Happy Birthday John Bell: JB & Friends Full Show Video From 1994

Widespread Panic frontman John Bell today celebrates his 55th birthday. The Cleveland-raised guitarist and vocalist established WSP while at the University Of Georgia in Athens more than three decades ago, forging a successful career and becoming a vital voice in the Southern jam rock scene.

The focus of today’s Full Show Friday is on JB the birthday boy and video from a “solo” performance held back in 1994. Billed as JB & Friends, the footage captures the May 28 concert held at Websters Lake in Auburn, Alabama. The evening saw Bell joined at various points by John “JoJo” Hermann and Todd Nance, as well as John Keane, Carl Lindberg, Debra Reece and Kevn Kinney.

Solo renditions of WSP staples “Space Wrangler” and “Ribs And Whiskey” before Hermann and Nance join for “Blackout Blues,” “Crack And Whistle,” and “Dog Song.” At that point the musicians on stage expanded to include Keane and Lindberg for renditions of “On Your Way Down,” “Last Train,” “Geraldine And The Honeybee” and “City of Dreams. The main set ended with the addition of Reece on “Mercy” and a take on “Rock Steady” with “Satisfied” built in. The encore started with “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” and the help of Kinney sitting-in, followed by an “End Of The Show” finale. View the full show in the videos presented below:

[Space Wrangler, Ribs And Whiskey, Blackout Blues, Crack And Whistle, Dog Song, On Your Way Down, Last Train, Geraldine And The Honeybee]

[City of Dreams, Mercy, Rock Steady > Satisfied > Rock Steady, Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door]

[End Of The Show]

Setlist (via Everyday Companion)

Set: Space Wrangler, Ribs And Whiskey, Blackout Blues, Crack And Whistle, Dog Song, On Your Way Down, Last Train, Geraldine And The Honeybee, City of Dreams, Mercy, Rock Steady > Satisfied > Rock Steady

Encore: Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door, End Of The Show

[Billed as ‘JB & Friends’; ‘Space Wrangler’ and ‘Ribs and Whiskey’ JB solo; ‘Blackout Blues’, ‘Crack and Whistle’ and ‘Dog Song’ JB, JoJo, and Todd; ‘On Your Way Down’, ‘Last Train’, ‘Geraldine And The Honeybee’ and ‘City of Dreams’ JB, Todd, JoJo, John Keane, and Carl Lindberg; ‘Mercy’, ‘Rock Steady > Satisfied > Rock Steady’ JB, Todd, JoJo, John Keane, Carl Lindberg, and Debra Reece; ‘Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door’ JB, Todd, JoJo, John Keane, Carl Lindberg, and Kevn Kinney; The Grapes and Col. Bruce Hampton also appeared]