It was one casino gig to another for Widespread Panic and Gov’t Mule. After playing a show at the Joint in Las Vegas with Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe on the 23rd, the two bands headed west on the 24th to rock Harrah’s Open Air Theatre, located at the Rincon reservation amidst the bare and crumbled mountains of Valley Center, California. Many of the road trippers who had been blown away in Sin City had trekked west with the bands, in hopes of another amazing gig. Such a gamble proved to be worth it, because on many levels, this show hit the jackpot.
Gov’t Mule rocked a set reliant on covers, classics, and cuts from their 2009 release By a Thread. While hard rock was always at the core of the band’s improvisational sound, they also threw a little psychedelia, jazz and reggae into the mix. Their time on stage also featured killer contributions from guitarist Jimmy Herring and bassist Dave Schools of Widespread Panic.
The band opened with Jesse Winchester’s “Hammer and Nails” and for the next hour and fifteen minutes, there would be several highlights. Early on, their fantastic medley of Beatles songs (including a sludgy garage-rock take on “She Said, She Said,” a spellbinding “Tommorrow Never Knows,” and an instrumental snippet of “Day Tripper”) proved to be a fitting celebration of John Lennon’s 70th birthday, which had just recently past. Their hybrid of distortion-heavy rock and rasta rhythms on “I’m a Ram” and a cover of Led Zeppelin’s “D’yer Mak’er” made for a unique and credible approach to playing reggae music that moved plenty of hips in attendance. Then of course was “Soulshine,” probably the most-played song in the band’s history, but no matter how many times they’ve tackled it, this simple ode to perseverance and individuality maintains it ability to lift the spirit years later, like a great song always does.
The band’s biggest moments were when they were joined by company, in this case validating the motto “the more the merrier.” Herring’s contribution to “Devil Likes It Slow” lit up the song with the heat of the sun and also brought out the best in Mule axe man Warren Haynes as the two traded fiery licks back and forth, taking the audience deeper and deeper into a psychedelic vortex of dark, slithery jams. Schools also made an appearance for a badass, rockin’ cover of Tom Wait’s “Goin’ Out West,” which proved to be a fitting autobiographical song considering the location.
Widespread Panic’s two sets were made up of material spanning from their debut album, 1988’s Space Wrangler, to their most recent studio release, 2010’s Dirty Side Down. With a glorious sound that was a dance party, rock and roll fireworks, and a rocket ship to Mars all rolled into one, the band proved that after almost 25 years together they can still blow away most bands in a live setting.
The band kicked things off with a blazing “Disco,” which segued right into the fire of “Barstools and Dreamers,” and from those two songs one must’ve realized this was Widespread Panic on their A-game. All the elements that make up their entrancing river of sound were intact and sounding better than ever; John Bell’s soothing-yet-gritty vocals and electric rhythms, School’s thunderous doom and boom, keyboardist Jojo Herman’s mystical and meandering melodies, drummer Todd Nance’s unrefined-yet-tight bashing of the skins, percussionist Sunny Ortiz’s fluid tribal grooves, and of course, guitarist Herring’s unleashed serpent-like solos.
It was chilly air and cloudy skies during the day, but Widespread Panic was sure to warm everybody up and make it a beautiful night. The up-tempo and loose “Wondering” soared like a sports car going 90 miles an hour on an open highway, while the heavy thunder of “Imitation Leather Shoes” hit like a Mack truck crashing 90 miles an hour into a brick wall.
Gov’t Mule keyboardist Danny Louis made an appearance to lay it down on “Pickin’ up the Pieces,” channeling his inner Herbie Hancock during his solos. The cosmic instrumental “St. Louis” floated, bounced, ripped, and simmered, giving way to the grungy psychedelia of “Driving Song.” For the Spreadheads, it was another stellar night of music, but there were a handful of new fans made this evening as well. Most of these fresh faces had been staying at the casino next door and couldn’t help but pick up a ticket to catch the contagious music spilling over from across the parking lot. And there you have it, tie-dyes, suits, and polo shirts shaking down to “Porch Song,” the power of music and its ability to bring people together.
To close out the night with Widespread Panic, Haynes returned to join the brigade and take part in the militant stomp of “Travelin’ Light,” followed by the chugging improv train that is “Chainsaw City.”By the time they had finished up, the band had reached the 11:00 PM curfew; there would be no time for an encore but there was no reason to leave feeling disappointed, because on this night everyone won big.
Gov’t Mule Set: Hammer And Nails, Slackjaw Jezebel, She Said She Said> Tommorrow Never Knows, Time To Confess, Gordon James, Frozen Fear> D’yer Mak’er > Frozen Fear, Devil Likes It Slow (with Jimmy Herring), I’m A Ram, Soulshine, Goin’ Out West (with Dave Schools)
Widespread Panic
Set 1: Disco, Barstools and Dreamers, Weak Brain Narrow Mind, Pickin’ Up The Pieces (with Danny Louis), Wondering, True To My Nature, Blight, Proving Ground, Imitation Leather Shoes
Set 2: Let’s Get Down To Business, Give, Good People, Brain Delay Jam, Drums, Porch Song, Pilgrims, St. Louis, Driving Song, Travelin’ Light (with Warren Haynes), Chainsaw City (with Warren Haynes and Steve Lopez)
