For the third time in five years, Widespread Panic summoned fans to test their luck in Las Vegas, NV. Previously performing at a smattering of venues on and off the Strip since its first Sin City show in ‘92, WSP chose a familiar haunt, The Theater at the Virgin Hotel, to hunker down for the weekend.
Widespread Panic opened the show by bringing tour manager, Steve Lopez, onstage for some extra percussion on a reggae-infused rendition of Jerry Joseph’s “Chainsaw City”. As the band alternated between covers and originals, interim guitarist Nick Johnson held the reins during “Holden Oversoul” and “Space Wrangler”, which were split by Van Morrison’s “And It Stoned Me”. JoJo Hermann’s piano rained notes during the beloved cover as well as the cantering section at the beginning of “Wrangler”.
Widespread Panic — “And It Stoned Me” (Van Morrison) — 5/8/26
Maneuvering around his multi-tiered kit of keyboards, JoJo cast out the esoteric intro of “Bear’s Gone Fishin’” before Nick Johnson’s solo cleanly filleted the tune’s meaty middle. Bass bombardier, Dave Schools, commandeered the vocal helm during Vic Chesnutt’s “Sleeping Man” and added his own dystopian flair, “We’re gonna watch you through every appliance you own!”
“Blue Indian” exchanged heavy vibes in favor of the serene, dreamlike sounds of Sunny Ortiz’s windchimes and Johnson’s melting guitar notes. After starting on the organ and ending with piano, JoJo called back memories of last week’s Jazz Fest with a New Orleans-inspired introduction to a set-closing “Blackout Blues”.
Back for round two, Widespread Panic slugged Bloodkin’s “Makes Sense to Me” before ducking into the swaying rhythms of “Rebirtha”. Nick Johnson weaved around JoJo’s echoing organ during a heavyweight “You Got Yours” while Dave Schools supported John Bell’s harrowing vocals.
“Goodpeople” wandered into JoJo’s “Dark Bar” (“Had a dream in Vegas…”) for a brief round until retracing their steps back to “Goodpeople” to complete the jam sandwich. JB carried Daniel Hutchen’s torch during “Trashy”, the second Bloodkin song of the set. With rallying cries of “We’re trashy, but we’re true,” and “We are the goodpeople, the ones they told you about,” these songs have cemented themselves as unofficial anthems for our kaleidoscopic community.
Widespread Panic — “Goodpeople” > “Dark Bar” > “Goodpeople” — 5/8/26
Without stopping, Panic plunged into an uptempo, guitar-driven improvisation that fused Curtis Mayfield’s “Pusherman” and War’s “Low Rider” with hints of Grateful Dead. The loose music structure eventually found form, shaping into Warren Zevon’s “Lawyers Guns and Money”.
For the second time Friday night, WSP dug into Vic Chesnutt’s catalog for a closing combination of “Protein Drink” and “Sewing Machine”. Duane Trucks maintained a hellish tempo to synergize with Nick Johnson during the set’s final peak.
After cutting into an encore of “We Walk Each Other Home”, Widespread Panic closed out the first show of the weekend with Tom Petty’s “You Wreck Me”. The song’s lyrics encapsulated the optimism of a realistic gambler: “Well, if I don’t win, I’m a-gonna break even!”
With two more shows ahead, there’s enough time on the clock for miracles, nightmares, and everything in between. Don’t gamble more than you are willing to lose, and hang on to what’s under your shoes. Good luck, Goodpeople.
Check out videos from night one of Widespread Panic in Las Vegas by justanotherhoarder, and pick up last-minute tickets on Ticketmaster. [Editor’s note: Live For Live Music has affiliate relationships with Ticketmaster and may earn a commission on purchases completed via the links on this page. Thank you for supporting our coverage of the world of live music.]
Widespread Panic — “Chainsaw City” (Jerry Joseph) — 5/8/26