For the record, the bands had previously decided to take turns opening for each other with Widespread Panic pulling the first shift at Sandstone. Taking the stage at the peak of the daytime heat, Panic pounded through a blistering hour-and-forty minute set. Starting with a savage version of "Give," the second track off their latest studio release Don't Tell The Band, John Bell and company kept up a grueling pace. "One Arm Steve," drenched with some absolutely sinister organ work from keyboardist John Hermann, flowed into "Pleas" and "Wondering" before settling into a carbon copy album version of "Down," the only other "new" tune to be trotted out for their portion of the show.

Widespread's lead guitarist Michael Hauser, seated and dwarfed by his amp stacks, floated over the mayhem created by Schools' thundering bass with typical grace and razor sharp solo work. Unaffected by the oppressive heat, Bell's blues-colored vocal wailing remained relentless.

For the uninitiated String Cheese fans who had wandered in early, Widespread's set offered the musical equivalent of a sledgehammer between the eyes: surprisingly direct and furiously brutal. For the Widespread fans, brought to a frenzy by a thorough exploration of "Walkin' (For Your Love)" and the rare appearances of "Let's Get the Show on the Road" and "North" (connected by a seamless transition usually notated on traded recordings with that magical ">" symbol), the abbreviated set hit all the right nerves.

As the sun set, the crowd slowly rehydrated and made a valiant effort to manufacture artificial cloud cover over the lawn and reserved seating sections of Sandstone. By the time the stage was set for the String Cheese Incident the sun had mercifully disappeared, finally giving way to the sultry stickiness of evening and a much-mellowed audience. Launching into their set with "Close Your Eyes," a track off of their new release Outside Inside, it wasn't long before Bell was back onstage, sitting in on lead vocals during a cover of Stevie Wonder's "Superstition." However, the rest of the evening belonged to String Cheese's effusive guitarist Bill Nershi, with his flat-picking pyrotechnics on the Peter Rowan newgrass tune "Panama Red" to his down-and-dirty vocal delivery of the band's blues/rock original "Sing a New Song."

As a whole, the String Cheese Incident seemed more willing to explore and branch out stylistically, offering teases of Pink Floyd's "Breathe" coming out of a cover of Keller Williams' "Best Feeling" to open their second set. Later on, they offered a brief glimpse of the classic Grateful Dead staple, "Lovelight," before finally turning the corner into a reprise of "Rollover" to finish out the night. A one-song encore consisting of "Lonesome Road Blues," the traditional bluegrass precursor to the Dead's "Goin' Down the Road Feelin' Bad," finally brought the evening's music marathon to a close.

Both groups, appearing on the same stage for the first time, took full advantage of the opportunity to hook more than just a few new fans. While comparisons seem hardly fair, they were inevitably made and quickly disregarded. The heat of the day suited Widespread Panic's heavy-handed and harder edged character while the lazy and hazy evening found a perfect match in the String Cheese Incident's eclectic style. These meteorological analogies aside, points go to both bands for not taunting the crowd with any idiotic statements like "So, is it hot enough for you?"

Sure, Kansas in July can hardly be called refreshing. In the heat of summer Sandstone is more akin to a cruel mirage than a luscious oasis, where the closest thing to a cool natural spring can only be found in preciously priced 10 ounce plastic bottles. For those who took the risk and survived the heat, these acts were a rejuvenating change of pace from the pop schlock and rock retread acts that afflict most outdoor venues during the peak summer concert season.