146: Nick Johnson Era Deepens

Hosts Harvey Couch and Jeff Kollath recap Widespread Panic's continued West Coast run through Bend, Oakland, and Sacramento, plus some fun retro tangents before diving into current shows.

Quick Hits:

• Deer Creek 7/8/01 video coming to YouTube by Sandbox channel (missing encore); official premiere drops next Tuesday 7/28/26
• Harvey attended his first-ever Wilco show at The Burl in Lexington - set interrupted by severe weather, second set became "hits-laden" after the delay
• World Cup recap: both hosts fine with the final result, noted Argentina's goalie carried the team

Bend & Oakland Highlights:

• Airplane opener night one in Oakland
• Mercy > Schoolgirl > King Baby > Fishwater closing set two
• Four-song run all starting with "Little" on night two
• Vampire Blues played after friend-of-the-pod artist Mark Spusta suggested it to Dave backstage - "it would be cool if..." request that actually landed
• Ride Me High opener (rare - maybe 2-3 times ever) into Proving > Action Man

Sacramento (Crest Theater) Deep Dive:

• JB's charming lyric-flub on Let's Get the Show on the Road, inverting verses on Bear's Gone Fishing - time for a teleprompter?
• Mysterious dead-air moment mid-Bear's Gone Fishing suggesting a possible audience medical situation
• Nick playing slide on Barstools
• Dave Schools "soapbox" moment during Floozy - part rap, part "let's all love each other," with a "Sacramento Tuesday night" shoutout
• Contentment > Conrad opener noted as matching the exact same two songs that closed the band's only previous Sacramento show (1991, opening for Blues Traveler) - "berk" (coincidence) or intentional nod
• Diner > Fishing > Pilgrims transition called the highlight of the run - "splendid," "almost perfect"
• Fishing's return to rotation praised as a great "vibe rider" - not a set-killer

The Hypothetical "It Would Be Cool If" Game

Looking Ahead:

West Coast Tour concludes with 3 nights in LA. Both hosts hope for a proper Midwest or Southern tour next, reminiscing about old-school spring tour stops like Starkville and Johnson City.

Recommendations:

Harvey:

• Beartown by Fredrik Backman (Swedish hockey-town drama, first of a trilogy)
• London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe - true crime story with a bit of history of London

Jeff:

• Dark Side of the Ring (Vice) - wrestling documentary series
• A specific AEW Collision six-man tag match (Conglomeration vs. Outrunners vs. Dalton Castle) - "sometimes it takes a handful of talented individuals to do the bits right"

Notable Quotes:

• "It's not like there's one great moment of the show — there's multiple moments, which is awesome." - Harvey
• "We need to find something to argue about... there's no conflict." - Jeff, after agreeing on Goose and now Nick Johnson

Personal Notes: Jeff heading to his 30-year high school reunion in Wisconsin; Harvey heading to Disney World.

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