I live in Colorado and have a lake home in BigFork, MT. Both places bless me with beauty on a daily basis. However, when you drive up to Alta, WY, you are given a vision of both Colorado and Montana combined, yet the Tetons are in my eyes a much grander and extremely different type of mountains. This being my first trip to Alta, I was stunned by the beauty that surrounded the Targhee Resort. After coming from the iconic and incomparable Red Rocks I was still amazed at where we were about to see our favorite band play for three nights, starting with the 4th of July. Targhee is set up quite well for a “makeshift” music venue on a ski hill. The most notable beauty is the evergreens that surround the stage and crowd. It is most astonishing when Panic’s lighting director bounces his skills off them. Amazing!
Now, on to the music we go. The first night had the crowd all wound up mostly because it was the 4th of July and Domingo “Sonny” Ortiz’ birthday. I thought the band was on all three nights, and my favorite show progressed with each night. The opening show’s first set highlights included the ‘Old Neighborhood’ opener, ‘Walk On’, and an appropriate ‘Christmas Katie’ that had the crowd singing along with John Bell as he sang “electric lights, they rattle ‘gainst the shopping cart even on the 4th of July!”. ‘Good Morning little Schoolgirl’ is always a treat with a raucous ‘Radio Child’ to close the first set.
The second set caught the band playing even tighter with such favorites as the ‘Greta’ opener, a taste of New Orleans with ‘Guilded Splinters,’ and the rare Houser-written favorite ‘Vacation’, and what a vacation we were all about to have. An appropriate ‘Going out West’ came out of ‘Vacation’, with a beautiful ‘I’m Not Alone’ into the Jerry Joseph favorite ‘Climb to Safety’ to close out the second set. The encore was most appropriate on this date as the band broke into ‘None of Us are Free’ followed by ‘Action Man’ to send us on our way to late night shows, condo parties or campground parties with crowd induced fireworks popping from every direction.
07/04/13 Grand Targhee Resort Amphitheater, Alta, WY
1: Old Neighborhood > Imitation Leather Shoes, Goodpeople, Walk On, Little Lilly > Cotton Was King, Thin Air (Smells Like Mississippi) > Christmas Katie > Good Morning Little Schoolgirl, Radio Child
2: Greta > You Got Yours, Time Zones, I Walk On Guilded Splinters, Travelin’ Man > Vacation > Goin’ Out West, I’m Not Alone, Climb To Safety
E: None of Us Are Free > Action Man
The second night brought a slightly worn out crowd back to life with a great version of ‘Let’s Get Down to Business’. The band truly was getting back down to business, with personal favorites that included ‘C Brown,’ Jojo’s ‘Help Me Somebody’, and another unique showing of Vic Chestnut’s ‘Sewing Machine,’ being played once again without its standard pairing of ‘Protein Drink.’ I kept wondering if we would ever get a solo playing of ‘Protein Drink’. I guess I would have to wait and see. Set break gave everyone a chance to regroup get some food and drink. The vending was pretty well done IMO for a makeshift venue like this.
Second set brought us another handful of great songs, opening with the familiar notes of ‘Wondering’ that quickly got the crowd back up on their feet. What I presently think is my new favorite new song, ‘True to My Nature’ came next with its lovely chorus showing us how great JB’s voice and soul is. ‘Sleepy Monkey’ was a nice treat and led into a nasty ‘Fishwater’ with one of the greatest jams of the weekend. A rocking ‘Love Tractor’ closed the set, and kept us cheering and “bouncing in our seats.” However, it was the encore this night which may have been my favorite moment thus far. As the band stepped back out the slow and ear grabbing intro to ‘Dream Song’ came out. It has become a rarity in itself but it was the lights on the evergreens behind the stage matched with JB’s soulful and subtle vocals that made it so magical. Next, to close out the show came the original opening notes to the fan favorite and simply rockin’ ‘No Sugar Tonight/New Mother Nature.’ Out of the many encores I have seen this year this choice and playing of songs was my favorite and worth the drive from Denver alone. Once again we all slipped off into the night to do whatever it is you wanted to do.
