To finish their three-night run at the MGM National Harbor, Widespread Panic played another old-school show full of surprises and heavy jams for a one-of-a-kind performance. The Sunday audience got lucky last night on this second annual St. Panic’s Day outside D.C.

Opening with an instrumental for the third night in a row, the boys sauntered onstage to hammer home a feverish “Disco” before segueing into another old school original, “Rock”. The crowd favorite “Sleepy Monkey” re-emerged again this year to wreak havoc before fading off to find a quiet place to recover from his all-nighter. “Space Wrangler” followed, casually trotting through to the “place that pours the coldest beer.” Both “Sleepy Monkey” and “Space Wrangler” are among the band’s earliest compositions, with both tunes debuting in ’85.

Fairly new in comparison to the others, Schools pounded out the bassline to an exhilarating “Second Skin” off 2006’s Earth to America, co-written by Jerry Joseph. JoJo Hermann’s tinkling keys transitioned into a jolty cover of NRBQ’s “Help Me Somebody”, originally introduced to the Panic repertoir introduced in 1995. Dave Schools and John Bell provided backing vocals to Jojo’s lead in an entertaining hodgepodge of harmonies.

Bell captivated throughout a stirring rendition of Cat Stevens‘ “Trouble” which was broken out in ’89 but wasn’t played consistently until after the turn of the Millennium. The cover made its triumphant return as an encore at 2000’s NOLAWEEN run with Schools on stand-up bass. Next, “Bastards in Bubbles”, which debuted at Atlanta’s Fox Theater this past New Year’s Eve, was performed for only the third time ever. The song is from the Widespread and Vic Chestnutt‘s co-written 1995 album, Nine High a Pallet, released under the brute. moniker.

To cap off an already lengthy first set, the boys gave “Pigeons” room for a psychedelic flight. The song debuted in 1986 and has been appearing on setlists ever since. Subsequently, Widespread Panic took a much-needed set break after an incredible eighty-two-minute first set.

After giving the audience time to test their luck in the casino and refill their beverages, Panic reappeared onstage to musically personify Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis with “Imitation Leather Shoes”. Returning to Earth to America, Widespread aced a flowing tribute to their community of fans with “Good People”. The weary travelers raised their glasses in true camaraderie with a zealous JB encouraging, “So, drink, and be whole again.”

JoJo Hermann led a slick transition into a raucous rendition of “Bust It Big” from the beloved Night of Joy album. Maintaining the politically charged undertones, Schools included a quip into Vic Chesnutt’s “Blight”. It seemed to be an afterthought to his NYE jab at the Commander-in-Chief, which went something along the lines of “I heard some words of wisdom, the other day. They went in one ear and out of the other one,” at which point he added, “They go around the oval office, and around and around. Walls keep people IN too, ya know.” This time around, in the shadow of the government’s headquarters, Schools added, “I don’t even need to fuckin’ say it anymore, man. It’s all about love” in the same place in the song’s structure. At the very end of the verse, punctuating musical riffs, he took his plea further: “It always does / Without fail / Love always wins.”

The beat started spiraling out of control as the band segued into an insane “Tie Your Shoes”. Jimmy Herring continued to mash lightning quick riffs with slow, controlled precision until the jam reached the zenith of this never-ending barrage of musical mayhem. With one last build-up and explosion, Widespread pulled a final cardly out of their sleeve to appropriate ice this savory string of songs. The musical dealers had a card face down, and when they revealed “Jack”, everyone in attendance won. Panic finished the series of segues with “TYS > Jack”; two of the earliest originals in the band’s repertoire that debuted in ’86 and ’88, respectively. All told, the impressive, non-stop “Good People” > “Bust It Big” > “Tie Your Shoes” > “Jack” segment stretched to 50 minutes in length.

To conclude the second set, Widespread Panic played an aggressive “Sell, Sell” before transitioning into the wild carnival ride known as “Sharon”, of David Bromberg’s creation. Widespread’s been covering “Sharon” since ’86, but this was a particularly fiery performance, with JB and especially Schools providing a maniacal circus feel.

Returning one final time for a victory lap, the Panics dealt out pocket aces with a heartwarming rendition of Earth to America original “May Your Glasses Be Filled”. The song fit the St. Panic’s Day theme perfectly. To finalize the festive celebrations, Tom Petty’s “Honey Bee” rocked the theater for only the seventh time in the band’s history. This energetic tribute ended the second annual St. Panic’s Day run at the MGM National Harbor in tumultuously badass fashion.

Next weekend, Widespread Panic’s second of three multi-night March runs will take place at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY. This marks the first time that Widespread Panic has played the venue since opening with a single set for The Radiators back in 1992. For the full list of upcoming shows, see here.

Until next week, goodpeople…

You can stream full audio of the performance via PanicStream.

Setlist: Widespread Panic | MGM National Harbor | Oxon Hill, MD 

Set One: Disco > Rock, Sleepy Monkey, Space Wrangler, Second Skin > Help Me Somebody, Trouble, Bastards In Bubbles, Pigeons (82 mins)

Set Two: Imitation Leather Shoes, Good People > Bust It Big > Blight > Tie Your Shoes > Jack, Sell Sell > Sharon (72 mins)

Encore: May Your Glass Be Filled, Honey Bee (12 mins)

Notes: “Sleepy Monkey” LTP 3/16/18 Washington DC (34 shows); “Help Me Somebody” LTP 1/26/18 Playa Siete (41 shows)