Widespread Panic @ Red Rocks, June 25
Words: Jonathan Kosakow
Photos: Matthew Speck
I’ve recently wondered why Widespread Panic has failed to capture my attention. There is nothing, absolutely nothing, that I even faintly dislike about them. They are all talented musicians, from John Bell’s voice to Dave Schools’ pounding bass and now Jimmy Herring’s searing guitar chops. But until this past Saturday at Red Rocks – the second of a three-show run at the venue – it had been years since they reached out and grabbed me.
[All photos by Matthew Speck]
Set one started slow. With the exception of Rock and Hatfield, the first few tunes stayed short and lacked much energy. It wasn’t until the last three songs, Rebirtha, Blue Indian and Porch Song, that the sextet started to experiment with the space around them. Rebirtha went from southern funk to vivid explorations, and for the first time this night Herring found some melody in his guitar playing, as opposed to the firey up and down the neck style that hadn’t gotten very far. It was a perfect transition into Blue Indian, which bounced nicely towards a set-ending Porch Song.
Henry Parsons Died kicked set two off to a powerful start. Apparently all it took was some darkness to get these guys rolling. All Time Low grooved its way behind Schools and drummer Todd Nance, with Bell’s gravelly vocals leading the way. Herring took control on Down, with an all-out wail of a guitar solo in between quiet verses, but quickly gave it up to John Hermann’s piano solo, which was a groove all its own.
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