PELP N2 (1/21/26)

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Data mined and explored via Everyday Companion.

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It’s safe to say that after N1, many a Panic fan woke up the next day thinking, “WTFINJ? Perhaps followed by ”where has he been all my life?” Okay, so who is Nick Johnson? This interview from 2018 and this interview from 2013 do a pretty great job explaining his background and musical upbringing, but you can count on your WATLO nerds to give you a quick synopses:

• He’s from Rockland, Massachusetts

• He moved to Atlanta in 2007 after meeting Jimmy Herring and Colonel Bruce after a show, with the intention of taking a class at the Atlanta Music Institute taught by Mr. Jimmy.

• Once he enrolled in school, Jimmy promptly went on tour with Panic, thus Nick J. never took a class from Professor H.

• His favorite guitarist is Derek Trucks

• Bands he’s played in:

  • Colonel Bruce’s

  • Randall Bramblett’s

  • The Electromatics 

• If his house was burning down, he’d grab his 1970 Gibson ES-335 first.

After last night’s epic, albeit “safe,” performance, fans were geared up and energetic about night two. Last night’s show included songs that were all played in 2025, with a shockingly lowest LTP gap of 17 (Arleen). What would tonight bring?

The first full day at Playa gave everyone plenty of time to settle into vacation life, especially after enjoying Eggy’s lagoon set, a beautiful sunny day, and endless food and beverages. The theme for the evening was tie dye, and people really took to the theme! Easy enough for everyone to participate as much or as little as they wanted to. Some clad in bright effervescent tie dye from head to toe, and others who merely adorned their dome with a borrowed tie dye bandana around their noggin. Others in the audience opted for the go-to sweaty size XL SEC college football t-shirt. All were welcomed, all looked amazing

The boys came on the stage, and quickly leapt into Greta. Some iterations include a longer introduction from Jojo, but he dove in nose-first into this one. The crowd was ready to howl at the crescent moon. You know we love our numbers, here at WATLO HQ, and we are happy to report that this was the 444th time the band performed Greta. What a great way to start the show! Around the 6-minute mark, they softened into a jam that was soothing, peaceful, and interesting. It built up, as Nick’s licks paved the way for a soaring soundscape. 

Dave’s bass paved the way for a perfect transition into Blight. Historically speaking, several original members of Widespread Panic (JB, Jojo, Dave, Mikey, and Todd) joined forces with Vic Chesnutt to form a band called Brute. in the 90s. This particular song was credited to Chesnutt, Houser, Nance, Schools and released on the Brute. studio album Nine High a Pallet in 1995. Widespread Panic has never released a studio version, but has released two live versions:  2002 (Live in the Classic City) and in 2012 (Wood). Technically this could be considered as the first cover of the evening despite 75% of the authors being in the band - we’ll leave that decision up to you! After Dave sang “tossed right out into the blue” he said “blue sky, blue sky, blue sky, blue skyyyyyyy” possibly referencing the immaculate weather we all got to enjoy that day, or maybe the cat I’m currently living with, named Blue Sky. He added a little more… “Into my ears, inna my ears, an enemy of my ears, an enemy of my ears, [mumbles], and out of the other one.” Second song out of the gate, and everyone could tell Dave was feeling it! His “oooooohs” were in a higher octave than usual, he gave us audible gasps and breathy “aaahhhhs” inspiring JB to add a little extra umph to his parts as well. It was a beautiful collaboration of vocals as Mr. Soul and Bass Mountain exchanged “shiiiiiiine”s back and forth. Lyrically, the song wrapped up around 4:30, which gave us about 5.5 minutes of jamming. Everyone was in the mix, from the distorted guitar sounds JB was making, to Sunny’s maracas, Jojo’s melodic keys, Nick’s soulful guitar licks, Duane keeping perfect rhythm, and Dave throwing it down - they were a cohesive unit, playing together, integrated, and definitely on the same page. It was at this moment that we recognized we were in for a treat, another incredible show, but likely one with more exploration inside the jams. The jam concluded with Dave playing the Blight bass-line. 

