Port Chester Night 1 (11/21/25)

Listen to the entire show on Nugs or Relisten or Archive.org.

Data mined and explored via Everyday Companion.

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Port Chester Village, NY (population 30,957) A.K.A. “The Gateway to New England” was the performance home for Widespread Panic on the weekend of November 20, 21, and 22nd, 2025 for the last shows of the year before the pending New Year’s Eve run in Atlanta. The well loved and oft renovated Capitol Theatre warmly welcomed the fortunate few who secured tickets to this historic and intimate venue. Each and every person to enter the building was given a neat button by a smiling usher (a different colored button each night, in fact). The gift buttons had the date and a stylized picture of a squirrel on it. Squirrels are a thing at The Cap, they are incorporated into much of the interior decoration and hidden throughout. There was even a stuffed squirrel sporting a tie-dye shirt available at the merchandise table, it sold out before the foil poster variants and has already skyrocketed to an astronomical value on the stuffy resale market. 

At a capacity of around 1800 folks, it was an honor and privilege to hold a ticket for any night of this run, let alone all three! The excitement was real as folks came through the front doors, many at this venue for the first time in their long and illustrious touring lives. Smiles and squirrels were everywhere, the staff was professional and friendly in the manner by which they applied pit wristbands to folks outside in line before the doors opened. In a show of East Coast pleasantry, the full body search was non-invasive to the point of being courteous. This amazing building opened in 1926 as a fancy air conditioned movie theatre, and was originally designed by architect Thomas W. Lamb. Currently owned and operated by famed concert promoter Peter Shapiro, this theatre is a legend in its own time. It has actually seen a few lifetimes in its 99 years and is included in the National Register of Historic Places. The list of bands to occupy the stage at this theatre is impressive, including many of Widespread’s influences such as: The Grateful Dead, Pink Floyd, Traffic, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, and The Talking Heads. This list alone could fill a volume of cover songs that the beloved boys from Athens have made their “own” by covering them again and again.

Those fans who attempted to guess the opening song had a lot of material to choose from, would it be a cover or an original? A shout out to lost heroes and friends or an instrumental launch into a dance party? Something common, something rare, or perhaps even a coveted and adored bust-out? There was of course only one correct answer as to what would open the 6th ever date Panic played at The Cap: “Wondering”! Definitely not the first (and likely not the last) time that the band would kick off a show with this upbeat and original classic from the 1993 album Everyday. This would have been a safe guess as an opener, as it was the 4th time in 2025 that this song held the first slot in set one, the other three instances being Charleston (N1 of 2), Red Rocks (N3), and Indianapolis (N2 of 2). JB gave a glance, a nearly imperceptible wink, and nod to the anticipatory crowd but uttered not a word before they began playing. He’s a man of very few words, helping us all to remember to listen loud and keep quiet. Duane has mastered the unmistakable drum beat intro to this song and he was on display leading the elder statesmen boldly forward into the battlefield of Panic. The band sounded rehearsed, rested and ready for the weekend, testing out the space they had previously played so rarely, just 3 times in 2019 and twice in the early 90’s (in one set affairs as the opener). They kept this version stock and standard and let the more mature folks warm up the old hips and knees for the night ahead. It sounded a lot like JB sang at around 3:00 “Intentions they get all hurled up”. Perhaps he said “huddled” up? Either way this man is a genius and we are here for every iteration and version of any lyric that he could possibly conjure. (all times correlate to nugs.net versions)

Barely a breath and again young Duane bravely led the charge into the next song, another common opener along the entire history of the band. Slot two was held by a Van Morrison cover, the dance inducing “Send Your Mind”. The first time this song actually opened a Panic show was on 8/6/91 in Savannah, GA, and the most recent time as an opener was 6/27/25 at Red Rocks (N1 of 3). This was just the 3rd version of SYM played this year, at just over 3 minutes it burned hot and quick. As far as a historical perspective, "Send Your Mind" was recorded by author Van Morrison in March 1967 during a two-day session for the album Blowin’ Your MInd, and the song was released on that album in September of 1967. The album also contained Van’s smash hit single, "Brown Eyed Girl". WSP has actually covered BEG twice, way back in the mid-80’s. Whether Van the Man’s song is blowing our minds or sending our minds or perhaps a combination of both, we are quite glad that the Panics have included this song in the rotation all these years, because they absolutely BlowSend it. Unlike many of the hundreds of other songs that WSP covers live, they actually recorded this as a studio version, onto the 1991 album referred to as Mom’s Kitchen. The Cap N1 version was the 343rd time that SYM was performed live. We are unsure how many times the Mom’s Kitchen version has been played on the radio, although it’s guaranteed that the royalty check was written out and sent to Sir George Ivan “Van” Morrison each and every time.

