On Friday night, Athens, Georgia road warriors Widespread Panic opened up the 2019 edition of Panic En La Playa, their annual beachside destination event, at Riviera Maya, Mexico’s Hard Rock Hotel.

For their first show of 2019, Widespread Panic appropriately opened up their first set with “Coconut”, as the six-piece powerhouse set the tone for the evening alongside the picturesque Caribbean coastline. Next, keyboardist JoJo Hermann took the vocal lead on “One Arm Steve”, before WSP worked through solid, seamless takes on “You Should Be Glad” and “Junior”. Following “Junior”, Dumpstaphunk’s Ivan Neville joined the stage to lead the band through a cover of Curtis Mayfield’s “Pusherman”, and stayed up on stage to help close out “You Should Be Glad”.

Widespread Panic w/ Ivan Neville – “Pusherman”

[Video: Eric Nelson]

Neville exited the stage and Widespread Panic pushed forward with “Diner”, with John Bell shining bright on lead vocals. Guitarist Jimmy Herring then took the lead, firing off a roaring solo on his beautiful PRS guitar. The band harnessed the crowd’s infectious energy, as they moved forward with “Stop Breakin’ Down Blues” and “Time Zones”, before bringing the first set of the weekend to a close with a raucous rendition of “Imitation Leather Shoes”.

Following a brief break that gave attendees a chance to refill their cups and take a breather, Widespread Panic came back out to open their second set with “1 x 1”, before Duane Trucks and Sunny Ortiz led the band into “Worry”. With Bell leading the way on vocals, Herring showcased some intricate work on his 6-string, eventually peaking as he reached a monumental high-note. A cover of Vic Chesnutt’s “Aunt Avis” came next, before moving forward with the fan-favorite “Driving Song”. WSP left the scorching hot “Driving Song” open-ended, as they dove head first into “Impossible”, which featured an extended jam on the Grateful Dead’s “The Other One”.

Widespread Panic – “Driving Song” > “Impossible” > “The Other One Jam” > “Rock”

[Video: Eric Nelson]

Widespread Panic landed into “Rock” out of their “The Other One” jam, and finally returned to “Driving Song”, giving the rocker the proper closure. Following a bluesy take on “One Kind Favor”, the six-piece brought their second set to a close with “All Time Low”.  WSP delivered a two-song encore with a cover of The Band’s “Ophelia” followed by “North”.

Widespread Panic – “One Kind Stranger”

[Video: MrTopdogger]

Widespread Panic – “Ophelia”, “North”

[Video: Eric Nelson]

Check out a beautiful gallery of photos from last night’s show courtesy of photographer Dave Vann.

Tonight, Widespread Panic returns to Rivera Maya, Mexico’s Hard Rock Hotel for the second night of their Panic En La Playa destination event.

Setlist: Widespread Panic | Panic En La Playa | Riviera Maya, MX | 1/25/2019

Set One: Coconut, One Arm Steve, You Should Be Glad > Junior > Pusherman* > You Should Be Glad**, Diner > Stop Breakin’ Down Blues, Time Zones, Imitation Leather Shoes

Set Two: 1 x 1, Worry > Aunt Avis > Driving Song > Impossible > The Other One Jam > Rock > Driving Song > One Kind Favor > All Time Low

Encore: Ophelia, North

* Ivan Neville on keyboards & vocals, ** Ivan Neville on keyboards