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Story and photos by Dave Vacula
Widespread Panic, the American rock band out of Athens, Georgia, continued its 25th
year celebration on tour with three sold out shows June 24th, 25th, and 26th at the beautiful Red
Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado. They have the record for the most sold out
shows at Red Rocks clocking in at a stunning 39. The current lineup consists of:
guitarist/singer John Bell (JB), bassist Dave Schools, drummer Todd Nance,
percussionist Domingo "Sunny" Ortiz, keyboardist "Jo Jo" John Herman and guitarist Jimmy
Herring. WSP have taken the art and science of musical diversity in nearly every show they perform. A combination of
southern rock, blues rock, progressive rock, funk and hard rock mixed throughout
nearly every song. Each member of the band shares the lead duties throughout their dynamic
performances.
Not a soul was sitting at Red Rocks throughout the entire three
days. The diverse crowd danced and partied under the star-lit skies as the mountains
created a stunning backdrop. WSP's first set started off with
the tracks: "Postcards," "Glory." "Send Your Mind," "Sleeping Man," and the newer
tune but another crowd favorite"Dirty Side Down." They continued on with "Ribs and
Whiskey," "Party at Your Mama's House,"
"Space Wrangler," "Blackout Blues" and "Climb to Safety." Their first song played
after a short break was "Pigeons," then "fish water", "L.A", "Jack," "Visiting
Day," "Do What You Like," "Pleas." The first evening ended with"Imitation Leather
Shoes," "Papa's Home" and "Junior." The lit up their encore with "This Part of
Town," "1x1" and "Radio Child" to finish off the first evening in dramatic fashion.
Widespread Panic has that special knack on taking you on a new journey with each
song. They never have the same song list nor same show twice. WSP are truly one of
the tightest bands on the planet today. These guys work their magic individually and
collectively. Jimmy Herring on rhythm guitar leading the way or some thundering bass
grooves from Dave Schools mixed with Todd Nance explosive drums, with Sunny
Ortiz percussion's, and Jo Jo's keyboards cutting throughout each song. Bell tops it
all off with his buzzworthy guitar rifs and his soulful southern fried vocals.
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