Jojo started out Goodpeople with some light keyboard noodling and then we were into the third song of the run. Jojo stayed at the front of the mix for the first part of GP. Interestingly, around the three minute mark when we could typically see a dark bar emerge, the band held onto a mysterious pause with the slight sound of some symbol wash from Duane. Jimmy grabbed a fresh guitar, and then the boys on stage looked at each other knowingly, as if there was a deeper, planned meaning to this pause. Dark bar is a mysterious song having been shelved for some time and also shelved during Jojo‘s injury time out from singing, but this was another thing entirely. It was a brief moment of pause that had most in attendance scratching their heads. After about a minute of quiet time, there was a groovy and sultry reintroduction to Goodpeople. A few more minutes of shredding and then they closed the song down.

The familiar drums and the comforting sound of Sonny’s Vibra slap led us into the fourth song of the first frame, Space Wrangler. After the curious pause in Goodpeople, the fans seemed at ease hearing this familiar tune and settling deeper into the space for the epic weekend ahead. It is incredible to think about the fact that this was the 1216th live version of SW. Here at the WATLO HQ, we often discuss how much we truly appreciate and love Sunny Domingo Ortiz. His unmistakable sound and unique percussion is something that makes Widespread Panic unique and special. He seemed to play his Vibra slap with extra gusto on this version and based on his smile, he was enjoying every bit of it. While some songs in the catalog lend themselves to improvisation and rapping by MC JB, Space Wrangler typically stays true to its original lyrics, and the heartfelt story of a young boy, his mule, and tribulations of growing up in space. Based on the demographic of many fans in the audience, we have indeed traded in our ponies for aging mules. To ride on without fear is the trick we are all still learning daily at the headquarters. 

Of the many things widespread Panic represents, being cute or clever isn’t really their forte. Crowd participation is limited to a few key moments in particular songs. The part in “Space Wrangler” where we raise a glass, whether you’re drinking whiskey, beer or water: is always special. Something we noticed about this run was how many folks around us became fast friends and made eye contact throughout the shows. This “Skol, to your friends so near” was an early indication that we were in the right neighborhood and surrounded with the best people. Jimmy Herring snapped off the leash for the last two minutes of this song, and it was a heater solo, bringing into the crowd to the first defined peak of the run. From our angle on School’s side, it was hard to tell if we really saw showers of sparks coming off Jimmy’s strings, but we’re pretty sure we did.

The band didn’t miss a beat on the segue into our next song, Walkin’ (For Your Love). According to Everyday Companion, this song debuted as an instrumental by the name of “Boogie In Your Nose” , and then eventually released as we know it on the 1991 album Mom’s Kitchen. Of course they took the tempo up a notch to get the crowd moving again at more of an Olympian worthy speed walk than a slow pimp walk. This number was a grand opportunity for Schools to warm up his super hero power stance and get the house shaking. They delivered a tight, concise version of this classic, feeling no need to stretch it out. It did its job and was a good midpoint to the first set.

After a 30 second pause, it was time to tug the heartstrings. The song Down is, in our mind, always a tribute to our fallen hero, Todd Nance (R.I.P. 11/20/62-08/19/20). It's always emotional to see and hear this one since they brought it back after about a 7-year shelving from 09/07/14-06/25/21 (a 294 show gap). The entire weekend was also full of tributes to another recently lost man, also named Todd. We miss them both terribly. You can read more about our most recent loss on the Sunday night recap. Flawlessly executed, the opening riff of Down was crackling and perfect, filling the small space with memories of times past and hopes of future victories. By this point in the show, JB’s vocals were warmed and glowing. His unmistakable sound seemed to fit this old school venue in a magic and majestic way. This song had another example of being a trademark due to Sunny’s inclusion of percussion. Listen for all world cymbal playing coming in around the two-minute mark. Having the metronome-like beat of the cymbal, it allowed Herring to really dig deep in mid-song, and play the solo out of his mind. Jojo got inspired by the co-worker on his side of the stage and sent up a very neat organ solo of his own. The enthusiasm from Jimmy and Jojo seemed to catch on in the last third of the song: the cohesion, chemistry, and true love for each other was fully on display in this moment and this run more than others this year. It was so clear how much this band appreciates each other and not taking a single moment for granted. Everyone in this family has lost someone, the band has lost many and they know that each day and each show is a precious gift that could disappear at any moment. Seeing the way JB was looking at schools was witnessing something subtle and precious that has been carefully cultivated and built in the span of almost forty years. JB just opening his eyes at all was an indication that he knows how special all of this truly was and wanted to see it for himself, a rare occasion.

