The jam band community is more than a scene; it’s like a big family. That was clear on Saturday when Andy Frasco & The U.N. paid tribute to Southern jam giants Widespread Panic at Metro Chicago after the band was forced to postpone its weekend run at The Chicago Theatre due to “unexpected health issues.”
Announced just two days prior to the start of the three-night run, the postponement no doubt came as a major disappointment for fans, especially those unable to make the rescheduled dates (2/28–3/1), but Frasco and his gang did what they could to cheer up the Goodpeople with a nod to WSP. Opening the show with its debut of Widespread Panic’s “Porch Song”, the band struck a chord with the sold-out Chicago crowd, setting the tone for a joyous night of music, community, and the usual antics.
“Thank you chicago 
that was electric,” Frasco wrote on social media after the show.
Of note, Andy Frasco has been vocal in the past about his relationship with Widespread Panic bassist Dave Schools, who has served as a producer and mentor for the ever-rising showman. As Frasco told Live For Live Music in a 2019 interview, “Dave is one of my biggest mentors about just like, ‘Alright, you’re a party guy, I get it. You wanna stay a party guy? I know a lot of guys who are dead from staying party guys. … Or you wanna take this s— seriously?’ I’m like, ‘I wanna take it seriously,’ and he just kinda f—ing slapped me and put some holy water on my face and learned me how to jam on the one and said, ‘Alright, get out there.’ He just knows so much. [For decades] he’s been in one of the highest-grossing bands that never had a [hit] single. That’s pretty amazing. It’s awesome. I love seeing him just f—ing enjoying life, enjoying the fruits of his labor.”
Watch Andy Frasco & The U.N. play “Porch Song” by Widespread Panic below. Frasco’s tour continues in March, with upcoming shows featuring Kyle Gass, Dogs In A Pile, Melt, and Greensky Bluegrass, as well as a number of festival appearances. They also just announced a joint spring tour with Pigeons Playing Ping Pong and Dogs in a Pile and will host a late-night party following the first day of Daze Between New Orleans as part of Live For Live Music‘s Fest by Nite series.
Widespread Panic will return to The Chicago Theatre for the postponed shows on February 28th and 29th and March 1st. The band will head to St. Augustine, FL at the end of March for a sold-out three-night run at St. Augustine Amphitheatre, and in April, they will host Panic en la Playa Doce in Riviera Maya, Mexico. Other events on the band’s calendar include New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and two nights in Memphis, TN. For a full list of tour dates and ticketing details, visit the band’s website.
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