Widespread Panic closed their ninth Panic En La Playa on Monday night, welcoming a slew of guests for their first “Sympathy for the Devil” since 2011 (show gap: 463).

WSP’s first set of the night was certainly hot – a “Pigeons” opener teed up a pairing of “Goin’ Out West”> “Ribs & Whiskey,” and a “Driving Song”> “Disco”> “Driving Song”> “Saint Ex” led into an “Ain’t Life Grand” to close the half.

However, as always, set two kicked things into overdrive. “Party at Your Mama’s House” segued nicely into “Stop Breakin’ Down Blues” and a stand-alone “Pilgrims” made way for a nice one-two punch of “Big Wooly Mammoth”> “Love Tractor.”

A mid-set “Space Wrangler” provided a nice moment of celebration, and – eventually – Widespread Panic invited NOLA’s own Ivan Neville onstage for Willie Dixon’s “Weak Brain, Narrow Mind.”

From there, WSP invited even more friends to the party, as Nicki Bluhm, Terence Higgins, Andee Avila, Ben Vinograd, and Steve Lopez jumped onstage for The Rolling Stones’ “Sympathy for the Devil,” last performed by the band on 7/15/11.

Bluhm took on vocals as Neville slayed the keys and the rest of the guests added auxiliary percussion. (Neville has plenty of experience with the Stones songbook, having played on their Dirty Work and Voodoo Lounge records. He also served time in Keith Richards’ side project The X-Pensive Winos.)

“Postcard” kicked off the encore with John Bell echoing the crowd’s feelings as he sang the lyric, “This town is nuts, my kind of place, I don’t ever wanna leave.” However, the band embraced the “End of the Show” before taking their “Last Dance” into “Porch Song.”

Widespread Panic’s next run will be their five-night, sold-out stand at New York City’s Beacon Theatre.

Check out Panic En La Playa’s final setlist – as it appears in our Box Scores section – below:

Widespread Panic
Jan. 27, 2020
Panic en la Playa
Hard Rock Hotel in Riviera Maya, Mexico

Set I: Pigeons, Goin’ Out West > Ribs & Whiskey, Up All Night, Little Lilly, Driving Song > Disco > Driving Song > Saint Ex, Ain’t Life Grand

Set II: Party At Your Mama’s House > Stop Breakin’ Down Blues, Pilgrims, Big Wooly Mammoth > Love Tractor, Papa’s Home > Rock > Papa’s Home, Space Wrangler, Weak Brain, Narrow Mind*, Sympathy for the Devil**

Enc: Postcard, End of the Show, Last Dance > Porch Song

Notes:
*with Ivan Neville on keys
**Last time played 7/15/11; with Ivan Neville on percussion, keys, and vocals; Nicki Bluhm on vocals; Terence Higgins, Andee Avila, Ben Vinograd, and Steve Lopez on percussion

Source: Panicstream.com