Widespread Panic, Col. Bruce, and more…
Art + Wendy decided not to go to Saturday’s Picnic at Red Rox, so I swooped into their lovely Boulder County hamlet (Lafayette) and picked up two tickets. At $45 a hit, one might expect some blistering theatrics from the performers. None were to be had on this night. There was a lovely “C. Brown” in the first set, a rousing “Chilly Water” in the second, plus a pleasant rain and wind throughout. From a musical perspective the night got going once we dpearted Red Rox for Englewood’s Gothic Theatre. First up, Col. Bruce Hampton’s new outfit, The Codetalkers. Three guys in bad suits, but the sounds coming from this band are the real deal. At 1:30 a.m. the liquor was put under lock and key, but the music really started to uncork. New Orleans and Georgia gettin’ together for a major blow out. Blind keyboard wizard and blues singer, Johnny Neel was accompanied by Matt Abts of Gov’t Mule on drums, New Orleans legend George Porter on bass, Brian Stoltz from The Meters on guitar, and June Yamagishi of Papa Grows Funk also on guitar. We left this rich stew of sound at 3:45 a.m., wishing we had the energy to go the distance.