The weather on the second night of Panic en la Playa at the Hard Rock Resort in Riviera Maya, Mexico felt eerily similar to the previous night’s weather that culminated into a torrential downpour. So, it was very appropriate when the band opened with Van Morrison’s “And It Stoned Me” directly referring the audience’s feeling that “I hope it doesn’t rain all day.” After a quick pause, Widespread Panic weaved a rowdy version of the classic tune “Disco” to get the crowd into it. JoJo Hermann continued his brilliance through “Disco” and into another heartwarming classic “Good People” from their album “Earth to America”.
John Bell got into the mayhem with a cutting version of their original “Worry” led by Jimmy Herring’s electrifying guitar playing. JoJo sang lead on his own song “1×1” which got the audience stomping their feet. To close the set with a bang, the band then delivered an extended “Second Skin” in accordance to the night’s theme. Dave Schools rocked the bass, and the bands took several turns soloing in their roundabout, unselfish style. The onslaught of music paused for a moment before a condensed combination of the original tunes, “Machine > Barstools And Dreamers” ended the first set of music, consisting of nearly 70 minutes of sonic bliss.
The band resumed night two with “A of D” to open the second set which transitioned into a bass-heavy “Bear’s Gone Fishin’”. The party really got started when they segued into “Tall Boy” with Jimmy Herring piloting in overdrive. Next, the band returned to the rain-induced weather theme with a cover of Bob Dylan’s “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall” with John Bell acing the convoluted and tongue-twister lyrics. The band then took their only pause of the second set before stirring the pot with a explosive rendition of the original tune “Dyin’ Man”, which segued into a jagged version of “Sell, Sell” off the latest album Street Dogs. John Bell promises knowingly that “The next one’s gonna be the best one of the year!”
The musicians put down their instruments to allow space for Sonny Ortiz and Duane Trucks to put their own percussive brand to the set with a solid “Drums” session. Eric Krasno and Ivan Neville accompanied the band on stage to produce a gloriously psychedelic version of Parliament Funkadelic’s “Maggot Brain”. Jimmy Herring and Eric Krasno were battling toe-to-toe in a professionally competitive showdown which melted many faces of the audience. The octet continued the musical massacre with an extended rendition of the J.J. Cale tune, “Ride Me High.” JoJo took lead vocals, but he made sure to give Ivan Neville enough room on his keyboard set to run rampant. JoJo wisely advises that “the less you want, the more you got; so don’t you cry for more!” To conclude the second set, the band executed a kick-ass “Bust It Big”, reminiscent of last year’s encore of the first night. Naturally, the crowd went nuts and was especially raucous in accompanying the words to the song “Gonna pour my shots and ride that liquor down…. TO MEXICO!!!”
After shuffling off the stage for a moment, the sextet of rock n roll royalty returned to play a glorious version of Jorma Kaukonen’s “Genesis”. This sentimental song transitioned into the barn yard scorcher “Love Tractor”, providing a stark contrast and closing the night of music with an explosion of energy. As long as the weather holds off, there is no reason that the prodigious musicians of Widespread Panic will indeed prove that this year will be the best one yet.
Maggot Brain
[via MrTopDogger]
Bust It Big
[via LoadOffAnnie]
Setlist: Widespread Panic | Hard Rock Resort | Riviera Maya, Mexico | 1/26/2018
I: And It Stoned Me, Disco, Good People, Worry, 1×1, Second Skin, Machine > Barstools and Dreamers (68 mins)
II: A of D > Bear’s Gone Fishin’ > Tall Boy > A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall, Dyin’ Man > Sell Sell > Drums > Drums & Bass > Maggot Brain* > Ride Me High* > Bust It Big* (102 mins)
E: Genesis > Love Tractor (12 mins)
* w/ Eric Krasno (guitar) and Ivan Neville (keys)
Check out the full gallery from Day 2 of Panic en La Playa below from Dave Vann.
