Atlantic City was once a thriving hotspot for jazz and piano bars; a classy place that not only inspired the Monopoly board, but where well-to-do people could gamble, dance, and find a drink, even during the Prohibition years. Much has changed through the years as Vegas extorted most of the high-end crowd with its modern designs and cutting-edge spectacles while AC lost some of its prestige. However, that didn’t stop the good-hearted, ne’er-do-wells of the Widespread Panic community from reuniting in the resurging Jersey town to welcome Jimmy Herring and WSP back onstage after a 7-month hiatus between live shows.
On a blustery afternoon, the devoted fans filed inside to escape the gale-force winds and find sanctuary and spiritual healing during Sunday service (“One last time to feed”). Musically, Widespread Panic thrived in the cold, northern air (“Better wear your coat!”) and the bright lights of Etess Arena inside the Hard Rock Casino. John Keane was an extensive ingredient of the weekend’s recipe on electric and acoustic guitar, pedal steel, and vocals, but didn’t hang around for the final show, although Jason Crosby’s fiddle sure did as he joined the band for most of Sunday’s second set.
Barging into the first set with the force of a battering ram, Panic ripped into an opening “Little Kin” and hell followed with it. Settling in, Dave Schools slowed the tempo down for a swinging left-right combo as “Little Lilly” and “Wondering” paved the way for JoJo Hermann’s vocals and piano to take over during “Blue Carousel”. This marked only the eight time played since WSP’s “Back to School Spelling Bee” at Live Oak Pavilion in Wilmington, NC in 2023.
Without stopping, the heavy percussions of “Papa’s Home” rained like napalm fire, igniting the venue with echoing guitar riffs, booming basslines, and heart-wrenching lyrics drenched in nostalgia. The drummers, Sunny Ortiz and Duane Trucks, kept it rolling for a rare first set “Drums” section. After JoJo’s haunting organ plunged into the murky depths of “You Got Yours”, the percussion section reprised “Papa’s Home” to finish where they started. The rollercoaster of tempo changes was executed with the precision that only decades of playing together can provide.
With the crowd still stomping their feet, hooting and hollering with unruly appreciation, John Bell welcomed Jason Crosby back onstage to trade solos with Jimmy Herring during “Pickin’ Up The Pieces”. Afterward, like gunslingers a few minutes past high noon, only Herring remained on his feet to close out the first set with rowdy “All Time Low”.
For the last set of the weekend, JB joked “We have come prepared for some more songs” before Schools barreled into Ed Crawford of fIREHOUSE’s “Sometimes”. The song’s lyrics capture the pain of duty, obligation, and leaving old friends (“Hearts are just bound to break / Well, I’m off and on my way”, “Highway’s callin’ my name”, “Wish I could stay… If you see me in a while / Thank you for that smile”) and features a killer bass line. The LTP was back on the scorching Memorial Day Weekend in Mississippi in 2023.
JoJo’s piano led the segue into the 13th performance of “King Baby”, the opening track off 2024’s Hailbound Queen. Appropriately, the inspiration from “King Baby” spent much of his early career building up his portfolio (and later bankrupting his casinos) in Monopoly City. Jason Crosby snuck back onstage to fiddle amid a spacy jam before sliding into a pairing of blues tunes. Embodying the spirit of the gritty bluesmen, JB mesmerized with growlin’ cuts of Howlin’ Wolf’s “Smokestack Lightning” and Willie Dixon’s “Taildragger”. The second sandwich of the evening was built around the first half of “Driving Song” which segued merrily into an instrumental “The Take Out” and fan-favorite “Porch Song” (“Havin’ a GOOD TIME!”). The latter two were performed in the order they appear together on 1998’s Space Wrangler.
Sunny’s windchimes introduced the second half of “Driving Song” to finish the second sandwich of original compositions. Still without stopping, JoJo dished out a bawdy “Blackout Blues” before finally pausing to give the crowd a chance to catch their breath.
Jason Crosby left the stage, as the drummers and Schools’ bass slowly built into a lengthy cover of War’s “Four Cornered Room” (“Zoom, zoom, zoom!”). A subsequent jam teased Jimi Hendrix’s “Machine Gun” and Tom Petty‘s “Room at the Top” before WSP laid all its cards on the table for a set-closing “Chilly Water”. The last time this was played could be classified as elder abuse so at least this time people knew what was coming before the rains fell indoors.
The end was drawing nigh so after JB thanked the crowd for “a very enjoyable weekend,” Widespread Panic pulled the final two aces from its sleeve. Jason Crosby joined JoJo on keyboards and vocals for The Beatles’ “Dear Prudence” before a second cover, Bloodkin’s “End of the Show” closed out WSP’s Sunday Service in Atlantic City. John Bell wielded his tiny guitar (mandolin) for the evocative cover and lent his voice to a most appropriate final verse: “Everybody’s waiting to find the last drink / The last word to say / The last place to go / The end of the show.”
It can’t be said enough that Widespread’s return to the stage was marked with unanimous euphoria and immaculate vibes that rode high through the weekend. It’s official, WSP is back. Fans brought an energy that is hard to put into words. Tears, grins, hugs, laughter, whether it was your first time or 318th time (Bumble), everybody played their part, and AC didn’t know what hit ‘em!
We are the Good People, we indulge, partake, and shoot first and ask questions later, but we also love our band, our friends, and these sacred moments together. Nothing means more than what we all showed out there this Valentine’s Day weekend. Spread that love wide and don’t let it get too dark.
St. Augustine is on deck with Charleston, Nashville, and Chicago waiting in the wings. Until we dance again. Check in on our brothers and sisters and be sure to lend a hand, even if it means dropping a candy bar to grab a collar. Until next time, party on Wayne.
Check out some videos from Widespread Panic night three in Atlantic City below courtesy of Joe Yed. Find tickets for upcoming shows on Ticketmaster.
Widespread Panic — “Little Kin” — 2/16/25
Setlist [via PanicStream]: Widespread Panic | Hard Rock Live @ Etess Arena | Atlantic City, NJ | 2/16/25
Set One: Little Kin, Little Lilly > Wondering, Blue Carousel > Papa’s Home > You Got Yours > Papa’s Home, Pickin’ Up The Pieces*, All Time Low (62 mins)
Set Two: Sometimes (fIREHOSE) > King Baby > Smokestack Lightning (Howlin’ Wolf)* > Tail Dragger (Willie Dixon)*, Driving Song* > The Take Out* > Porch Song* > Driving Song* > Blackout Blues*, Four Cornered Room (War) > Machine Gun Jam (Jimi Hendrix) > Chilly Water* (93 mins)
Encore Dear Prudence (The Beatles)**, End of the Show (Bloodkin)*** (15 mins)
* w/ Jason Crosby on fiddle
** w/ Jason Crosby on keys/vocals
*** w/ JB on mandolin
– LTP ‘Sometimes’ 5/28/23 Brandon, MS (40 shows)
– LTP ‘Four Cornered Room’ 10/27/23 Savannah, GA (25 shows)