Widespread Panic, Phil + Friends, Femi Kuti, Karl Denson + String Cheese Incident
Just did six shows in four states over the last eight days. Kinda like old times. It began on the 4th with Panic at Harmony Park, a hippie-owned venue on Lake Geneva, Minnesota with old oak trees, a grassy infield, and camping. Panic ripped it up, particularly out of drums where they sandwiched Bob Marley’s “Heathen” in the middle of “Four Cornered Room.” I also enjoyed the Muddy Waters encore, “Red Beans Cookin’.” Friday after work I flew to Denver for Phil + Friends at Red Rox. Warren melted us all to the core with “Comes a Time.” On Saturday we got treated to a “Shakedown > Blue Sky” opener and “Dark Star > Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” in the second set. Next up, two nights of String Cheese at Westfair Amphitheater in Council Bluffs, Iowa, across the river from Omaha. African band leader, Femi Kuti opened Monday and Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe opened Tuesday. Both sat in with the Cheese, as well. Bound to cover a little more ground on Wednesday I took the day off work and headed to Willie Nelson and Phil at Sandstone Amphitheater in Bonner Springs, Kansas. Warren got Milt and me in on the guest list and we had sweet seats up phront for classics like “Cosmic Charlie,” “China > Rider,” “Dark Star > The Eleven,” and the “Scarlet > Fire” encore.