Last night, March 22, Widespread Panic returned to the stage after more than two months away to kick-off its latest series in St. Augustine, Fla. This weekend, the band will stage a three-night run at The St. Augustine Amphitheatre, marking its first live engagement since bassist Dave Schools’ sudden hospitalization spurred the cancellation of a three-night stint in Chicago. On night one, Schools’ return to the spotlight was met with a warm reception as the band presented a thrilling double set, featuring an array of standards alongside a few tributes to the region.

Widespread Panic set off on its first set with the growling, rowdy classic “Bust It Big,” leading into the relatively recent entry “King Baby,” which debuted at the band’s annual Red Rocks Amphitheatre run last year, and the gently rambling Ain’t Life Grand standout “Jack”; taken together, this beginning triptych set the stage for the weekend to come, greeting the crowd by running the range of the band’s sonic attitudes. First frame highlights continued when the band followed the bluesy saunter of “Holden Oversoul” with another three-song medley, this time with a centerpiece cover of Vic Chesnutt’s “Aunt Avis.” This time-honored treatment of Chesnutt’s soul-stirring original has become a staple in WSP’s discography given the connection between both acts finding their start in the Athens, Ga. scene, though Friday’s iteration was particularly fitting due to its presentation near Chesnutt’s birthplace of Jacksonville, Fla.

The band’s second set began with Jerry Joseph’s “Chainsaw City,” featuring a swampy, roots-rocking arrangement of the reggae-inflected track bolstered by additional percussion from tour manager Steve Lopez. Covers continued at the set’s midpoint, when Widespread Panic bundled up Bob Dylan’s “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall” in Leon Russell’s “Stranger in a Strange Land.” This set the stage for yet another blend, this time setting two renditions of the iconic 1988 original driving song around “Blight,” another longstanding Chesnutt borrowing; Schools took the lead on this cover, broaching the topic of his recent medical interruption and return to the road with the inserted line, “You’re not going to play that show in Chicago / You’re going to stay in the hospital!” 

The band continued with “Tackle Box Hero,” which it debuted in its eleventh Panic en la Playa run last year. In line with this performance, the band also released the track as a brand-new studio recording yesterday, available now on all streaming platforms as the band’s third fresh single of 2024. The group then closed out the second set with a blend of “All Time Low” and “Love Tractor,” followed by an encore of “Pilgrims” and Gainesville, Fla. native Tom Petty’s “Running Down a Dream” to close out the set with one final salute to Northern Florida.

Widespread Panic will perform at the The St. Augustine Amphitheatre again tonight and tomorrow, March 23. Next, the group will move on to its highly-anticipated Panic en la Playa Doce concert getaway, which will bring the band and its fans down to Riviera Maya, Mexico from April 14-17. For tickets and more information on the band’s upcoming performances, visit widespreadpanic.com/shows/.

Read on for the complete setlist from Friday’s performance.

Widespread Panic
St. Augustine – St. Augustine Amphitheatre
3/22/24

Set I: Bust It Big > King Baby > Jack, Holden Oversoul, Airplane > Aunt Avis+ > Walkin’ (For Your Love)
Set II: Chainsaw City*, Machine > Barstools and Dreamers, Stranger In A Strange Land# > A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall^ > Stranger In A Strange Land, Driving Song > Blight+ > Driving Song, Tackle Box Hero, All Time Low > Love Tractor
Encore: Pilgrims, Running Down A Dream

Notes:
+ Vic Chesnutt cover
* Jerry Joseph cover w/ Steve Lopez on percussion
# Leon Russell cover
^ Bob Dylan cover