Bonnaroo Rex: A Q&A With Widespread Panic

Widespread Panic is perhaps the quintessential Bonnaroo group, an inveterate Southern “jam-band” renowned for the dynamism of its live performances. At the inaugural festival a decade ago, Panic headlined two nights and were joined onstage by Dottie Peebles and Steve Winwood. This year, we sat down with frontman John Bell and keyboardist John “JoJo” Hermann amid the heat of mid-afternoon, in which they discussed their first Bonnaroo show, the mutability of their songs on stage, and why the festival has survived for so long.

Click here to watch the video of the interview.

Can you believe it’s been ten years, and do you remember your first Bonnaroo performance?

JB: Dottie Peoples was there, and Steve Winwood – they sat in with us. And our original guitar player Mike Houser was still with us. So, yeah, that one was kind of easy to remember.

Where does it stand in the pantheon of great Panic shows? Or do you even have those?

JoJo: We have some pretty good shows [laughs].

JB: They’re all kind of the same when you’re in them. When you look back at them, historically, they tend to take on a little different mystique. But Bonnaroo’s always well done. It’s set up for action, so if you come to play, this is a proper venue.

The band’s been together for 25 years. Did you ever envision the band lasting this long, or the success and following you’ve built up?

JoJo: I always knew the band would last this long. I just wasn’t sure I would.

JB: I’ll go along with that.

JoJo: It’s just been a blur. It’s just been a crazy blur.

JB: I don’t think of it in these terms. We didn’t. We were looking for gigs outside of town to avoid rent, and just kept playing. So we’re very fortunate.

Widespread is of course known as a live band. When you’re writing songs, or working in the studio, are you conscious of how the songs are going to translate live?

JoJo: We work them up in the studio, but we’re definitely not inhibited to the idea that live they’ll take on a new life. And yeah, we develop them on stage and they may take on some different things. It just depends on the songs. Sometimes there’s just a nice ballad, and you’re just interested in performing the ballad. Other times you’re kind of rocking it out and thinking about the live show. Every song has its own life kind of.

JB: Perry Farrell, the dude from Jane’s Addiction, announced us as “one of the best outdoor bands he’s ever heard” [laughs]. So, sorry, that’s where my mind went. I don’t know what that meant.

You have certain songs in your catalog that have cropped up repeatedly on set lists through the years, and yet you’ve done different versions of these songs. Do you have favorite versions of a particular song that you’ll go back to after you’ve done it another way.

JB: It’s really not like that. They become different versions just because we stumble into it. You try to go one way and end up going another. They might become your favorite later.

Any surprises tonight?

JoJo: Pretty much sticking to our own thing. At the festivals you just get up there and do your own thing, lay it out there, and do what you do, and not worry about it too much.

Bonnaroo has a very diverse artist lineup this year. When it first started, it tilted toward the jam-band variety. What’s your take on playing a festival that includes artists like Eminem and ‘Lil Wayne?

JB: That’s why it’s still here. They dipped back into the elder statesman kind of thing, with Neil Young and I remember Emmylou Harris being here. They got smart right away, after it was established, to go ahead and just open the doors to all kinds of music. I think your question was, ‘What do you think?’ I think it was a good idea.