A Higher Glyphic

Hundreds of loyal followers came to Carbondale Friday, March 30, to enjoy a night of music and let Widespread Panic take over.
Widespread Panic is one of the biggest touring bands in the United States. They incorporate funk, southern rock and boogie that support a growing fan base and captivate people across the country.
This is the first time that the band has performed at the arena since 2000. Fans like Robbie Dodson, from St. Louis, were excited to see the band return.
"My first Panic show was the one at the arena in 2000," he said. "All it took was seeing them that first time and I was hooked."
It is a known fact that Widespread Panic fans love to party. People began filling in the SIU arena parking lot about 4:30. Some of them came from hundreds of miles to have a good time.
Ryan Mocaby flew in from Santa Fe, New Mexico and was ready to party. "It is all about coming to have a great time and get away from reality," he said. "Whenever Panic is in town it naturally becomes party time.
The beer drinking fest in "the lot," as Widespread Panic fans call it, raged on until seven when people started filtering into the arena.
You could feel the anticipation of the crowd as the instrument techs tested everything out. At 7:45 the lights went out and the band took the stage.
A roaring crowd greeted them ready for some music.
Lead singer, John Bell, acknowledged the happy fans with a deep, raspy voice. "Good Evening Carbondale," he growled. The crowd yelled even louder.
As soon as the first note dropped, the entire arena began to dance. There was not a single soul in the building that was not moving. Everyone in there danced the whole night.
Michael Morgan is a fan that came down all the way from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Dancing is just one aspect of what the Panic experience is all about," he said. I love nothing more than to be able to be free and get my white boy on."
There was a unique connection with the band and the crowd. They fed off of what the other they other was doing. Bass Player, Dave Schools, was active with the fans the whole show.
During breaks between songs, Schools would chant SIU! He received a lot of response from the crowd. "SIU, the home of the Salukis," he yelled. The arena erupted.
As it became closer to 11:00, the encore, "Action Man," came to an end. Fans cheered and John Bell thanked the crowd for a great evening.
Dave Schools thanked the fans that were still glued to the stage. "Thank You Carbondale, We'll see y'all soon," he said.
The lights came back on and disappointed fans began to leave.
Marion resident, Chris Blue, was sad to see the show come to an end. "It is the worst part I can never get used to," he said. "You are having the greatest time of your life and all of a sudden it is back to reality."
Widespread Panic rolled out of Carbondale and hit the road for Cleveland, Ohio the next morning. The band's tour schedule can be viewed at www.widespreadpanic.com. Summer tour dates will be released soon. Hopefuls at the show are anticipating another Carbondale stop during the spring or fall tour.

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