#dave schools

[krispyweiss]

Song Review: Widespread Panic - “Smokestack Lightning” (Live, March 20, 2026)

Widespread Panic could’ve just as easily called their version of “Smokestack Lightning” Jojo plays the blues.

Keyboardist Hermann is the featured soloist on piano and organ alongside, to a lesser extent, guitarist Nick Johnson, who plays an innovative solo that begins on the bottom strings before moving to more traditional fretting territory.

Vocalist/rhythm guitarist John Bell is, too, amped up for this down-low number, employing the full range of his voice and turning in some nifty, Bob Weirian swings of his axe.

While this is a true-blue rendering with Hermann hinting at “Spoonful” early and often, this “Smokestack Lightning,” captured on professional black-and-white video March 20 in Florida, is another example of Widespread Panic sounding exactly like Widespread Panic no matter whose song they’re playing and who’s playing in the band.

Grade card: Widespread Panic - “Smokestack Lightning” (Live - 3/20/26) - B+

3/31/26

[gratefulfrog]

[collectorsweekly]

A few of Dave Schools’ Hot Wheels and Wacky Packs.

[krispyweiss]

Song Review: Widespread Panic with Duane Betts - “Mountain Jam” (Live, July 5, 2026)

With two men named after Duane Allman on the stage and “Mountain Jam” coming through the amps, something remarkable happened at a Widespread Panic concert in Wyoming - Widespread Panic didn’t sound like Widespread Panic.

With Duane Betts (son of Dickey) guesting on guitar, the expanded Panic played an extended version of the Allman Brothers Band’s “Mountain Jam” with their own Duane Trucks driving the song in a way that would’ve pleased Uncle Butch.

Following the contours of the Allmans’ “Mountain,” but leaning heavily on the “Jam,” solos go from Duane Trucks to keyboardist Jojo Hermann to guitarist Nick Johnson, who plays with more of his own personality that he does on Panic regulars. And when he and Betts tangle on the swaggering outro that marches along on Duane Trucks’ hammering, the ghosts of Duane Allman’s band are present on one of the only Widespread Panic recordings that is not immediately identifiable as a Widespread Panic recording.

Grade card: Widespread Panic with Duane Betts - “Mountain Jam” (Live - 7/5/26) - A

7/9/26

[krispyweiss]

John Bell Channels Neil Young on Widespread Panic’s Version of “Don’t be Denied”

- New video meres practice/performance footage into single rendition

Backstage at Red Rocks, John Bell sung almost exactly like Neil Young while guitarist Nick Johnson channeled Warren Haynes as Widespread Panic rehearsed “Don’t be Denied.”

It’s Bell’s uncanny aping of Young that’s most striking on a the freshly released video that blends the band’s June 28 practice and performance into a single song.

By the time they take the stage, the Panics sound unmistakably Widespread, with Bell singing more like himself, percussionist Sunny Ortiz’s adding his signature layer to the rhythm section and Jojo Hermann contributing a piano solo that strengthens the song’s country vibe.

In retrospect, it’s no surprise Bell can ape Young with the accuracy of a musical Rich Little. What is surprising is that Sound Bites was surprised when he first heard this, having never noticed the obvious vocal similarities.

7/7/26

[krispyweiss]

Song Review: Widespread Panic - “And it’s Stoned Me” (Live, May 8, 2026)

Widespread Panic is perfectly capable of playing “Stoned” - with a big “S” - thank you very much.

As performed May 8 in Las Vegas and released on professional black-and-white video, Panic’s take on “And it’s Stoned Me” reveals fidelity to both Van Morrison’s original recording and the band’s own sonic aesthetic.

John Bell’s vocals are the most apparent lines in the Widespread fingerprints; however, Nick Johnson and Jojo Hermann enhance the Panicky flavor on guitar and piano, respectively. Johnson’s solo is particularly alluring as he balances restraint with intensity in the first instrumental break.

Taken in toto, Panic’s reading of “Stoned” is something of a breather, a chance for band and audience to catch their collective breath - perhaps inhale deeply - amid the energetic arc of a Widespread Panic performance.

Grade card: Widespread Panic - “And it’s Stoned Me” (Live - 5/8/26)

6/8/26

[krispyweiss]

Song Review: Widespread Panic - “Pigeons” (Live, June 29, 2025)

Just over seven minutes in, an airy, fluttering version of “Pigeons” suddenly begins to soar on Jimmy Herring’s solo as the guitarist’s Widespread Panic bandmates pick up and glom on to Herring’s inspiration.

This version, captured on professional video June 29, 2025, at Colorado’s Red Rocks Amphitheater, is the epitome of the Panics’ slow build as the song moves from simmering to boiling over.

The video was released to announce Widespread’s 2026 return to Red Rocks and March 6 on-sale date. There’s no word on if it’ll be Herring, who is on leave and undergoing cancer treatment, or Nick Johnson, who’s been filling in in ’26, on stage when summer rolls around. Either way, from a strictly musical standpoint, it’ll be Widespread Panic.

But moments such as this, where Herring lifts the song, the band and the audience on the wings of a solo, are dependent on his presence. And his presence is beyond palpable on this “Pigeons.”

Grade card: Widespread Panic - “Pigeons” (Live - 6/29/25) - A

3/4/26

[krispyweiss]

Song Review(s): Widespread Panic - “Maggot Brain” → “Love Tractor” (Live, June 26, 2026)

The whole band is cookin’, but anyone who didn’t know Nick Johnson was filling in temporarily would be staggered to learn the news after taking in Widespread Panic’s June 26 rendition of “Maggot Brain.”

Handling lead-guitar duties while Jimmy Herring undergoes cancer treatment, Johnson seems as comfortable as a longtime member on this moody Funkadelic cover. Just as importantly, Johnson captures the essence of the instrumental, and the essence of Panic, while finding to express himself as well.

It was surely a daunting challenge in front of a sold-out Red Rocks, but Johnson pulled it off. And when drummer Duane Trucks signaled the segue to “Love Tractor,” the band transitioned flawlessly into the light, skittering melody, which immediately devoured previous number.

It’s quite the shift, but the just-released, pro-shot video proves it was not awkward in any way. And when Johnson conjures the spirit of Michael Houser on the outro, it’s clear he’s the right guy in the right place at the right time.

Grade card: Widespread Panic - “Maggot Brain” → “Love Tractor” (Live - 7/2/26) - A+/A-

7/2/26