The lucky ones who “bought the ticket and took the ride” to Las Vegas this weekend were rewarded by the veteran road dogs of Widespread Panic—often lovingly referred to as “The World’s Greatest Cover Band”—with a Saturday night setlist comprised entirely of original favorites at The Theater at Virgin Hotels. With the troubadours of swamp rock delving deep into their own bag and the music sounding better than ever, Saturday’s show was surely worthy of space on the Panic Hall of Fame mantle.
Turning back the clock to the band’s earliest days, Widespread Panic began the show with the instrumental “The Take Out” followed by “Porch Song”, mirroring the sequence in which the songs appeared on the group’s 1988 debut album, Space Wrangler. Keyboardist JoJo Hermann took over lead vocals for “One Arm Steve” before sliding over to his organ for a smoking “Thin Air (Smells Like Mississippi)”. Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. Where there’s fire, there’s the virtuoso guitarist Jimmy Herring, who spent the song spitting straight gas and setting the venue ablaze with a barrage of notes.
Almost as a nod to the streamers on the Eastern Time zone—many listened until nearly dawn—Panic accelerated through “Up All Night” and into a badass “Shut Up and Drive” (“You don’t slow down, not this night”). Panic continued to burn rubber during an infernal “Disco”, the second instrumental of the set.
With the skilled captain John Bell at the helm, the six-piece band deftly navigated the serene waters of “Diner” before sailing through a tempestuous “Halloween Face” to anchor the first set within the safety of the harbor. JB’s voice sounded crisp and in-control as he demanded a “lil’ peppa and hot sauce!” during the second verse of “Diner” and added a short and sweet rap about “Gettin’ kicked off his bench early that morning…”
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Returning from set break, Dave Schools bounced into “From The Cradle” until overcoming the “Impossible” for a mighty jam. An imperfect “Gradle” stood alone in her effortlessly beautiful state (“The angels whisper ‘Pay no mind’”) before “Holden Oversoul” kicked open the screen door to an expansive “Surprise Valley” sandwich. The band broke “Surprise Valley” down the middle for a hearty drum section to showcase Sunny Ortiz and Duane Trucks’ coordinated precision. Building back up, the rest of the band members jumped in as “Cease Fire” segued into a cataclysmic “Tie Your Shoes”. Finally, the Panics finished the soaring tail end of “Surprise Valley” before slowing it down to stroll through “Walkin’ (For Your Love)”.
With the set winding down, the cosmonaut Jimmy Herring burst through the gates of “Pilgrims”. Riling up the crowd, JoJo took the last licks as a bawdy “Blackout Blues” finished off the second set. JoJo remained at the vanguard for a poignant “This Part of Town” encore before performing the final coup de grâce during a monumental “Bust It Big” finale.
Widespread Panic rode hot hands on Saturday to take down the House for all it was worth, doubling down and doubling up until the whole damn town was theirs. In the words of Jerry Reed, “When You’re Hot, You’re Hot!” One more show tonight. Maybe all covers? As always, anything goes—especially at a Las Vegas Sunday Show.
Stream full audio of the show via PanicStream. Scroll down for a selection of fan-shot videos. For a complete list of upcoming Widespread Panic tour dates, head here.
Widespread Panic – “Impossible” – 3/4/23
[Video: MrTopdogger]
Setlist [via PanicStream]: Widespread Panic | The Theater at Virgin Hotels | Las Vegas, NV | 3/4/23
Set One: The Take Out > Porch Song, One Arm Steve, Thin Air (Smells Like Mississippi) > Up All Night, Shut Up And Drive, Disco > Diner, Halloween Face (66 mins)
Set Two: From the Cradle > Impossible, Gradle, Holden Oversoul > Surprise Valley > Drums > Cease Fire > Tie Your Shoes > Surprise Valley, Walkin’ (For Your Love), Pilgrims, Blackout Blues (86 mins)
Encore: This Part Of Town, Bust It Big (14 mins)
Notes: ‘Thin Air (Smells Like Mississippi)’ last played 10/23/21 Milwaukee (63 shows)