Every year for the last 25 years—not including 2020—Widespread Panic has performed to sold-out crowds at the legendary Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, CO. Last night, Panic returned to stage in front of a multi-colored sea of rain ponchos for their 62nd consecutive sold-out show as a headlining act.
The band’s swampy roots extended into the mile-high mountains above Denver for a heavy setlist that featured covers of Black Sabbath, War, and Vic Chesnutt as well as a choice selection of originals.
Panic rolled up their sleeves and got back to work, opening the first set of the second night with “Holden Oversoul”. Maintaining the stream of originals from the night prior, the track is listed on the B-side of their 1988 debut album, Space Wrangler.
A raucous “Ain’t Life Grand” preceded the bass-heavy bombardment of “Old Neighborhood”. Jimmy Herring casually wove furious guitar sections that fit thousands of notes around the metronomic rhythm, while a hatless John Bell added an improvised “baseball rap”—something along the line of “memories, memories / looking at the radio’s glow / 3 balls, 2 strikes / get some baseball tickets / eat a steak!”
Dave Schools restructured the bouncy beat to a slower gait for a casual stroll down “Walkin’ (For Your Love)” to complete this opening quartet of originals.
The first cover of the Red Rocks run came in the form of the blues traditional “Good Morning Little Schoolgirl”, accredited to Sonny Boy Williamson. JoJo Hermann’s clean piano and JB’s doggish vocals grounded the song while Herring tried his hardest to slingshot the audience into the far reaches of the galaxy.
To follow, JoJo’s piano introduced a “Jaded Tourist” that sizzled hotter than bacon on the griddle. After a seamless segue, JB retook vocal responsibilities for a percussive “Impossible”. A tremendous build-up and breakdown epitomized the band’s chemistry as each member contributed their individual energy towards the collective objective.
Dave Schools led the troupe through the second cover of the run with Vic Chesnutt’s “Blight”. The politically undeterred bassist seized the opportunity to speak his mind after the second verse, when he heckled, “Science doesn’t care about your feelings, GROW UP!”
Herring gassed up on rocket fuel for an interstellar tour of his fretboard to round out the first set with a maelstrom “Tie Your Shoes” and “Tall Boy” that felt like skydiving into a tornado.
With the rain still holding off, Widespread opened the second frame with “Greta” leading the way into a trio of originals. Schools howled like a coyote to whip the ravenous crowd into a frenzy. JB’s vocals cut to the bone in a haunting rendition of “Mercy” before WSP unearthed a prehistoric “Big Wooly Mammoth” for an evolutionary romp around the Rocky Mountains.
Schools took the reins once more for a thumpin’ cover of Bobby Rush and Calvin Carter’s “Bowlegged Woman” with all the necessary fixin’s (“Excitement on the side!”) After Jimmy Herring demonstrated the power of his gear with an electrifying solo, JB and Schools closed out the tune with a blues-inspired call and response finish.
Panic took a 22-minute journey into the abyss with a “Driving Song” sandwich that featured a saucy, red-hot cover of J.J. Cale’s “Ride Me High” in the middle. Afterwards, Panic performed a high-octane cover of Black Sabbath’s “Sweet Leaf” for the first time since 2016’s fall run preceding Broomfield’s Halloween shows. During the tail end of that run, WSP encored with a different Sabbath song for each of the last 8 shows.
Keeping the bust-outs coming, Widespread covered War’s “Four Cornered Room” (“Zoom, Zoom, Zoom!”) before transcending into a filthy jam inspired by Jimi Hendrix’s “Machine Gun” for the first time since Summer of 2016. Panic returned to their own repertoire for a good ol’ barn-burnin’, dirt-stompin’ “Conrad” to close out the second set in triumphant glory.
After a moment, Widespread Panic shuffled out of the shadows and to their respective positions for the encore as JB alerted the audience (“Breaking news. Breaking news. We are still really happy to be playing music again”) before a performance of “Degenerate”. Off Chesnutt’s 1996 About to Choke album, this marked the 15th time the band has performed this tune and the second tribute of the night to fallen songwriter and friend of the band.
For the second encore song, the Panics brought an early Christmas present to the audience with a momentous “Papa’s Home”. Duane Trucks and Sonny Ortiz—who donned a beret for the occasion—patiently punctuated the melodies until the breakdown, when the pair coordinated a percussive assault with the power, force, and acoustics of a building demolition.
The still-shellshocked audience has one more day of revelry ahead before the circus leaves town. The wise in attendance will be prepared in case it drizzles—or worse. Leave it all on the steps, Goodpeople. Night 3 is coming at you fast; you best be ready. Expect Bloodkin.
Below, check out the setlist from night 2 at Red Rocks as well as a selections of photos and videos from the show.
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Widespread Panic – Red Rocks – Set One Preview – 6/26/21
[Video: Widespread Panic]
Widespread Panic – Red Rocks – Set Two Preview – 6/26/21
[Video: Widespread Panic]
Setlist [via PanicStream]: Widespread Panic | Red Rocks | Morrison, CO | 6/26/21
Set One: Holden Oversoul, Ain’t Life Grand, Old Neighborhood, Walkin’ (For Your Love), Good Morning Little Schoolgirl (Sonny Boy Williamson), Jaded Tourist > Impossible > Blight (brute.), Tie Your Shoes > Tall Boy (61 mins)
Set Two: Greta, Mercy, Big Wooly Mammoth, Bowlegged Woman (Bobby Rush), Driving Song > Ride Me High (J.J. Cale) > Driving Song, Sweet Leaf (Black Sabbath), Four Cornered Room (War) > Machine Gun Jam, Conrad (79 mins)
Encore: Degenerate (Vic Chesnutt), Papa’s Home (16 mins)
Notes – ‘Sweet Leaf’ LTP 10/22/2016 Milwaukee (131 shows)
– ‘Machine Gun’ LTP 6/30/2016 Boise (156 shows)
– Entire show with Edie Jackson, ASL interpreter