....That being the case, Widespread Panic doesn't sustain itself by selling a shrinkwrapped product. Like business consultants and tax attorneys, these folks make money only when they work--that is, up on stage providing "the soundtrack to this big party that's going on," as drummer Todd Nance puts it. Widespread Panic sells the experience of seeing its live performance, which is even airier than it sounds. "You're calling nothing something, and you're selling that," explains John Bell, the band's 41-year-old co-founder. "It's like Seinfeld."

....The band isn't interested in following the conventional path to big bucks. It won't play at most radio-sponsored shows, Bell says, because Widespread Panic "can't express itself in an hour." He gives a similar reason for turning down a feeler about opening for the Rolling Stones. "Our fans would be disappointed." The band has played twice on The Late Show With David Letterman (and once on The Tonight Show last August) because "it felt right." Serving those fans remains a priority even in New York City, where tickets cost just $45 (the average Garden price is $65 to $75), so true believers can soak up both nights. Without them, as I now know, there's no show.

Driving with Nance to the gig that afternoon, I ask him as we approach Red Rocks, Wouldn't all these folks lining the streets explode into, well, widespread panic if they knew you were in the car? Not at all, he insists. To prove it, he turns and waves out the window. One fan, draped in tie-dye, smiles broadly and then--of course--points. "It's not like we're the Beatles or anything," Nance says quietly. "Here, the band and the audience are responsible for each other's existence." Finally, I'm convinced he's right. I am pleased to see more and more attention paid to bands that don't fit into the typical media machinery of radio, videos and the major labels - given the state of the biz, it's something we're going to be hearing more and more about. The Dead's model has proved prophetic and profitic.