Photo: Courtesy All Eyes Media

Widespread Panic will return to their favorite spot – the stage – this spring, after taking a hiatus in 2012.

 The handful of dates that the band will play includes 7:30 p.m. shows April 26-27 at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park in Alpharetta.

Tickets for the local dates will go on sale at 10 a.m. Jan. 18 through Ticketmaster outlets.

 Though the Athens-based band played a set of acoustic shows last year, as well as a New Year’s Eve gig in Charlotte, this marks the first time they will unpack their full electric setup for a tour since 2011.

Panic’s tour launches in St. Louis April 9-10 and will also hit Chicago, Minneapolis, Columbia, S.C., Louisville, Ky., and wrap with a pair of shows in Nashville May 3-4.

In October, the band – John Bell, Dave Schools, Todd Nance, John “Jojo” Hermann, Domingo “Sunny” Ortiz and Jimmy Herring – released
“Wood,” a double-live CD recorded during the 11-date acoustic “Wood Tour.”

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By Melissa Ruggieri, Atlanta Music Scene