Show number seventy-three is officially in the rock-and-roll history books, and by the end of this weekend, Widespread Panic will have sold out Red Rocks Amphitheatre seventy-five consecutive times. This record likely will never be disrupted, challenged, or broken. The band's magical, musical allure, combined with the adventurous, free-spirited fans that follow the band, fuels the swirling unpredictability of the entire cultural society they have created.

Southern roots from Athens, Georgia, are the inspiration and backbone of Panic’s sound, style, and synchronistic structure. The band's unique fusion of southern rock, blues, and jam rock with elements of jazz has garnered them worldwide notoriety and respect. They have also harvested a family of passengers that exudes kindness, peace, love, and understanding among one another. The band's performances over nearly the last four decades have been much more than a live-concert experience. They resemble a gathering of friends of all ages and races, with wide exploratory musical tastes, that get together at various locations to say hello, dance, and hug each other with pure love in their hearts.

Personally, my first experience with Panic was a similar feeling that happened in a field called Arrowhead Ranch in Liberty, New York, in 1991. They were opening for Blues Traveler, and it was my first time seeing either band, and I was quickly taken by the style and musicality of both. But Panic had something different—maybe it was their grass-roots vibe and non-commercial-sounding tunes that grabbed the audience into their sphere of coolness and intrigue. From that moment, I had a new favorite band. I am glad it happened the way it did, and I am grateful for all variations of the band from then to now.

The annual pilgrimage to Red Rocks each year for Widespread Panic is sacred for many in attendance and completely new for many of the younger fans who were there with their families and friends for the first time. Grateful Web spoke with some teen first-timers, and they were so excited about seeing the band; I thought they might explode with anticipation of the band's arrival on stage. When I looked up at them a bit later on, I realized there was really no reason to ask them if they were enjoying themselves. The audience was nestled under the massive monoliths that provided the most picturesque backdrop you could ever imagine. The music cascaded around the amphitheatre walls with kaleidoscopic intensity and swirling momentum. The clarity of every instrument was front and center. You could hear every note played and every word sung with crystal-clear accuracy at the perfect decibel level.

With so much rich history behind this band and this venue, there was really no telling what the crowd was in store for. As many times as Panic has played this venue, the expressions on their faces looked like it was their first time. You could see and feel the gratitude and love they had for their audience and the opportunity to play for them again at this amazing venue Mother Nature has bestowed upon us all. When Panic appeared on stage, the crowd's intensity pegged into the red.

The musical synchronicity among the six souls on stage was mind-bendingly beautiful. Melodic meets mystique and everything in between hit the audience like a runaway freight train from the opening notes of “Send Your Mind.” (Both set lists included below.) The music had so many layers that intertwined with one another, creating unpredictability and beauty that took over every inch of your soul. The richness and distinction of John Bell's voice were powerfully emotional with raw rock ’n’ roll style that only he can create. Jimmy Herring, the Gandalf of guitar, expressed all of his wizard-like characteristics with his skillful, soulful playing style. His depth of heart and creativity exploded from the strings of his guitar with captivating marksmanship and style.

Duane Trucks and Domingo “Sunny” Ortiz were two separate people with the same goals. They were the builders of the musical foundation that pushed your senses into another area of your body. Their constant percussive prowess and instinctual timing cradled the rest of the band like the giant rocks cradled the audience, shaking their bones below them. Dave Schools, on bass, eats, sleeps, and drinks thick, chunky bass lines that, I swear, make your beer go flat. His non-stop interactions with his drumming colleagues were an extraordinary and adventurous trip with a firm grip on the rhythm section they so undeniably control. “Jo Jo” Hermann on keyboards simply plays what he feels; it seems the notes find him as they cascade from his mind to his fingertips, ultimately feeding your head with a musical stew of unpredictability and class. Hermann had an injured jaw that prevented him from singing. Chuck Leavell, keyboard player (Rolling Stones, Allman Brothers, Sea Level), sat in on several numbers, including one of the two encores, “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.”

If you are attending Saturday and/or Sunday’s shows, have a wonderful, safe time doing so. Congratulations to Widespread Panic for their historic seventy-third show now in the musical history books. Special congratulations to Scramble Campbell for being an official concert-poster artist for this very special run of Panic shows at Red Rocks 2025. He designed a poster that captured the twenty-five years he has been painting the band at Red Rocks. He and his wife Shay were also celebrating their twenty-five years of living in our amazing state of Colorado. Thanks to Red Rocks for continuing to host WSMFP and their friends.

Setlist: 

Set One
• Send Your Mind
• Walkin’ (For Your Love)
• Cotton Was King
• Henry Parsons Died
• We Walk Each Other Home
• Climb to Safety — with Chuck Leavell
• Time Is Free — with Chuck Leavell
• Blight — with Chuck Leavell
• Stop Breakin’ Down Blues — with Chuck Leavell

Set Two
• Porch Song
• Can’t Get High
• Little by Little
• Small Town
• Disco → Second Skin → Goin’ Out West
• The Harder They Come — with Chuck Leavell
• Mercy — with Chuck Leavell
• Fishwater — with Chuck Leavell

Encore
• You Can’t Always Get What You Want — with Chuck Leavell
• I’m So Glad — with Chuck Leavell