Widespread Panic

• And just like that, another year has come and gone. Man, these things go by fast. There’s a lot of work that goes in to making any touring entity work and Widespread Panic is certainly no exception. In the grand scheme of things Widespread is far from the toughest tour on the planet. We do multiple night runs routinely and we have a band that actually speaks to, and even laughs with, the crew. You’d be surprised just how far from common that last bit is. We’re fortunate to work where we do and trust me we all know it. That being said, long hours, tired bodies and worn out minds inevitably become the norm as a tour drags on. To the folks who for some reason purposely endure this often times uncomfortable, yet strangely rewarding, task I humbly dedicate this final Driving Songs of 2008.
  
  There are a large number of people who make up our touring staff. Somewhere around thirty to be precise. Faces change periodically. However, of that thirty there are a handful who make what I consider to be the core base of Widespread Panic’s crew. These are the people you may have noticed milling about for years but never knew exactly who they were or what they did. Folks, these guys are the absolute best. They take the utmost pride in what they do and who they do it for. These are the people who absolutely, positively must be there to make a Widespread Panic show happen. The band appreciates these people, I appreciate these people and judging from the good times I see you all having every single night, I’m pretty sure that in your own way you do too.
  
  Ladies and gentlemen, please help me by rockin’ out to Driving Songs 5 in the honor of the following  core crew members of Widespread Panic:
  
  Steve Lopez
  Garrie Vereen
  Brad Blettenberg
  Patrick Dickinson
  John Switzer
  Paul Agostino
  Sean Pretto
  Eric Pretto
  Chris Berry
  Joel Reiff
  Ryan Bishop
  John Harvey
  Josh Trevorrow
  
  
  Thanks as always,
  Chris Rabold
  Athens, GA
  December 2008
   

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