It's been five years since perennial jam band Widespread Panic played at The Amphitheater at The Wharf and despite Orange Beach officials' push to keep them away, the band will be back in town next month.

On Monday, Birmingham-based Red Mountain Entertainment announced the band will return to the venue on May 22 for a one-night show at the start of the Memorial Day holiday weekend.

At Tuesday night's council meeting, Mayor Pro Tem Jeff Silvers laid into Wharf General Manager Jim Bibby over the booking. Silvers said the band's fanbase has pushed the city's fire and police services to the limit, calling a past three-day stint "pure mayhem."

Despite an email sent about two weeks ago by Mayor Tony Kennon to Red Mountain and Art Favre, owner of Wharf Retail Properties LLC, expressing the city's concerns about a possible concert, Silvers said "apparently the message didn't get out."

"We're still not happy that this has been announced," Silvers said. "The maximizing that it puts on our resources, our police and our fire department on a busy weekend -- Memorial Day weekend, Jim -- we can't have that. We don't promote that style of living and floppiness that's happened, that they will bring. And they will be here, living in vacant garages, living in the streets, showering down at the beach. Jim, we can't have it. We can't put up with it. So please whoever didn't get that message needs to hear from all of us up here."

The band's first stint at the Amphitheatre was a two-night gig in 2007, which was the 10,200-seat venue's first double sellout. A three-night stint in 2008 turned out to be the busiest for police, with 147 arrests ranging from underage drinking to felony drug possession.

Another three-night stand in 2009 only saw 37 arrests, according to news reports. Widespread Panic's two-night performance in early May 2010 failed to sell out, which was unusual but it was the early and uncertain days of the BP oil spill.

Since that time, Kennon said he was under the impression that the city had an agreement with Wharf officials that acts like Widespread Panic were not welcome in Orange Beach.

"I think people know that I'm a very vocal opponent of the music festival in Gulf Shores," Kennon said. "I don't believe for a minute that it's who we are. It's not our brand. It's not what we're trying to sell as a family-friendly destination. That is who we are and the minute we start prostituting that because of money or whatever reason then the next weekend can be prostituted and the next weekend and then it ends up we're Panama City. And that's not who we are if I can help it."

Kennon said he hoped the booking was "an oversight" by management.

"We'll have a sit down with management and the leadership and hopefully fix this for good," Kennon said. "The Wharf and Orange Beach are a team in a lot of ways but I want to go on the record and I think all of us are unanimous: I don't speak for anybody but that is not who we are and it's not what we want our city to become or represent."

Bibby said he understood the city's concerns and would relay the message. "We will address it," he said. "We will be glad to talk."