Speaking of special, it was without a pause that the band began our next song, a song very near and dear to our hearts at the WATLO headquarters. It wasn’t long ago when we sat at the kitchen table and talked about our dream to begin this non-profit organization. Choosing a name was easy. We know that we are the lucky ones and this song has become our anthem. As mentioned in previous recaps, these newer songs seem to get better and better with each rendition. This concept held true as this seemed to be yet again the best Trashy ever played. Maybe it was just the squirrels talking, but boy this one hit home. Aside from JB crowing with an unbelievable show of force, he added an extra couple of “luckys” into the lyrics and again opened his eyes to look around and take stock of all the greatness happening around him. Stretching out to over 11 minutes allowed the last few minutes of the song to explore a peaceful space with some jazz-like leads, big soaring peaks, and general shredding from Herring. So grateful to Bloodkin for writing yet another perfect song to be covered by their good buddies in Widespread Panic.

After that dose of deep gratitude, it was time to let our wild side out with a raucous Big Wooly Mammoth. Jojo always knows it’s his time to blow the roof off when they call up this number. Duane helped him set the pace and we were off like a shot. The first parts of BWM whipped the crowd up into a full lather and provided a good romp, then around the 6 1/2 minute mark it steered into a more dissonant jam with a bit of call and response between Jojo and Jimmy, leading up to the final peak. What a final peak it was, complete with a bad ass war cry from Schools, Jojo calling to be thrown a fire (we only saw a couple lighters hit the stage and luckily didn’t hit any band members). No damage reported and now the road crew was up at least a couple Bics. It was definitely a high energy finish to a barn burner of the original song that was released as a studio version way back in 2001 on Don’t Tell The Band.

A well executed segue dropped us straight into the set closer, which would be a bit of light metal known as Imitation Leather Shoes, the 304th showing of another selection from 2001’s Don’t Tell The Band release. While BWM had been stretched out, this frame-closing ILS would prove to be a standard version, although played in a ferocious manner: trying to leave all the people burned faceless. Jimmy’s opening guitar screech-moans were enough to adequately loosen the flesh before it was removed entirely from the front portion of our heads. Yet another blood curling war cry emanated from Dave Schools around three minutes into ILS: this man came to play. His body language, his power stances and his creative handling of his bass in various manners all added up to something that was hard to take your eyes off. Bass Mountain was in full effect and we couldn’t get enough of it from our crater on School’s side. It was a strong finish to a well-rounded first set. JB capped it off with a “Be right back” and the boys went to take a well earned set break.

The second set started off with a monumental Panic original known as Pigeons. According to the legend of Wikipedia, when The Capital Theatre had been neglected into disrepair and disuse, heaps of pigeons made their home upon the stage. They shared this space with squirrels in perfect harmony, and it was akin to some sort of Disney musical horror film. The pigeons had to be evicted by some tough guys from the union and sent to a new home. They are now residing up north in Stamford, Connecticut. They can be seen cooing and nesting on the Rippowam river, where they exist peacefully and harmoniously with four varieties (Red, Fox, Grey, Flying) of friendly local squirrels. As far as the musical Pigeons, this one clocked in at about 10 minutes. This was about the standard length of a modern live version of Pigeons. Being a multi- compositional piece, everyone got their time to shine. JB again was especially enthusiastic in his vocals and Dave was attacking his bass with reckless abandon. JB started the rap by saying “wake up, wake me up”, he added 

“Wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up, oh remember how to fly, remember how to fly, some one gonna move ya, ooh might be your doggity dog, your kitty, maybe your lover, maybe your mother, I don't know….wake up, wake up, wake up, awwwwee remember how to fly, one time a first time..?... rememberrrrrrrrrrr.” 

In a national landscape filled with myriad drug bands and psychedelic rock acts, Pigeons still shows that these boys know how to get it done regardless of your prescription. Whether you were in the Gateway or were going all the way, this trippy version of Pigeons manifested as mind infesting.

Next stop was a little lullaby about Little Lilly. It had been about 10 shows since we’ve seen this one. This was a bit of an uptempo version of yet another selection from 2001 album DTTB. It’s a cute number and perhaps not absolutely loved by everyone, but those who like it really love it. Here at the headquarters we are of course big fans. The way JB sings about sweethearts curlies and the villain's mustache definitely is something we are OK with. In some venues when you lean back in the very last row, it’s hard to feel like you’re really part of the action. However, at this tiny theatre, the very last row is still plenty close to see the whites of JB’s eyes up on stage. It seems like a toss-up recently whether or not they stretch out Little Lilly, this one went to almost 10 minutes and had a nice section in the middle where Herring got to work out some chops and really fill the space from his perfectly tuned PRS axe. After the smoking part of the solo, they cooled it down and softly fell into a very familiar sounding tease one or two heads may have miss-called as a “Norwegian Wood” theme. In all reality though it was a Jimi Hendrix “Third Stone From the Sun” tease, and done in such a beautiful fashion. It seemed like an impromptu little nod to Jimi Hendrix that was instigated by David schools, and then Jimmy Herring quickly obliged with his gorgeous tiny rendition of a Jimi’s guitar classic. Jojo also joined the fun and squeezed in one bar of the tease from his piano before “Little Lilly” came to a peaceful finish. 

