Widespread Panic Finishes Fall Strong With Nicky Sanders

You couldn’t blame Widespread Panic for thinking their fall tour wouldn’t be a shining moment in the band’s history. Just before the tour, the group shockingly announced drummer Todd Nance would need to sit out the run and called upon Duane Trucks to fill in. However, Duane stepped up in a big way and learned over 100 songs. Trucks’ powerful beats added a new element of Panic’s music and the tour was a complete success.

Last night the Georgia rockers wrapped up the tour and a three-night stand at 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colorado. Widespread Panic was joined by guest fiddle player Nicky Sanders of Steep Canyon Rangers for most of the Sunday night performance. The show started off with the old school “Henry Parsons Died” > “Green Onions” > “Henry Parsons Died” sequence, making its return for the first time since 2011. Sanders emerged midway through the set for a bustout cover of The Meat Puppets’ “Lake Of Fire,” which had only been performed on Halloween ’09 in the past. The set rolled on with Nicky contributing fiddle to “Hatfield,” “Honky Red,” “Party At Your Mama’s House,” “Ribs & Whiskey” and “Drinking Muddy Water.”

Panic started off the second set by their lonesomes for “Little Kin,” but Sanders emerged for the “Barstools & Dreamers” that followed and stayed out for the length of the closing stanza with the exception of the “Chilly Water” finale and “Drums.” Nicky added to “Gimme,” “Driving Song,” “Surprise Valley,” “Blue Indian” and “Pilgrims” within Set Two. John Bell and Co. put an exclamation mark on the tour and run with a 26-minute encore that included two Neil Young covers -“Mr. Soul” and “Don’t Be Denied.”

Setlist

Set One: Henry Parsons Died > Green Onions > Henry Parsons Died, Wondering, Blackout Blues, Good People, Lake of Fire*^, Hatfield*, Honky Red*, Heaven* > Party At Your Mama’s House* > Ribs & Whiskey*, Drinking Muddy Water* (95 mins)

Set Two: Little Kin, Barstools & Dreamers* > Gimme* > Jam* > Driving Song* > Surprise Valley* > Jam* > Drums > Machine Gun Jam > Blue Indian* > Surprise Valley* > Driving Song* > Pilgrims*, Chilly Water (105 mins)

Encore: Saint Ex > Mr Soul > Love Tractor*, Don’t Be Denied* (26 mins)

* w/ Nicky Sanders on fiddle
^ LTP 10/31/09 Austin (342 shows)

[Setlist via PanicStream]