The saltiest captains on a rockin’ sea, Widespread Panic returned to St. Augustine Amphitheatre for a final Sunday night send-off. The oldest city in America is no stranger to the Good People community and warmly welcomes those with a will to get weird. Converging by the carload, fans reveled in its Spanish-inspired architecture and pristine beaches, offering an early sunny getaway for those from nearby and Northerners desperate for summer.
In North Florida, Tom Petty reigns supreme, and Widespread Panic once again paid tribute to the fallen Rock & Roll Hall of Famer with a third consecutive Tom Petty encore—this time around, a never-before-played Petty tune.
Dave Schools wrestled the mythical beast of “Rebirtha” into the opening slot of the first set before “Little Lilly” climbed through the bedroom window for a bass-thumpin’ rendezvous. Without stopping, Duane Trucks and Sonny Ortiz drove their percussive hearse into the graveyard, leading the funeral procession through “Henry Parsons Died” with a Bloodkin-inspired morbid fascination.
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JoJo Hermann’s piano danced a saucy tango with Jimmy Herring during “Cotton Was King” until an instrumental “B of D” made a sudden appearance at the debutante’s ball. Baiting their hook, the Panics swung a wide arc to cast their trusty lure, “Bear’s Gone Fishin’”, into the edge of the sea.
After a fierce fight, Schools reeled in a whopper “C. Brown”, assuaging the anxiety associated with Sunday scaries and the end of a three-night run with friends and family. Cranking up the voltage to end the first set with an incendiary, Panic donned “Halloween Face” and hell followed with it.
Wasting no time, WSP uncorked a “Chilly Water” to open the floodgates of the second set. Water flew on cue to cool off the now-sunburnt audience. While the audience scampered to refill their water rations after joyously spraying them in the air, JoJo moved into the piano introduction of “Greta” and transformed the rabid audience into veritable howlin’ beasts.
Without missing a beat, Dave Schools melded the melody into a new form, introducing Traffic’s “Dear Mr. Fantasy”. The crowd participation was right on the money as they oohed, aahed, and sang in perfect unison—at least when their mouths weren’t agape from Herring’s guitar barrages.
Returning to their own extensive catalog with a trio of classics, WSP soared though “Surprise Valley” and made space and time for Duane and Sonny to duel without interference. The second instrumental of the night, “Party at Your Mama’s House”, gave JB a chance to rest his pipes before the frontman, equipped with his slide, fired up the grill for a sizzling “Ribs and Whiskey”.
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As the second set wound down, Talking Heads’ “City of Dreams” provided JB ammo for his arsenal, notably the geographically appropriate second verse about how “the Spaniards lived for gold…” as well as the always raucous line shouting out “Southern U.S.A.” During a show south of the Mason-Dixon line, a little Southern pride always lights a fire under the audience.
For the fourth time in the past year and only the fifth time in a decade, WSP reeled in a mighty performance of “Fishing”—a tune that reemerged during last summer’s Red Rocks finale to the appreciation of the entire fanbase. As JoJo’s fingers slid across his keyboard, Herring cracked open a “Tall Boy” with a refreshing guitar introduction, quenching the thirst of the crowd who willingly donated their water supplies in the beginning of the set.
Just like they had done the past two nights, Widespread Panic encored with a song from local legend Tom Petty. On Night 1, they brought forth the Florida rocker’s “Running Down a Dream” for the 8th time ever. On Saturday, Panic pollinated a mean “Honey Bee”. Shaking off all predictions like a busted NCAA bracket, Widespread Panic debuted “Room at the Top”—a TP song that has been included in raps and teases, but never played by the band outright.
To finish out the weekend in St. Augustine, Panic navigated their ship into more familiar waters with a conclusive performance of the beloved “Porch Song”.
Next up, WSP is headed to the Hard Rock Hotel in Riviera Maya, Mexico for Panic en la Playa Doce on April 14th–18th. The lineup is stacked, and it’s sure to be the happiest place on Earth for that weekend. Until then… take care!
Widespread Panic – St. Augustine Amphitheatre – St. Augustine, FL – 3/24/24
Widespread Panic – “Greta”, “Dear Mr. Fantasy” (Traffic) – 3/24/24
[Video: Fred Ramadan]
Setlist (via PanicStream): Widespread Panic | St. Augustine Amphitheatre | St. Augustine, FL | 3/24/24
Set 1 Rebirtha > Little Lilly > Henry Parsons Died (BloodKin), Cotton Was King, B of D, Bear’s Gone Fishin’ > C. Brown, Halloween Face (62 mins)
Set 2 Chilly Water, Greta > Dear Mr Fantasy (Traffic), Surprise Valley > Drums > Surprise Valley, Party At Your Mama’s House > Ribs and Whiskey, City of Dreams (Talking Heads), Fishing > Tall Boy (95 mins)
Encore Room At The Top (Tom Petty), Porch Song (11 mins)
Notes
– LTP ‘Dear Mr Fantasy’ 1/14/23 PELP (48 shows)
– FTP ‘Room At The Top’ (Tom Petty)
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