Retro-Rock Tour + Another Fest

Two of the biggest names in music will be touring beginning in May. Rod Stewart joins with Santana for what could be the retro-rock tour of the Spring. on their respective websites for full details. 

Also announced this week was the High Sierra Music Festival in Quincy, CA July 3-6. Details here.

Widespread Panic Announces for April

Promising its first full electric set up since 2011, Widespread Panic hits the road beginning in April.

Widespread Panic will be mixing its venues, playing intimate rooms as well as a few larger buildings with multiple nights planned for several cities.

Here’s the itinerary:

April 9 – St. Louis, Mo., Peabody Opera House
April 10 – St. Louis, Mo., Peabody Opera House
April 12 – Chicago, Ill., UIC Pavilion
April 13 – Chicago, Ill., UIC Pavilion
April 14 – Minneapolis, Minn., Orpheum Theatre
April 16 – Louisville, Ky., The Louisville Palace Theatre
April 17 – Louisville, Ky., The Louisville Palace Theatre
April 23 – Columbia, S.C., Township Auditorium
April 24 – Columbia, S.C., Township Auditorium
April 26 – Alpharetta, Ga., Verizon Wireless Amph. At Encore Park
April 27 – Alpharetta, Ga., Verizon Wireless Amph. At Encore Park
May 3 – Whites Creek, Tenn., (near Nashville) The Woods At Fontanel
May 4 – Whites Creek, Tenn., (near Nashville) The Woods At Fontanel

As always, backstage passes are available on a first come, first served basis. Request yours today.

Bonnaroo 2011 Lineup

This year, it's Eminem, Arcade Fire, Widespread Panic, The Black Keys, Robert Plant & Band Of Joy, Lil’ Wayne and Buffalo Springfield among the bands and artists appearing at this year’s Bonnaroo Music Festival.

The complete list is quite impressive. At the time of this writing, no day-to-day lineups or stage assignments have been revealed.

Bonnaroo was in last year's Top Ten requests and we don't expect it to be any different this year. So, make your requests to BackstagePassDirect now!

Member Review: Widespread Panic

Long-time BPD subscriber Gavin88 writes:

Anyone who made it to the show was very lucky to experience one of the tightest groups in the music industry today in Widespread Panic. The band consists of John Bell (guitar/vocals), Dave Schools (bass), Todd Nance (drums), Domingo Sunny Ortiz (percussions), John Jo-Jo Hermann (keyboards) and Jimmy Herring (guitars) and the boys all hail from the fertile musical grounds of Athens, Georgia. Their dedication, work ethic and meticulous craftsmanship are apparent in every song that they play live. They seem more connected as a family rather than merely a rock band. Their connections echo across the stage between jamming band members while interlocked in a instrumental bonanza of interplay - making it all look effortless. Widespread Panic's music has an uncanny ability to make it's audience stand up and dance. Peace and happiness flows.

WSP is among the leading touring bands in the U.S. selling out venues in record time. Renowned for their live performances, the band refuses to play the same show twice. It's this organic spontaneity that keeps the electricity hanging in the air all night long. The band exalts and prides itself on the diverse musical influences of each band member. From southern rock, blues-rock, progressive rock, funk to hard rock genres. They throw it all into a blender on stage and create a surprising melange throughout their riveting set. You never know what is coming around the next corner or the next hanging note.

The dueling guitars of Jimmy Herring and John Bell were amazing in their structural nuances and free flowing beauty. "Proving Ground" and "Weak Brain, Narrow Mind" helped to showcase this nicely. The keyboards and percussion's rumbling downbeats warmed you completely through. School's pounding bass laid down the law at the get go, while Ortiz shaped the songs with his cowbell and conga flourishes. "Time Zones" led off beginning of the second set with authority. John Bell's soulful voice was thickly entrenched in some shadowy back bayou apparently not too far from "the crossroads" down south. "Wondering," "Traveling Man" and "Airplane" continued the journey in rousing fashion.

With encores of "Imitation Leather Shoes," "Up All Night," "Impossible" and "Heaven" to close out the first night and "Lets Get Down to Business," "Pigeons," "Cotton Was King," "Angels On High," "None of Us Are Free" along with "Waitin' for the Bus" and "Jesus Just Left Chicago" to close out the night they painted their entire musical canvas with rich colors and organic tonalities.

