The goliaths of rock and roll from Widespread Panic invaded the Lowcountry for a two-night run at Credit One Stadium in Charleston, SC on Friday. Blazing into town with Nashville still smoldering in the rear view, Panic cooked up something special for the Good People of Chucktown by performing “Sparks Fly” for only the 6th time ever.

Rolling up their sleeves, the steady rolling drums of “Wondering” officially ended the work week. John Bell, the saucy frontman, was feeling himself early and switched up the song’s lyrics in favor of “Make a Buddha out of my T.V.” After a momentary lapse of music, Dave Schools’ bass and JoJo Hermann’s piano dug the foundation of Willie Dixon’s “Weak Brain, Narrow Mind” before segueing back into their own collection for a swampy rendition of “Little by Little”.

“Up All Night” broke almost a minute’s silence as JoJo’s piano and Jimmy Herring’s lead guitar guided safe passage like a lighthouse through fog. Following one final guitar crescendo, Schools’ steady bass and JoJo’s piano combined to mellow the tempo for a serene “C. Brown”.

Dave Schools manned the vocal helm and accelerated into Vic Chesnutt’s “Sleeping Man”. After a lengthy clavinet solo from JoJo’s corner, Schools leaned into the Big-Brother-esque themed lyrics as he did in St. Augustine earlier this year. “You’re a guarded secret / in Guantanamo Bay / ICE police come get you / and take you the f*ck away!” and “Watching the sleeping man” (DS: “It’s called kidnapping”) / “Watching the sleeping man” (DS: “Maybe even trafficking”) / “Watching the sleeping man” (DS: “Oh, come on and disappear me right now, let’s go!”)

Winding down the first set, WSP covered Sonny Boy Williamson’s “Good Morning Little Schoolgirl”. JB colored outside the lines and flavored the traditional song with his own personal spice that could only be described as doggone dirty. At the end of the song, he crooned “Remember where all the levers are,” foreshadowing what’s to come.

“Old Neighborhood” cruised through the familiar streets of Lowcountry before a bouncing “Love Tractor” closed out the first frame. Completing the exchange, JB inserted a “Good Morning Little Schoolgirl” callback into the final line of the second verse, “Gonna make me feel like a schoolgirl.”

Panic then opened the second set with a bust-out of “Sparks Fly”. The song from 2003’s Ball has only been played five other times, all in 2003, per Everyday Companion. The LTP was in Pittsburgh the night before 2003’s Halloween in NYC’s Madison Square Garden, 1148 shows ago! Returning to the more familiar grounds, Bloodkin’s “Henry Parson’s Died” gave the reeling crowd a chance to get back in the groove before JoJo took lead vocals for the first time of the night to explore his newly discovered fishing hole during “Tackle Box Hero”.

Widespread Panic  — “Sparks Fly” — 5/16/25

[Video: Robbie Messengill]

As the tides changed, Schools weighed anchor to embark on a 17-minute voyage through the uncharted waters of “Second Skin”. Like an ancient sea monster, the music settled into deep, brooding pockets and emerged only to feed on its unsuspecting prey. Unfurling the sail, WSP repurposed a tailwind to glide through Tom Waits‘ “Goin’ Out West” before the salty “Pilgrims” landed upon the sands of South Carolina, once more.

Widespread Panic  — “Pilgrims”— 5/16/25

[Video: Harry Carpenter]

The sun set, and Sunny’s chimes summoned the breeze to cool the sunbaked audience as Panic turned the key and fired up a “Driving Song” sandwich. As the first verse ended and the echoing guitar notes faded, Schools chiseled the opening notes of Calvin Carter and Bobby Rush’s “Bowlegged Woman”.

Widespread Panic  — “Bowlegged Woman” (Bobby Rush) — 5/16/25

[Video: Harry Carpenter]

Herring capitalized on the opportunity to brand a trademark solo before JB broke down the melody with an improvised rap. (“Time after time again / Somebody been painting pictures / Something that everybody’s seen before…”) Panic finished the second half of “Driving Song” for a short but tasty sandwich until one final segue resulted in a sky-high dogfight, “Saint Ex”. The soaring flight gave no thought of landing and ended the second shttps://www.youtube.com/@gotstubsincpet with a crashing bang.

Back on stage for a victory lap, Widespread Panic encored with “Cosmic Confidante” for the first time since its debut during Memorial Day Weekend in Memphis last year. Last night marked only the fourth time played for this song off 2024’s Snake Oil King. Not quite done even if the alcohol vendors thought so, Panic closed out Friday’s festivities with a rowdy “Tall Boy”.

More to come tonight for the second and final night in Charleston. Enjoy the day, but the night approaches fast. Hang in and hang tight, look out for one another and spread the good vibes wide and far. Have a Ball, y’all!

Setlist: Widespread Panic | Credit One Stadium | Charleston, SC | 5/16/25

Set One (7:22 p.m. ET): Wondering, Weak Brain, Narrow Mind (Willie Dixon), Little By Little, Up All Night > C Brown, Sleeping Man (Vic Chesnutt), Good Morning Little Schoolgirl (Sonny Boy Williamson) > Old Neighborhood > Love Tractor (63 mins)
Set Two: Sparks Fly > Henry Parsons Died (Bloodkin), Tackle Box Hero > Second Skin > Goin’ Out West (Tom Waits), Pilgrims, Driving Song > Bowlegged Woman (Bobby Rush) > Driving Song > Saint Ex (85 mins)
Encore: Cosmic Confidante, Tall Boy (12 mins)

LTP ‘Good Morning Little Schoolgirl’ 10/22/23 Milwaukee (32 shows)
Love Tractor w/ GMLSG lyrics & GMLSG w/ Love Tractor lyrics
LTP ‘Sparks Fly’ 10/29/03 Pittsburgh (1148 shows – 6th time overall)