Episode 141 – Mempho Magic, Panic in the Garden, and Our Youngest Correspondent Yet

Welcome back to The Bluest Tape! Harvey and Jeff reconnect in person for a full weekend of sunshine, vinyl, and jams at the 2025 Mempho Music Festival in Memphis. It’s three days of good vibes, great music, and plenty of Widespread Panic talk — naturally.

The guys recap the whole weekend, from playtesting board games and record store digs to festival logistics (plenty of shade, smooth entry, and top-tier po’boys). Then it’s on to the main event: two nights of Widespread Panic at the Radian Amphitheater, where the Friday night opener “Disco > Please > Love Tractor” set the tone and Saturday delivered both highlights and head-scratchers. There’s talk of setlist flow, surprise guests, and the Friday night “JoJo shirt incident”, which earns its own award for “Most Distracting Wardrobe Choice.”

A special moment arrives midway through the episode with The Bluest Tape’s youngest-ever correspondent — Jeff’s six-year-old son, Ellison — sharing his unfiltered review of The Pharcyde’s set (“there was a lot of cursing”) and his favorite moments from the day.

The hosts also cover standout sets from Mavis Staples, Flaming Lips, Lucas Nelson & Promise of the Real, and Tyler Childers, swap favorite t-shirt sightings (Tipitina’s shirts everywhere), and share a great run-in with a longtime Bluest Tape listener during set break. As always, they dive into stats, repeats, and Everyday Companion analysis — all while looking ahead to the next Panic runs.

And stay tuned — Part 2 of our interview with Mike Ayers is coming in the next episode!

Episode Highlights

• Full 2025 Mempho Festival recap and logistics review
• Friday and Saturday Widespread Panic setlist breakdowns
• The “JoJo shirt incident” and other onstage observations
• Guest appearance: Jeff’s son Ellison reviews The Pharcyde
• Mavis, Flaming Lips, Lucas Nelson, and Tyler Childers highlights
• Stats corner: repeats, setlist structure, and Panic trends
• Favorite fan t-shirts and merch finds

Show Links

• 🎶 Mempho Music Festival
• 🎸 Widespread Panic
• 📖 Everyday Companion Setlist Archive
• 🗞 Part 1 of the Mike Ayers Interview (Previous Episode) (Part 2 coming soon!)
• 📍 Tipitina’s New Orleans

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