Without even a pause, Duane started up Wondering. Happy 700th time played to you, Wondering! What an amazing milestone for such a wonderful song! Quite frankly, Nick’s guitar solo culminating with the last verse “I’ve been driving” was more closely reminiscent of Mikey’s style which gave us allllllll the feels. Smiles from ear-to-ear in the Mexican crowd. They came to a complete stop after a fantastic execution of a studio-style version. 

The crowd erupted in anticipation, and were gifted Little by Little. Have you read the WATLO 2025 Annual Report yet? It may not surprise you, but LxL was the only song played at every single run in 2025, all 15 tour stops. We’ve been closely tracking this, our curiosity growing, wondering if they will ever NOT play this song. Technically, this was the second time we heard it in 2026, if you count the sound check from two nights before. Luckily, this song absolutely SLAPS, so despite our curiosity growing, we aren’t mad about hearing it at every run. Who doesn’t love a rockin’ tune that's autobiographical, tells the band’s story so beautifully, references each member, and reminds us that the journey of an endless soul begins with a baby crawl? Bit by bit, baby! Nick absolutely SLAYED this one - it definitely seemed like they rehearsed this one a LOT, which makes sense given that it wins the award for most times played in the last 100 shows.

After a significant pause and a little ditty from Dave, Airplane took off next. A friend told us this song was written about a woman who mailed the boys LSD back in the day. They’d mail her a letter with their order and cash, and then patiently wait for her letter to come in the mail with their “paper” in the envelope. “She’s got wings” takes on a whole new meaning! We were stoked to see how Nick would handle the “take off” jam, especially after the way he crushed the tone in Wondering. Yuuuuuuuup (6:30) - that’s the stuff [wet] dreams are made of. Even JB got in the mix! 

A smooth and astonishing transition brought us into Pusherman! Now this is indisputably a cover, and the biggest bustout of the entire run! Originally released by the coolest musician in the world, Curtis Mayfield on the album Superfly in 1972. This album can be held accountable for most births between 1973-1980, AKA the majority of Panic fans. It’s likely because of Mr. Mayfield that you were there to enjoy JB’s shoulder shrugs and his absolute flawless execution of the lyrics. Despite this being the 135th time ever played, first time on 10/31/90, it hasn’t been played much recently. Here are the biggest show gap histories of the song: On 4/7/95 it was played after a 414-show gap, on 4/1/08 it was played after a 106-show gap, and then on this fateful night we gratefully basked in the glow of the Pusherman after 153 shows of his absence. Since Duane joined the band, it’s only been played 13 total times (including this one):

• 10/5/14 (Duane’s third show!)

• 10/26/14

• 01/27/15

• 04/26/15

• 07/02/16

• 12/30/17

• 10/21/18

• 01/25/19

• 08/02/19

• 01/26/20

• 02/27/20

• 10/30/21

• 01/21/26

Soon after the Pusherman sold us two bags, please, We Walk Each Other Home kicked off. There was something sort of grim about this song following the last. Pusherman references a LOT of drug use, and then this song references helping a companion transitioning to the other side, the end of life. While most of us are aware it was written about a dog, we also all remember our beloved friends, pals, family members, and loved ones who are no longer with us. The shadow side of our “scene” is that life can be taken a bit too soon due to overconsumption and overindulgence. “A poison and a prayer, a sweet promise of release…” Needless to say, the tears were shedding as we all recounted our favorite memories with those no longer on this plane of life. This tune was first played on 7/30/23 and was the only song of the N2 evening with a FTP date post-dating the Mikey-era. 

