Widespread Panic returned to the Radians Amphitheater at Memphis Botanic Garden on Saturday to round out the band’s two-night Memorial Day Weekend run in Memphis, TN. Following night one’s opening set by Margo Price, Paul Cauthen served as the opening act for the blues-rock veterans on night two. After a night loaded with new originals, Panic brought both Cauthen and Price out to assist in closing out run.
A powerful left, right, hook combo opened the Saturday’s show as “Rock” plummeted into Willie Dixon’s “Taildragger” before “Little Kin” followed with a sneaky southpaw haymaker. Next, JoJo Hermann manned the vocal helm for a double dose of “Big Wooly Mammoth” and “Bust It Big”, the latter of which saw the multi-faceted keyboardist sliding around his pocket from piano to organ and throwing down a funky clavinet section.
Slowing it down and rubbing the sleep out of their eyes, the sextet enshrouded the audience in an arcane mist during “Dream Song” before roaming across the open frontiers of “Pilgrims”. Jimmy Herring kicked his spurs and sped off, riding the supersonic waves of his interstellar guitar. John Bell was feeling ticklish and exchanged “Crows” in the song’s lyrics for a more colloquial “Gangstas” (“Gangstas are just drifters outside my window”). After a short pause, the band offered up a furious “Halloween Face” to end the first frame in a fiendish frenzy.
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Marching back through the gardens for set two, Panic blazed through an infernal “Disco” before crowning “King Baby” in full ceremonial regalia. To hydrate the plants as well as cool down the audience, the band then pumped “Chilly Water” from the ancient well for an extended rendition of the classic Panic tune. The jams descended into Type II territory as fans in the crowd began to wonder if the band would play through the second set without stopping like they had the night prior.
The soul-cutting recent original “We Walk Each Other Home” sliced through even the sturdiest defense mechanisms to paint a mournful portrait of adapting to everyday life after losing a pet. Picking up the emotional shards, Panic then performed the first Memphis “Diner” since 2001, replete with a succinct JB rap about a sleepless night and warming up some of yesterday’s coffee and a rare “Her Dance Needs No Body” snippet featuring “Summertime” piano riffs from JoJo. The music evolved into an extended “Conrad”, causing thousands of feet to squirm like the titular animal as Widespread Panic burst forth from its cocoon to find “a little room to play”. An otherworldly “Blue Indian” waltzed through the purgatory haze to gather and celebrate the arrival of a party “many spirits strong.”
Pausing momentarily, JB stepped to microphone to welcome yesterday’s opener, Margo Price, to the stage for a rowdy cover of Tom Petty’s “Honey Bee”. Price stuck around to keep the band at seven pieces for the Jerry Ragovoy– and Bert Berns-penned “Piece of My Heart”, originally recorded in 1967 by Erma Franklin and later popularized by Big Brother and the Holding Company and its bombastic vocalist, Janis Joplin. Of note, Widespread Panic and Margo Price previously collaborated on both “Honey Bee” and “Piece of My Heart” during Panic’s LOCKN’ set in 2018, the last and only time that the latter tune was performed by Panic.
Unlike in 2018, Margo stayed onstage to close out the second set by exchanging vocal duties with JB during “All Time Low”. A stark contrast between JB’s grizzly growl and Margo’s higher-pitched country twang set this performance apart from any of the others. It was also the last original song of the evening.
For the encore, Widespread Panic and Margo Price were joined by Paul Cauthen (“Wide-spread Pa-nic, folks!”) to perform ZZ Top’s “Waiting for the Bus”. Paul took lead vocals on only the second Panic cover of this song in seven years (and first since 2023’s six-show Austin run).
The crème de a crème came next as Margo joined the ensemble in the spotlight once again for The Rolling Stones’ “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”. JB, Margo, and Paul traded vocal duties, picking up verses like a poker player taking his cards. (“I was standing in line with Mr. Jimmy / and man, did he look pretty ill!”). This ending for the Memphis run was more than just a sing-along with friends: Up next for Widespread Panic is a rare gig as an opening act—for The Rolling Stones Themselves in Denver the night before Widespread’s annual sold-out run at Red Rocks Amphitheatre.
The guest sit-ins put this show over the top, but the way the band dug into its newer material may be the most notable takeaway: Widespread Panic’s 13th is due out before the next show, so keep your eyes peeled for Snake Oil King, which is expected to drop on June 14th. Safe travels, Goodpeople, see y’all on the Rocks, though likely before then…. “to get what I need!”
Below, view the setlist for Saturday’s Widespread Panic finale featuring Margo Price and Paul Cauthen, check out some snaps from the show via Josh Timmermans, and watch a selection of fan-shot clips from the night. For a full list of upcoming Widespread Panic tour dates, head here.
Setlist [via PanicStream]: Widespread Panic | Widespread Panic | Radians Amphitheater | Memphis, TN | 5/25/24
Set One: Rock, Tail Dragger, Little Kin, Big Wooly Mammoth > Bust It Big, Dream Song > Pilgrims, Halloween Face (60 mins)
Set Two: Disco > King Baby > Chilly Water, We Walk Each Other Home, Diner > Conrad, Blue Indian, Honey Bee*, Piece Of My Heart*, All Time Low* (87 mins)
Encore: Waitin’ For The Bus** > You Can’t Always Get What You Want** (13 mins)
Notes: * w/ Margo Price on vocals / tambourine; ** w/ Margo Price on vocals / tambourine and Paul Cauthen on vocals
– First ‘Diner’ performed in Memphis since 11/23/01 Mid-South
– ‘Her Dance Needs No Body’ rap during ‘Diner’
– LTP ‘Piece Of My Heart’ 8/24/18 Lockn’ (194 shows)
– LTP ‘Waitin’ For The Bus’ 4/16/23 Austin (38 shows)
– Opening set by Paul Cauthen
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Widespread Panic w/ Margo Price – “Piece of My Heart” (Ragovoy/Berns) – 5/25/24
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Widespread Panic w/ Margo Price – “Honey Bee” (Tom Petty) – 5/25/24
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Widespread Panic w/ Margo Price, Paul Cauthen – “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” (The Rolling Stones) – 5/25/24
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