I'd never seen a show from the back before this one. Wow, "awesome" is the only word I can find. Thank you BPD.

You're welcome, Gavin88. We've heard from a few members over the last month who have seen WSP. Everyone agrees with you about the band and about how great it is to be in the back.

 To those of you who haven't joined us yet, what are you waiting for? Visit BackstagePassDirect today.

More Panic

 

Widespread Panic begins its fall tour in mid-September at the West Virginia University Coliseum in Morgantown Sept. 17. Widespread Panic’s Dirty Side Down Summer Tour included a record-breaking, three-night sell out at Denver’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre (in 7 minutes), three sold out nights at the Chicago Theater, festival headlining dates, a performance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, taped an appearance on National Public Radio’s World Cafe (airing August 20) and a blistering show at New York’s Radio City Music Hall.

Widespread Panic will release the two-disc/three-vinyl set Live In The Classic City II on September 28th. 2010 marks the ten-year anniversary of this monumental three-night run that took place on April 1-3, 2000 at the Classic Center Theater in Athens, Georgia.

These recordings are also significant because they mark the first time Widespread Panic asked their fans, who are regularly permitted to record and circulate live performances, to refrain from recording these particular shows. Live In The Classic City II will mark the first time that these performances have been made available, and even heard if you weren’t there.

Live In The Classic City II includes special guests Mike Mills (R.E.M.), percussionist Arvin Scott, producer John Keane, guitarist Eric Carter and vocalist Daniel Hutchens (Blood Kin) and vocalist Anne Richmond Boston (Swimming Pool Q’s).

Fall dates are:

Fri 09/17/10              Morgantown, WV        WVU Coliseum     

Sun 09/19/10         Baltimore, MD     Pier Six Pavilion   

Tue 09/21/10         Cincinnati, OH     PNC Pavilion At Riverbend   

Thu 09/23/10         Atlanta, GA     Center Stage   

Fri 09/24/10         Alpharetta, GA     Verizon Wireless Amph. At Encore Park   

Sat 09/25/10         Alpharetta, GA     Verizon Wireless Amph. At Encore Park   

Tue 09/28/10         Tallahassee, FL     Tallahassee-Leon Co. Civic Ctr.   

Thu 09/30/10         Miami Beach, FL     Fillmore Miami Beach At Jackie Gleason Theater   

Fri 10/01/10         Saint Augustine, FL     St. Augustine Amphitheatre   

Sat 10/02/10         Mount Pleasant, SC     Patriots Point   

Mon 10/04/10         Nashville, TN     Ryman Auditorium   

Tue 10/05/10         Nashville, TN     Ryman Auditorium   

Wed 10/06/10         Nashville, TN     Ryman Auditorium   

Fri 10/08/10         Kansas City, MO     The Midland By AMC   

Sat 10/09/10         Milwaukee, WI     Riverside Theatre   

Sun 10/10/10         Milwaukee, WI     Riverside Theatre   

Wed 10/13/10         Salt Lake City, UT     The Rail Event Center   

Fri 10/15/10         Oakland, CA     Fox Theater   

Sat 10/16/10         Oakland, CA     Fox Theater   

Sun 10/17/10         Oakland, CA     Fox Theater   

Tue 10/19/10         Reno, NV     Grand Sierra Resort Theatre   

Wed 10/20/10         Reno, NV     Grand Sierra Resort Theatre   

Fri 10/22/10         Los Angeles, CA     Greek Theatre   

Sat 10/23/10         Las Vegas, NV     The Joint @ Hard Rock Hotel / Casino   

Sun 10/24/10         Valley Center, CA     Open Sky Theater @ Harrah's Rincon Casino & Resort   

Wed 10/27/10         Grand Prairie, TX     Verizon Theatre At Grand Prairie   

Fri 10/29/10         New Orleans, LA     Lakefront Arena   

Sat 10/30/10         New Orleans, LA     Lakefront Arena   

Sun 10/31/10         New Orleans, LA     Lakefront Arena

WP always gives great show; from backstage, it's even greater. Make your requests today.