Comments on: Live review: Widespread Panic @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre (June 27, 2008)

By: Gabe

Gabe — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 05:43:44 +0000

I thought the article was right on. Panic got the crowd going with Heroes. Low Spark was probably off. And Herring shreds to much. If I wanted a perfect show I would follow U2. I have seen U2 at the Pepse Center 3 times since 2001 and there show has been exactly the same with the exception of them taking out and adding a few songs. Unfortunatley I had to pay twice as much as a panic show. That’s what makes panic great. It is alway different. I have seen a number of shows and not one has been bad. I have taken a number of friends to there first show and they said it was the best show they have been to. Mikey is my favorite guitarist and unfortunately he is gone. Thanks Jimmy for taking on the burden of trying to replace him. It can’t be easy.

By: Icediggity Dank

Icediggity Dank — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 02:39:51 +0000

Yo! All of you folks need to get a grip. Who the hell cares what the other guy thinks? Everybody(well almost everybody) paid the price of admission to rock it out with the greatest band on tour today. You know what they say about opinions, and i sure as heck ain’t losing any sleep over a “sloppy” Low Spark. There’s a reason for 32 Red Rocks sell outs, and that’s because all of your sorry asses will be there next year for the greatest show on Earth. I’ve been at it since ’93, but I’m not ignorant enough to question someone’s opinion about whether this was that or that was this. While all of you girlies are whining, you can find me down in front, BOUNCING FROM START TO FINISH. Where else have you ever been to a party like this?
N-O-W-H-E-R-E. See you next year beeeeeeatches.

By: Jason

Jason — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 00:23:22 +0000

This article is bull. Panic was bringing the heat all 3 nights. What NORMAL fan is looking out for chaotic transitions and drowning sounds. The fact that this guy is saying that Panic has “a tightness that seems to reflect a lack of ego” is absurd. The fact is that everyone is there to have a great time in a great atmosphere, listening to great music with all of their great friends. If your that concentrated on the “sounds that reflect the band’s ego” then why not just stay home and “reflect on life” all night. Granola eater.

By: Mike

Mike — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 04:47:32 +0000

To a couple of comments above. Jimmy’s leads are a HUGE part of the bands groove. People who think that Herrings’s over driven tones do not mesh well in the mix are dead wrong. One of the things that originally turned me on about the boys was their ability to play extremely fast and aggressive. Flex their muscles if you will. For example; listen to a recording of Impossible with Mikey and with Jimmy. Both extremely over driven leads, and dead on. Every one has their own opinion of course. The reviewer got one thing right and that is you either get it or you don’t! Jimmy Herring is a perfect fit! He is one of the greatest guitarist of all time. And I look forward to many more years of face melters! And cheers to the folks that were lucky enough to witness this run. I felt the vibe at Red Rocks that originally pulled me in. And of course that vibe is attributed to the family. But most of all to the happiness of the band. I am always blown away at how in tune the band is to the audience. I definitely get it!!!

By: larry

larry — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 16:42:55 +0000

I think Panicrealist hit the nail on the head.

It’s definitely a matter of opinion whether Jimmy’s style is appealing, and whether it fits in with Panic’s sound. So Henahan is right on the point that a lot of this is subjective.

Personally, I share Panicrealist’s opinion that Jimmy’s “superfast” solos are often too much and detract from Panic’s traditional sound. But I can understand how some people might like that departure from the norm.

But insofar as the tightness of this band musically, it is a fact that their shows are kinda ragged. Now, it’s certainly no great travesty that a new guy (Jimmy) still hasn’t mastered every nuance in his limited time with the band. And like other folks have said, Panic shows are still awesome experiences regardless.

But it’s undeniable that some songs — Low Spark being one of them — have some deficiencies they didn’t previously have.

It’s ridiculous for someone to say the Low Spark at RR was a flawlessly executed masterpiece. Because anyone who really listens to it can easily detect some serious flaws in the song’s tempo and direction.

Go back and listen to a Low Spark from 97, 98 or 99 and you’ll hear a huge difference.

Look, I’m not one of those folks who are incessantly saying how much better things used to be with Mikey. Jimmy is a fabulous guitarist who seems genuinely stoked about being in the band, and the rest of the boys seem stoked as well.

But it’s undeniable that these guys are nowhere near as tight as they used to be. Anyone who says otherwise is in fantasyland.

By: Henahan

Henahan — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 19:43:39 +0000

The fact that many of you think Jimmy’s playing doesn’t mesh well doesn’t make that a fact. It is simply your opinion. You don’t really KNOW anything. Many think he meshes just fine. Many appreciate the dynamic he brings to the table. I personally can agree with the fact that, yes, he does play fast and I might want him to slow down at times, but that is just my opinion. The funny thing is that sometimes I like it fast and sometimes I don’t – even the same song can come across different to me at different times. That’s the beauty of the live experience. You take the good and the bad, but it is always worth it. Again, I thought this Red Rocks run blew away last years run. But, that doesn’t make it true – just my opinion today. Jimmy, just keep doing what you do.

By: BONERJAMS2003

BONERJAMS2003 — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 18:17:04 +0000

the guy with wearing the sunglasses in the pic in the middle of the article is a loser i sat by him on sat and he kept trying to call songs and only got like one right. peolpe come to the shows to listen to the band not hear some jerk from houston try to guess what the band is going to do.

By: Brett Lewis

Brett Lewis — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 16:31:10 +0000

Jimmy–Screw the critics, the silent majority loves what happened for those three nights. Best Red Rocks show in a long time!

By: Panicrealist

Panicrealist — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 14:35:38 +0000

I’ve seen Panic almost 100 times and was at all three of these shows, and everyone commenting on here that says this was a bad review, I’m sorry, but you’re wrong. The guy that wrote this doesn’t know the band and that provides for a great objective opinion. I think he is absolutely right about Jimmy, and my friend and I had the same discussion before this run. No doubt the guy is an incredible guitar player, but it is too much at times for this band. He never ever plays on a clean channel, he is always fully overdriven and always plays these superfast in your face solos. Technically amazing, yes, but it takes away from the groove of the band. Don’t get me wrong, I will continue to see panic till there is no more panic to see, and I do think jimmy will learn to fit in better, but this review was right on . And the guy who commented that all three shows were “blisteringly good”, I have to respectfully disagree. They all three had moments, Saturday was the best in my opion, but definitly not even in the top 10 best panic I’ve seen in the past year, and not as good as last year’s red rocks run. Still, the most fun you can have with your pants on and one hell of a party. See you in Aspen

By: larry

larry — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 14:13:09 +0000

There WERE tempo problems during Low Spark. Go back and listen to it. Anyone who claims it was “done perfectly” either was not listening or doesn’t know much about music.

I love Panic as much as anyone, but I don’t have any problem with honest and accurate criticism. As far as this writer’s critique of Low Spark goes, it was dead on.

I’ve been mostly impressed with Jimmy, but this is one of the songs the band has yet to nail with regularity with him in the lineup.

Sorry, but it’s just the truth.