The song ended, and Duane started tapping his cymbals before Nick revved up the engine into Conrad. Most of us had seen the promo video on Instagram with them rehearsing this one, so it wasn’t so much of a matter of “if” but “when” they’d play this rager! A complex tune with many tempo changes and key changes, there isn’t much room for jamming as simply executing the song is impressive as hell. We were left with our jaws on the ground - in total shock. This band was playing at a ferocity that was completely unexpected with a new guitarist. As our CBA explained, it was Predator Panic - they were coming to get ya! 

With no word, they all set down their weapons of musical annihilation, and walked off the stage. We were left with plenty of time to go enjoy the courtyard offerings (photo booth, food, beverages, N/A bar, etc.) or head back to a friend’s room and re-up our intake of substances (electrolytes, or other various powders). 

They retook the stage and began set 4 of the run with a J.J. Cale cover that they have certainly made their own, Travelin’ Light. Many Playa attendees do NOT travel light, as it’s common for folks to wear 2-5 outfits per day, decorate their balcony, pass out a LOT of goodies, and plan for a costume or two with the crew.  They rolled right into this one, with a huge Sunny emphasis. Perfection!  

A seamless slip right into Barstools brought in song number two of the set. JB slipped in a “child” right at the beginning and showed off some voice oscillation - he was on FUEGO (that’s “fire” in Spanish). It’s not super common to get a standalone Barstools, sans Machine, but it’s not never. Let’s examine the Duane era - since the young stud has joined the band, Barstools has been played 88 times. Machine preceded Barstools 57 times (64.77% of the time). Nothing preceded Barstools (meaning it opened the show), 3 times (3.4% of the time), and some other song preceded it 28 times (31.82%). Drums led into Barstools three times, and one of those times Machine was before Drums, otherwise Radio Child preceded Barstools four times (one time Machine preceded RC), the second-most common song to lead in Barstools right after Machine. Finally, to conclude this absurdly nerdy analysis, six times Machine or Machine reprise followed Barstools, meaning four times they did the ol’ switcheroo, and twice they made a Barstools sandwich with Machine bread. Okay, back to Mexico… this version RIPPPPPPPED. Here’s JB’s rap which followed an awesome little Jojo synth jam (12:09): 

“Baby don’t know what I just said. Baby don’t know any words just yet. Ahh, people talk. Talking and talk talk talk, using words they al- same words they use to think too. Ahhhhh, what we’re getting tired of their little voice, insiiiiiiiide. Babies hadn’t learned any words yet. Say, they don’t really care what the people think. Lawd baby just sitting there while you sayin ‘goopity gooo’ lawd, they just lookin’ at dogs saying ‘what this dog talkin’ about?’ Laaaaaaaawd. They’re seeing the colors around where you feel no matter what you say. Baby don’t know what people think. Only care what the people feel. Really love, really really really really really love, only care what the people feel. Awww, awwwww. Only care what the people feel….”

Wowza - a Barstools for the ages, despite no Machine to warm us up.

We all needed a little breather after that one - a solid chance to grab some cool beverage and try to figure out just what happened so early on in the set. After over a minute to recombobulate, we were all off on an adventure looking for Mermaid. This baby knows what she really wants, and that’s for you to buy a WATLO shirt or tank top and support our Spring fundraiser! If you are enjoying this recap, and any others, and want to support us, WHILE repping one of the coolest logos and self-identifying as a nerd, please purchase HERE. Save on shipping by picking up your shirt or tank during the Auggie run. TIA!!! After the seductive “ahhhhhhs” JB added somethin’ extra, “sweet. Awwww. Baby knows, baby knows, ahhh, ahhh, ahhhhh.” Well this jam escalated quickly! The last 4 minutes of the song is an all-out rage jam with every single member contributing menacingly. Predator Panic at its finest: cohesive, a solitary 6-headed unit, psychedelic, out for blood! 

