley Thea … The Benedum Center for the Performing Arts downtown.

As the Stanley, the theater on Seventh Street has hosted nearly everyone I’ve ever been interested in musically, from the Dead — six shows, including the famous Gloria Jam on 12.1.79 — Bob Marley and the Wailers — Marley’s last show ever, 9.23.80 — Peter Tosh, Velvet Underground, Bowie, etc … and, yes, Benny Goodman too.

It was restored in the early 1990s and reopened as the Benedum, a newer version of the beautiful movie house it was back in the 1920s. It doesn’t host rock ‘n’ roll shows very often, but with Panic in the midst of a theater run, it was the perfect place for their first appearance in the Burgh in two years.

Here are your details, thanks to the Everyday Companion:

Set 1: Let’s Get Down To Business, Dyin’ Man, Lil Kin > When The Clowns Come Home > Fishwater, Machine > Barstools and Dreamers, Happy > Jam > Hatfield > Makes Sense To Me
Set 2: Time Zones > Give, Surprise Valley > Driving Song > Low Spark of High Heeled Boys > Imitation Leather Shoes > Driving Song > Papa’s Home > Tall Boy
E: Can’t Find My Way Home > Going Out West

Yep. It was Traffic/Stevie Winwood night. And there’s nothing wrong with that.

Granted, I still don’t know these guys very well, but it seems to be that Panic is a very different band with Jimmy Herring on lead guitar than it was with George McConnell in the same slot when The Wife and I saw them at the Chevy/I.C. Light/Sponsor-Of-The-Week Amphitheater in 2005.

McConnell’s a good guitarist — and he stepped into a lot of pressure when he filled in for the dying Mikey Houser in 2002. But Herring is better, and it really seems like he’s found a home with WSP. We know Herring well, from Phil’s bands, where he was a standout, to the Dead’s tours in 2003 and 2004, where I never felt like he reached his potential. Technically, he’s a freaking wizard, but with the Dead, there was something that didn’t work. I read that there were songs where he felt he had to include Garcia licks to really make the tune work, and maybe that notion of obligation held him back a bit.

In Panic, though, there’s no evidence of any of that holding back stuff. Herring — both last night and on recent tapes I’ve been listening to — dives right into the swampy WSP mix, with blazing, powerful leads that really drives the shows.

It’s a mutually beneficial arrangement. Jimmy’s versatility allows the band to stretch in ways they weren’t seeking in 2005. Last night’s show — and many of the others I’ve been listening to — included more instrumental breaks and more attention to transitions between songs, stuff they did when Houser was still sitting up on stage but they simply weren’t even trying when I saw them two years ago. It makes the whole night more interesting, and I have to think it’s Herring’s ability that makes it possible.

Best of all, I needed a good show, and I got one. I’m always a little surprised when, two or three songs into a set, I can actually feel the layers of mental and emotional shit just melting away. By now I shouldn’t be surprised about it though — it happens almost every time.