Widespread Panic made landfall in Boston Harbor on Thursday night for its first shows in Massachusetts since 2015. While the Red Sox were visiting the New York Yankees in the Bronx, the Georgia-native titans of rock and roll settled into the first of three shows at the MGM Music Hall in the shadows of Fenway Park’s fabled Green Monster. Adding to the excitement, the band was joined during the second set by Chuck Leavell, the pianist known for his work on early Allman Brothers Band records and ongoing tenure as the musical director for The Rolling Stones.
John Bell, Dave Schools, JoJo Hermann, Jimmy Herring, Duane Trucks, and Sunny Ortiz barged into their long awaited Boston affair with “One Arm Steve” and “Pleas” in the vanguard. JoJo took the vocal helm on the bawdy opener before offloading singing duties to JB, who meant nothing but business, per the positioning of his sleeves (rolled up) and hat (backwards). The lights turned blood red as Dave Schools chiseled out the opening notes of Bobby Rush and Calvin Carter’s “Bowlegged Woman”. Between the heavy bassline, Jimmy Herring’s screeching guitar, JB’s gravelly vocals, this cover set the tone for the night ahead.
Schools plunged into the blissful waters of an extended “Bear’s Gone Fishin’” before steering the melody into “Shut Up and Drive”. JoJo switched from organ to piano to crack open “Tall Boy” before the aggressive percussions of “Cease Fire” dropped with the force of an artillery round. The structure of the song allowed Jimmy Herring to land a barrage of hot-handed guitar licks around his bandmate’s movements.
Without stopping, JB embodied the indefinable spirit of Col. Bruce Hampton during a lively cover of Bukka White’s “Fixin’ To Die” as JoJo sprinkled fistfuls of piano around the echoes of Herring’s guitar. Staying heavy, a high-octane “Imitation Leather Shoes” closed out the first frame.
When the band returned from the intermission, James Taylor’s “Knocking ‘Round the Zoo” unlocked the cages and unleashed a feral vibe (“On a Thursday afternoon…”). With the hungry look of a desperate man, JB channeled the power of his backwards cap as he cawed his love of fried chicken during “Contentment Blues”.
Cleaning up his vocals like a sinner on his way to church, JB crooned the lyrics of “Small Town” before JoJo took the lead on “Tacklebox Hero”, two tunes off 2024’s Snake Oil King. Returning the tone into darkness, JoJo’s Clavinet and organ blazed into a harrowing take on “You Got Yours” featuring a tease of Gary Numan’s “Cars”.
Reminiscent of Panic’s Red Rocks run earlier this summer, JB welcomed Chuck Leavell to the fold for an 18-minute rendition of J.J. Cale’s “Ride Me High”. The Tree Man hung around to celebrate the occasion with “Ain’t Life Grand” before departing the stage. Whether or not Chuck is here for the weekend has yet to be determined, but if Red Rocks trip was any indication, we could be in for another Chuck weekend in Beantown.
Widespread Panic w/ Chuck Leavell – “Ride Me High” (pt. 1) – 8/21/25
Widespread Panic w/ Chuck Leavell – “Ride Me High” (pt. 2) – 8/21/25
[Videos: Bradford Walker]
A six-piece once more, JB locked in during an intimate performance of Neil Young’s “Don’t Be Denied” before returning to the Panic songbook with a hard-hitting “King Baby”, the opening track on Hailbound Queen. With time for one more and plenty of venue-provided free water in the crowd, the set-closing “Chilly Water” monsoon left Boston soaked yet satisfied. (P.S. We really do appreciate the water, MGM. We promise we won’t do that again tonight.)
A cover of Talking Heads’ “Life During Wartime” served as a stand-along encore, offering one last dance and leaving the crowd wanting more. Two more nights of party, disco, and fooling around on deck in Boston this weekend. Night two tonight—new day, new game. Batter up, Good People.
Below, check out the setlist, a gallery of photos via AJ Genovesi, and a selection of fan-show videos via Bradford Walker from night one of Widespread Panic in Boston. Find tickets to Widespread Panic’s upcoming tour dates here.
Setlist [via HomeTeam.FM]: Widespread Panic | MGM Music Hall at Fenway | Boston, MA | 8/21/25
Set One: One Arm Steve, Pleas, Bowlegged Woman, Bear’s Gone Fishin’ > Shut Up And Drive, Tall Boy > Cease Fire > Fixin’ To Die, Imitation Leather Shoes (68 mins)
Set Two: Knocking ‘Round The Zoo > Contentment Blues, Small Town > Tackle Box Hero, You Got Yours, Ride Me High* > Ain’t Life Grand*, Don’t Be Denied, King Baby > Chilly Water (84 mins)
Encore Life During Wartime (7 mins)
Notes * w/ Chuck Leavell on keys
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