Widespread Panic Perform Long Awaited Beacon Theatre Run

Widespread Panic held their long-awaited 5-night residency at New York City’s Beacon Theatre this from Thursday, July 21st to Monday, July 25th. The Athens, Georgia band had performed in February and March 2020 just before the pandemic set in, and this new run of shows had been long anticipated and originally scheduled for September, 2021. The shows were pushed to January 2022 then again to July. NYS Music was there on opening and closing night – check out photos from Night 1 and show as well as the setlists and video.

widespread panic beacon theatre
Widespread Panic, Beacon Theatre, 7/21/2022. Photo by Buscar Photo

The atmosphere of the historic theater was electric at the start of the residency. The sidewalks were filled with small vendors selling all sorts of fan art, jewelry and merchandise. Fans were walking up to groups of people handing out stickers and fliers. The official merchandise table was as busy as can be, even with all the competition with numerous t-shirt options outside on the street. Fans were piling in, excited to see what songs would be played on night one.

widespread panic beacon theatre
Widespread Panic, Beacon Theatre, 7/21/2022. Photo by Buscar Photo

The setlist for night one was just what you would expect from Widespread Panic: a surprising career spanning set with various covers and extended jams. After playing “Goodpeople”, the band played “Dark Star” with a “Goodpeople” reprise at the end. Set two featured covers from War (Four Cornered Room), The Beatles (You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away), and Bloodkin (Henry Parsons Died).

widespread panic beacon theatre
Widespread Panic, Beacon Theatre, 7/21/2022. Photo by Buscar Photo

The run continued at the Beacon Theatre on Monday, with a compact first set featuring huge versions of ‘Hatfield’ and ‘Tie Your Shoes’ which segued cleanly into the set closing “Blackout Blues.” Set 2 was straight fire from the get-go with a party starting “Disco” that pushed into ‘”Big Wooly Mammoth” and from there things only got hotter. A long sandwich of “Chilly Water” > “Surprise Valley” > “Arleen” > “Surprise Valley” > “Chilly Water” was as fulfilling as it sounds, with the crowd letting loose as the run came closer to the end. A stand alone “Airplane” by Jerry Joseph preceded two more fiery tunes to close the show, “Postcard” > “Conrad.”

What followed was a 5-song encore – only the fourth five-song single encore in Panic’s 36 year history – and the song selection could not have been finer. Paying tribute to old friends, legends and inspirations, they began with Col. Bruce Hampton, and his song “Basically Frightened” (also the name of a great documentary on the Colonel) before shifting into an unexpected “Mountain Jam.” Panic does not cover Allman Brothers Band tunes very often, maybe a tease here and there, but a proper “Mountain Jam” with former ABB guitarist Jimmy Herring leading the charge, is as Georgia as you can get in NYC short of eating a peach at the same time. John Bell picked up his mandolin for Bloodkin’s “End of the Show,” which normally would be the final song of an encore but on this final night of the run, two more surprises were in store. Black Sabbath’s “Fairies Wear Boots” got a proper southern rock treatment, with David Bowie’s “Heroes” closed the set, a fitting bookend to the run that began with Panic’s own song “Heroes,” a nod to the audience who stuck it out amid a pandemic and three reschedules and brought the love to the Beacon Theatre once again.

Listen to Monday’s show and all others from the run via Panicstream.com.

Widespread Panic next heads to Atlanta for a four-night run at The Fox Theatre starting August 10th.

Setlists via Panicstream.com

Thursday, July 21st

Set 1: Heroes, Rebirtha, Papa Johnny Road, Goodpeople, Dark Bar, Goodpeople, Papa’s Home, Shut Up And Drive, Blue Indian, Wondering

Set 2: Cease Fire, Henry Parsons Died, Time Zones, Happy, Jamais Vu (The World Has Changed), Four Cornered Room, Impossible, Worry, Hide Your Love Away, Ain’t Life Grand

Encore: Down, Makes Sense to Me

Friday, July 22nd

Set 1: From The Cradle, Please, One Arm Steve, Stop Breakin’ Down Blues, Can’t Get High, I’m Not Alone, There Is A Time, Holden Oversoul, Sleeping Man.

Set 2: Little Kin, Action Man, Better Off, Jack, Love Tractor, Drums, Goin’ Out West, Stop-Go, Walk On, Imitation Leather Shoes.

Encore: Gimme, Give, No Sugar Tonight / New Mother Nature

Saturday, July 23rd

Set 1: Pigeons, Sharon, Junior, Up All Night, Christmas Katie > Radio Child, Glory, Greta > Cream Puff War

Set 2: Flicker, Tall Boy > Fishwater, A of D, Driving Song > Machine > Barstools and Dreamers > Zambi Jam > Driving Song > Happy Child > Dear Prudence, Climb to Safety

Encore: Time Waits, Travelin’ Man > The Waker

Sunday, July 24

Set 1: Send Your Mind, All Time Low, Bear’s Gone Fishin’ > Ride Me High > You Got Yours, Space Wrangler, Walkin’ (For Your Love), Protein Drink / Sewing Machine

Set 2:Rock > Party At Your Mama’s House > Ribs and Whiskey, Halloween Face, Me and the Devil Blues, Bust It Big > Drums > One Kind Favor > Bust It Big, North

Encore: Red Hot Mama

Monday, July 25th

Set 1: Saint Ex > Hatfield, Pilgrims, This Part of Town, Thought Sausage, Honky Red, Tie Your Shoes > Blackout Blues

Set 2: Disco > Big Wooly Mammoth > Chilly Water > Surprise Valley > Arleen > Surprise Valley > Chilly Water, Airplane, Postcard, Conrad

Encore: Basically Frightened, Mountain Jam, End of the Show*, Fairies Wear Boots, Heroes

w/ JB on mandolin

‘Spanish Moon’ tease during ‘Tie Your Shoes’

‘Day Tripper’ tease by JoJo after ‘Airplane’

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