Widespread Panic charted a course for the safety of Saint Augustine’s harbors, docking for three nights at St. Augustine Amphitheatre. They were out at sea for a few weeks longer than expected after canceling their Chicago run last month due to bassist Dave Schools‘ short stint in the hospital and were desperate for supplies, carnage, and plunder—and plunder they did, blitzing through two and a half hours of swamp rock with covers from Vic Chesnutt, Jerry Joseph, Leon Russell, and Bob Dylan, and finishing it all off with an encore from local Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Tom Petty.
When the sextet emerged onstage, John Bell broke the silence with a simple, “Good evenin’, ladies and gents,” before JoJo Hermann’s piano built into a monumental “Bust It Big”. The song was an appropriate choice for the opener for a few reasons, one being that Panic en la Playa Doce is on deck (“Pour my shots and ride my ticket down… to Mexico!”).
JoJo set the stage once more with a relatively new number as the audience watched “King Baby” take its first steps and grow up to be an absolute monster under the mentorship of Jimmy Herring. WSP debuted the tune last year at Red Rocks and last night marked only the eighth time played. Instead of closing out the song, JoJo moved over to layer in a swirling organ as the tempo mellowed and WSP slid smoothly into “Jack” for a feudal fusion of music and magic.
The swinging rhythm of “Holden Oversoul” waltzed out to the back porch and kept going. The synergy of the veteran rockers started to click early on but locked in tight for this jam. A brief moment of silence was interrupted as the serene opening licks prepared “Airplane” for takeoff and soar high among the clouds.
Dave Schools landed the aircraft amidst poor visibility and a heavy barrage of turbulence into Vic Chesnutt’s “Aunt Avis”, which hit harder than direct shot from a blunderbuss. Wrapping up the first frame, Schools plodded along the steady pace of “Walkin’ (For Your Love)” to guide the audience gracefully into set break.
The peace of set break did not last long. When Widespread returned, they were joined by tour manager Steve Lopez for a ripping reggae performance of Jerry Joseph’s “Chainsaw City”. When Jimmy Herring flourished his trusty axe like a “caballero,” the audience melted amidst a wave of ecstasy, embodying the lyrics, “No bad vibes.”
A mind-bending take on the instrumental “Machine” pulled up into a 16-minute “Barstools and Dreamers”, filling glass after glass and knocking back round after round until the intoxication was widespread. For the seventh time ever, WSP wrapped Leon Russell’s “Stranger in a Strange Land” around Bob Dylan’s “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall” as a one-two punch for the knockout.
Winding down the backroads, WSP cruised through the first half of “Driving Song” until Schools took the helm for the second Vic Chesnutt cover of the night, “Blight”. He added a choice piece to his traditional improvisation section, “Forget it boy / you’re not going to play that show in Chicago / You’re going to stay in the hospital!” Of course, the bassist was referring to last month’s canceled run as he shed light on the doctor’s orders.
After finishing out the second half of “Driving Song”, JoJo returned to the helm for the second new song, “Tackle Box Hero” for only the 9th time ever since its debut at Panic en la Playa Once last year. Hardly coincidence and aptly timed, the song was released on all platforms and streaming services yesterday before the show. Dropping the gang plank, WSP tumbled into “All Time Low” before ending the set on a lengthy ride on “Love Tractor”. It seems there’s plenty of fuel in that ol’ reliable engine to handle business as usual.
Returning for an encore, Widespread Panic dropped their sails for an uncharted expedition through “Pilgrims” before bringing it all home with Tom Petty’s “Running Down a Dream”. The recently fallen rocker hailed from Gainesville, FL, a little more than an hour from St. Augustine.
With heads held high, the band and the audience left the venue, their hearts full, yet still hungry for two more shows on the horizon.
Listen to full-show audio and click below to view fan-shot videos from night one of Widespread Panic at St. Augustine Amphitheatre. The band returns tonight for round two. Tickets are sold out. For a full list of WSP’s upcoming shows, visit the band’s website.
Widespread Panic – St. Augustine Amphitheatre – St. Augustine, FL – 3/22/24 [Full-Show Audio]
Widespread Panic – “Bust It Big” – 3/22/24
[Video: Fred Ramadan]
Setlist: Widespread Panic | St. Augustine Amphitheatre | St. Augustine, FL | 3/22/24
Set 1: Bust It Big > King Baby > Jack, Holden Oversoul, Airplane > Aunt Avis > Walkin’ (For Your Love) (57 mins)
Set 2: Chainsaw City*, Machine > Barstools and Dreamers, Stranger In A Strange Land > A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall > Stranger In A Strange Land, Driving Song > Blight > Driving Song, Tackle Box Hero, All Time Low > Love Tractor (80 mins)
Encore: Pilgrims, Running Down A Dream (15 mins)
Notes * w/ Steve Lopez on percussion
-Dave with a rap during ‘Blight’ mentioning his recent hospitalization that led to cancellation of Chicago shows (welcome back, DAS!)