It’s always a treat to welcome Widespread Panic back to Colorado, but their annual stand at Red Rocks is something special. Celebrating their 64th, 65th, and 66th consecutive sellouts, the band deserves their own banner in the rafters…errrr wait…anyway…they deserve something special. Instead they served us something special on Friday when they delivered a crowd pleasing set of favorites that left some scratching their heads and wondering what was left on the table for the rest of the weekend.
The night started out with some light drizzle as the band kicked into a rousing “Pigeons” to get the annual festivities underway. “Let It Rock” blended into “Chilly Water” and despite the light rain, thousands of fans threw their water skyward in beautiful arcs in keeping with tradition. As a brilliant rainbow took shape to the east, the band crafted a massive sandwich by serving up “Sometimes,” “Genesis,” and “Big Wooly Mammoth” before slapping on the end of “Chilly Water” to everyone’s delight.
Things got a little political when the thunderous Vic Chestnut/Brute gem “Blight” gave Dave Schools a platform for a powerful statement regarding the absolutely horrific Supreme Court reversal of Roe v Wade that had occurred the same day: “Stand by your woman because a woman’s body is her fucking own!” (Listen Here!) I couldn’t agree more Dave! The set came to a close with a wild “Greta” which bled into a funky jam laced with Herring’s screaming guitar before resolving in the classic sing-along “Space Wrangler.” What a frame to start the weekend!
Everyone on The Rocks knew the band meant business when they busted out of the break with the pairing of Tom Petty’s “You Wreck Me” and “You Got Yours.” It was getting dark and the party was raging at full force as one of my favorite segments of the night developed with “C Brown,” “Little Lilly,” and “Radio Child” setting the stage for “All Time Low” and a beautiful cover of Neil Young’s “Don’t Be Denied.” Wow!
As good as the middle of the set was, the band served up three more stellar tunes with “Airplane,” a stretched out 13 minute “Diner,” and the set closing “Ain’t Life Grand” to make this one of the better sets of Panic I’ve seen. After a brief breather the band took the opportunity to make another political statement by playing “None of Us Are Free” and “Lawyers, Guns, and Money” to close out night one in Morrison. Stay tuned for coverage of Saturday night!
Widespread Panic – June 24th – Red Rocks
Set One: Pigeons, Let It Rock > Chilly Water > Sometimes, Genesis > Big Wooly Mammoth > Chilly Water > Blight > Greta > Space Wrangler
Set Two: You Wreck Me, You Got Yours, C. Brown > Little Lilly > Jam > Radio Child, All Time Low, Don’t Be Denied, Airplane > Diner, Ain’t Life Grand*
Encore: None Of Us Are Free, Lawyers, Guns And Money
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