07/05/13 Grand Targhee Resort Amphitheater, Alta, WY
1: Let’s Get Down To Business, Makes Sense To Me, This Part Of Town, It Ain’t No Use > C. Brown, Solid Rock, Help Me Somebody, A of D, All Time Low, Sewing Machine
2: Wondering, True To My Nature, Sleepy Monkey > Fishwater, Pickin’ Up The Pieces, The Take Out > Porch Song > Aunt Avis > You Should Be Glad, Love Tractor
E: Dream Song, No Sugar Tonight/New Mother Nature
Though the first two nights were great each in their own ways, I would have to say the third night was my favorite. Bloodkin opened this night. Bloodkin is certainly one of the most familiar and old musical relatives of Panic. Without Bloodkin, WSP would certainly not be the same band it is now. Disappointingly, Bloodkin’s set was cut a little short with threatening weather coming. It was bad enough that the band stopped and the entire crowd was forced to leave the venue and seek shelter. We all piled out and waited hesitantly to what lay ahead. Sure enough the clouds changed direction, and things were safe enough to bring us all back in and get Panic out for their first set.
The band came out dressed for cold weather, with JB dawning a jacket and hat. They quickly broke into a booty shakin’ ‘Diner’. Some songs that made this night my favorite also included the Band’s ‘Ophelia’ paired with my new favorite cover ‘Shape I’m In.’ Jojo treated us to a fun version of ‘One by One’ and Dave showed us that he was still the master of the bass with ‘Stop n Go’. Sure enough my curiosity about a solo playing of ‘Protein Drink’ was answered with it being played and seguing into ‘Rock’. I believe this was the first time ‘Protein Drink’ had been played by itself without segueing into ‘Sewing Machine’. ‘Rock’ closed out the first set and got us ready for what I thought was the greatest set I had seen in the nine shows I’ve seen this summer.
With the crowd still at full energy, even after three days of crazy weather, dancing and partying, their roar brought the band out for its final set. Panic opened up with the old favorite ‘Glory’ followed by ‘Space Wrangler’ and its tremendous ending jam into the second appearance of Jojo’s new song, ‘On this Mountainside.’ The first big moment of the set came when JB introduced the Bloodkin boys to come out for two of their songs ‘Success Yourself’ and ‘Wet Trombone Blues’ with both JB and Danny Hutchins trading verses. I had just been treated to this in the spring but there was something a little more special about these versions. As the Bloodkin duo left the stage my favorite moment came with one of the greatest song “sandwiches” I have seen in nearly 200 WSP shows. The elusive ‘Low Spark of High heeled Boys’ finally reared its head after great fan anticipation. The first verse segued into the first verse of the appropriate ‘Surprise Valley’ that had the crowd literally kissing “the Mountain Air We Breathe.” This segued into the highly anticipated ‘Arleen’, which at this point had the crowd in an absolute frenzy! ‘Arleen’ drifted into a short ‘drums’, which brought us back into the second half of ‘Surprise Valley’ and back into the 2nd half of ‘Low Spark’ to complete the sandwich. I could have walked away completely content and satisfied at this point. However, the band proceeded to close out the set with a crowd sing along version of ‘Tall Boy.’
At this point, the crowd was all smiles and couldn’t expect anything greater, yet there was still an encore to be had. I can’t tell you the last time I heard ‘She Caught the Katy’ or tell you when and if it had been in the encore spot before. Sure enough the band came out and treated us to the Taj Mahal favorite. Just when things couldn’t get any better, the thundering opening notes to ‘Last Dance’ started and a wonderful rendition of this song capped off what was one of, if not the most memorable weekends of the summer.
07/06/13 Grand Targhee Resort Amphitheater, Alta, WY
1: Diner > Ribs And Whiskey, Ophelia > The Shape I’m In, 1 × 1, Stop-Go, Give, Casa Del Grillo, St. Louis, Protein Drink > Rock
2: Glory, Space Wrangler, On This Mountain Side, Success Yourself, Wet Trombone Blues*, Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys > Surprise Valley > Arleen > Drums > Surprise Valley > Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys, Tall Boy*
E: She Caught The Katy, Last Dance
*with Daniel Hutchens on guitar/vocals, Eric Carter on guitar
Full setlists provided courtesy of EverydayCompanion.com
All photos taken by William McAlaine
As always I dedicate this piece to my Mother, Kathy McAlaine. You will always be my inspiration. RIP. XOXO
