Panic at the Great Divide

Without question the monumental peak to this past summer came when we strayed west from the whip of civilization, which extended from Cheyenne to Colorado Springs, and arrived on the scene a day early. The last show of any tour was always something special, but this one took on added significance. The guys from Widespread Panic had added this two-day festival to their itinerary, when Red Rocks sold out in a matter of 45 minutes. It did not take very long to realize that front man John Bell was not kidding when he said, "this is a great place to see a concert." To call that a colossal understatement would be stating the obvious.

Almost immediately the powerful sextet set the mood by playing the theme to Gilligan's Island; moments before the show began. They then ripped through a razor sharp first set that built towards a powerful crescendo down the stretch. Quickly gone was the initial amazement that this warm and sunny place could have been best known as a ski resort. The fancy nearby condominiums had people hanging off balconies, bouncing in unison to Dave Schools thick six string bass. There was a rich party atmosphere hanging in the air from the moment we arrived. In any direction were the casualties of twenty-four straight hours of relentless sun, high altitudes, and psychedelic gluttony.

As they have done so often in the past, the instrumental acuity of Panic almost had me reduced to the point of drooling. Still, there was a relentless balance while trying to weave along with any new vibration that was approaching. The Dirty Dozen Brass band was gearing to play the second set along side Karl Denzon. Before they joined forces to engage in some stellar funk, a new type of sound emerged. It began with a blue grass drum rip, along with some acoustic guitar from Bell. A sort of clockwise sweep then began with lead guitarist Michael Houser. Moments later with a screeching wail from his church organ, John Hermann made his presence known in that mountain valley. Yet, before zeroing in on him alone Sunny Ortiz held me in a trance while laying down a hypnotizing rhythm from his percussion array.

With Phish on a self imposed sabbatical and a new studio album expected out by Spring, Widespread Panic stands at the cusp of a major tour, the likes of which they likely have never experienced before. For some of the latest information on Widespread Panic, check out the band's homepage at www.widespreadpanic.com. Quality audio samples, including their trademark Halloween and New Years shows, can be found on their homepage, or at www.gdlive.com.

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