JH Underground – news, sports and music blog from Jackson Hole, Wyoming news, sports and music blog from Jackson Hole, Wyoming

They spent a little time on the mountain, and now they’re coming back for more.

Widespread Panic, the Southern rockers who celebrated their 25th anniversary tour in 2011 with a three-night run at Grand Targhee, will return to the Alta, Wyo., resort this summer for another holiday blowout.

Panic again will play three nights, from July 4 to 6. A host of supporting acts will make for a festival atmosphere, as in 2011. Tickets go on sale March 8.

These will be the 18th, 19th and 20th shows the band from Athens, Ga., has played in the Tetons. Over the years Panic has performed at the Mangy Moose, Snow King (many times) and The Spud Drive-In, also on the Fourth of July. The verdant slopes of Targhee, with a stage nestled beside the forest at 8,000 feet, have become a favorite. The band inquired about a return last year, and — in no secret to local Panic fans — plans have been in the works for months.

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Posted under Music, Ski Resorts

Tags: festivals, rock, targhee, widespread panic

As we look ahead to Sharon Jones, Grace Potter, Michael Franti, Little Feat and the Funky Meters at Targhee Fest this weekend, a little housecleaning is in order.

In hindsight, it’s a shame I had to post a review of the Widespread Panic festival at Targhee before the last show, as Sunday night provided some of the most compelling musical moments. I had heard from veterans of Panic tours that the last night of the run is always the best, and although I lacked the energy to enjoy it fully, they were right.

“Y’all got religion?” bassist Dave Schools growled, introducing Jerry Joseph to the stage. An old friend who has collaborated with the band often, Joseph led Panic through an incandescent rendition of his “Light is Like Water,” a galloping paean to faith, fate and “whatever gets you through the night.”

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Posted under Music, Ski Resorts

Tags: targhee, widespread panic

First came the snow. Then the mud. And, finally, the mosquitoes.

Despite all the challenges Mother Nature could conjure, Grand Targhee has pulled off an outrageous weekend of rock and roll, melding mountains and music in an experience that even the musicians described as a dream.

“Surreal,” Widespread Panic keyboardist Jojo Hermann said of the setting, on meeting resort owner Geordie Gillett.

Nearly 4,500 fans packed the mountainside Saturday to hear the second of three concerts by Panic, joined by J-Boogie, New Mastersounds and Dirty Dozen Brass Band. On Sunday afternoon, the Spread Heads were trying to rally for one more night, worn out from partying and grappling with the elements. Michael Menert and Jerry Joseph and the Jackmormons also were slated to perform.

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Posted under Music, Ski Resorts, Sports

Tags: skiing, snowboarding, targhee, widespread panic

Let’s get down to business, shall we?

Grand Targhee is set to host three concerts by Widespread Panic this weekend. After a record winter, the resort is still capped in snow from the summit to the base, making these shows unlike any other in the band’s 25-year history.

Here’s a guide to answer many of your last-minute questions, for locals and out-of-town Spread Heads making their first trek to the venue nestled in the mountains above Alta, Wyo.

• First, the lineup: Widespread Panic is slated to play from 8:30 p.m. to midnight all three days. Tonight the Dirty Dozen Brass Band will open at 7 p.m., and afterward The New Mastersounds will play from 1 to 2:30 a.m. On Saturday, those two bands reverse roles. Jerry Joseph and the Jackmormons will open and play late night Sunday. J-Boogie and Michael Menert also will perform throughout the weekend. The full schedule is posted here.

• Getting there: Targhee is running free shuttles every half-hour from the Driggs Community Center and an off-site parking lot near the bottom of Ski Hill Road. Click here for the schedule.

Parking at the resort is limited, especially for those who are not camping or lodging guests. There will be a $15 charge per car. The off-site parking costs $5, and fans may ride the shuttle to the resort for free.

• Sit and Ski redux: Skiing and snowboarding are permitted, either via hiking or riding the Dreamcatcher chairlift. Lift tickets are $10 per ride or $20 for unlimited. Skiers essentially are on their own, with no ski patrol on the mountain. Riders must carry their boards on the lift.

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Posted under Environment, Music, Ski Resorts

Tags: targhee, widespread panic

With Widespread Panic preparing to return to the Tetons for three shows at Grand Targhee, I spoke with guitarist Jimmy Herring last week from Taos, N.M., where the band had an off day. A North Carolina native who has played with the Allman Brothers, Aquarium Rescue Unit and The Dead, Herring joined Widespread Panic in 2006, following the death of original guitarist Michael Houser and an interim stint by George McConnell. The grizzled axe man, who favors a Stratocaster, has been widely hailed by fans for injecting new life into the Athens, Ga., band, celebrating its 25th anniversary on this tour.

We spoke a bit about our backgrounds. (I first saw him play with Col. Bruce Hampton and ARU back around 1991 or ’92.) He was gracious and thoughtful, speaking in a warm Southern drawl. After small talk about Southern heat vs. the chilly breeze of the West, we jumped right into the Targhee shows.

JS: Are you familiar with the venue, Grand Targhee?

JH: I’ve heard about it, but I don’t know if I’ve played there before.

JS: It’s a tiny ski resort that sits at 8,000 feet in the Tetons. All of the Widespread Panic shows in the Jackson Hole area over the years have been down in the valleys. This time the band will be playing up in the mountains. There probably will be some snow on the ground.

JH: Unbelievable. Will it be cold?

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Posted under Music, Religion, Ski Resorts

Tags: targhee, widespread panic

It just wouldn’t be Fourth of July in the Tetons without washed-up TV host and deranged lunatic Glenn Beck.

The fired Faux News showman is returning to Huntsman Springs on Saturday to fulfill his duty to god and country: selling high-end real estate on a golf course.

Huntsman took out a full-page ad in the Daily to announce the “patriotic” festivities, one of two full-page ads placed by the developer this week following several profiles of the family in the News&Guide.

For a second straight year, Beck will be babbling while Widespread Panic plays a concert on the west slope of the Tetons. By several accounts, last year’s sermon was a dud. Now that the conspiracy theorist has been canned by his network, Saturday’s theatrics largely ought to be greeted with a shrug.

Posted under Economy, Entertainment, Holidays, Politics, Religion

Tags: idaho, Media, paranoia, teton valley, widespread panic