Most of the members stopped playing except Duane and Sunny, as they kept rolling and eventually took flight into Surprise Valley! Nick’s soloing fit in flawlessly. Again, it sounded as if they’ve all been playing together for years. It’s common SV is utilized as bread in some sort of sandwich… Since Duane joined the band, Surprise Valley has been standalone (AKA not used for sandwich bread) 27 times. In 78 shows, it WAS used as sandwich bread. Meaning, of the last 105 shows Surprise Valley was played, it was used as sandwich bread 74.3% of the time. Nerds take note, Playa soundchecks were not included in the show count for SV, however it was played three times in the Duane-era during Playa soundcheck as a standalone song (not sandwich bread).

About 5.5 minutes into drums, the big man joined the stage and started playing the bass line from “Another one bites the dust.” He then left and let Duane and Sunny rage. Finally, once all members were back on board, Dave led the gang into Me and the Devil Blues, written by Robert Johnson. It was recorded in 1937 (almost 90 years ago!) and released in 1938. One of our board members sent us this podcast episode to learn the story behind the song… check it out! By the time JB cooned, “bury my body” everyone in that venue could ring out their underwear. 

A well-executed drop back into Surprise concluded the second sandwich of Panic en la Playa. They fully sent the ending and after barely a pause started up Blue Indian. Cue the sing-a-long, dos-i-doing, and that beautiful reminder of home. Thank JBesus, Widespread Panic is still right here, playing and announcing more shows despite Jimmy taking some time away to heal himself. So much gratitude! 

We heard Sunny starting to play Henry Parsons alongside Duane before Nick gave it away completely. Members of WATLO HQ like to keep track of when JB says “6 o’clock on Saturday” because even though the song was played EIGHT times in 2025, it was never played on a Saturday. Have you read the annual report? There’s an entire page dedicated to this song! Well, this particular show, he said the line at 10:59 pm on a Wednesday. Wayyyyyy off! This was a relatively shorter version of the song, as sometimes it can creep up to 9-10 minutes long. However, it still ripped! The build up in the middle was extraordinary, the charge mostly led by Nick and Dave, but truly everyone was involved. “What’s everybody gonna say? What’s everybody gonna do?” Oh… I’ll tell ya, JB: I’m gonna say that Nick is an absolute legend and I’m gonna do every Widespread Panic show in 2026! 

Without a second to spare, Jojo cued up Blackout Blues, another song performed in the sound check two days prior. JB was loud and proud! TURN HIM UPPPPP! Supposedly the alcohol is watered down at Playa, so it makes it harder to get those Blackout blues. It appeared most heads were off the ground, so that’s a good sign! What a great song to close the second set! Someone said, “okie dokie” - was that JB? Either way, they all exited and left us to cheer and shout for their return for the encore. 

For What It’s Worth started the encore. One of their first played songs in the 80’s it took a tremendous hiatus from 1988-2011, with an epic 2,314 show gap. Recorded by Buffalo Springfield in 1967 and Neil Young in 1972, this is an awesome political song that’s truly timeless. Dave’s backup vocals were perfect and JB sung the lyrics so incredibly powerfully. There was so much emotion behind every word. He even gifted us with a “stop, child, what’s that sound?” Ooof, shivers up the spine. 

Quickly, Jojo played the organ intro into Climb to Safety, a Jerry Joseph song recorded in 1993. What a perfect song to play right after FWIW. Our community is so important and special. It was a great reminder that we are all there to help each other and that we are never alone. JB extended the lyrics as he said “twe-, twe-, twenty years” and “sure, surely mold you.” Nick really took off during his turn at bat. It felt like with each song he got more and more comfortable and was more willing to come out of his shell. Everyone was singing loudly and proudly. Oooooooeeeeee! What an ending! JB said, “Alright, thank you very much.” 

Yet again, another show with only TWO songs performed for the first time post-Mikey era (Little by Little and We Walk Each Other Home). A theme that would likely continue throughout the run. Tie dye theme night was officially over, we were left with smiles plastered across our faces, and amped to get over to the late night stage for Karina Rykman and cheeseburgers.