Young Mr. Trucks was tasked with laying down a groove for the next song. An unreleased Panic original which we can’t get enough of. Why Worry when you can Panic! The character may be heard singing about more than a few bad choices in their life and now they’re just trying to find some good times. Will consequence keep me waiting, or this time will my anger set me free? Dave led off next with some choppy bass, and one by one each member of the band joined by putting a layer onto the live track. The piece quickly grew into a fire that could definitely keep your feet warm or perhaps even scorch them, despite what the main character says. At least one WATLO reporter said this was a highlight of the entire night: the way it was a slow build and with such a soulful delivery by JB. You could feel the emotion emanating all the way from his sheik boots to his perfectly coiffed hair. The man was literally glowing. Herring added a lot of juice when he had his breaks and then at around 6 1/2 minutes Jojo and Duane kept the pace somewhat turbo while JB slowed way down and did a little miniature rap. He was obviously feeling all the feels during this monumental version. The way the band put a big finish on its way to the close added to the noteworthiness of this original heater. Good job, fellas

Next up was another new song Tacklebox Hero. Fans talk a lot about songs they love and others they don’t love. In our research, we have found that some of the heaviest fans will say things like “the band knows what to do”. Another sentiment we have seen is “I don’t chase songs, I just enjoy whatever they play.” That seems to be a kind and thoughtful approach to being at the show. When the new songs hit you can see a rush of humanity heading towards the bathrooms, which may be slightly disheartening to the band. On the other hand, perhaps it makes them try harder to cement these new songs into our scrapbook of favorites! TBH has a lovely message about redemption, traveling, riding high on the tide, and being who you are in the face of all adversity while taking time to enjoy a trip to the beach every once in a while, maybe even throw a line in the water. Any Jojo number can be elevated to greatness due to his strong vocal ability. This version is an example of that, one of the longest songs of the night. They are obviously happy to explore all the corners of the tacklebox: looking for that lure, hoping they could catch even the most jaded tourist of a fan: hook line, and sinker. In the first five minutes, Jojo delivered the lyrics seemingly perfectly and then they opened the gate for a little bit of improvisation and jamming. They started with a slow gentle build-in, increasing the intensity over the next few minutes until we saw a familiar site of Jimmy Herring’s fingers searing the fretboard and releasing an overly appropriate amount of notes. They veered into yet more uncharted waters just before the 11-minute mark, at which point they dropped back into the recognizable form of the song, thus ended the jam, and then ended the song by coming to a full and peaceful stop. There was about a 30-second pause to get things set up for the next selection which would be a cover song and a blues number.

The super soulful and heady sounds of the Chester Arthur Burnett cover Smoke Stack Lightning were next to emanate from the stage (R.I.P. 6/10/10-10/10/76). Better known as Howlin’ Wolf, according to a Sun Studios post this legend “rolled into Chicago in the early ’50s with $4,000 in his pocket and a voice “like heavy machinery on a gravel road.” He built one of the most iconic blues bands ever - he even paid his musicians benefits and health insurance” Imagine that, health insurance paid for by your employer in the music business in the 1950’s. JB was crooning and crowing through this version of SSL in a manner that would likely make any blues man proud and happy to foot the bill for health insurance premiums. The boys wailed away and JB poured his heart into it for about 10 minutes before a nice strong top out to finish the song. This is the modern equivalent of blues mastery as far as any of us at the HQ are concerned.

At exactly 10:44 PM on this Friday the rockabilly beginning of Henry Parsons Died came out of the fading previous song. Always a crowd pleaser no matter what day or time it is played, HPD was unleashed for the 711th time in Panic history. Of course it is a Bloodkin cover and a mighty fine one at that, released by Panic on the 1993 album Everyday. Any song that mentions or brings up the subject of Georgia is sure to turn up the vibes at the show. Herring paid his tribute to Hank P. with some insane pacing and precision in the middle portion of the song, then they slowed it down a bit for some call and responses with Sunny on the varietal percussion and Dave hitting some crucial bass licks. They seemed to be stretching towards some more free jamming but reeled it back in and kept it close as there was some more work to be done in this second frame of night one. Schools made sure to shut this one down with some mighty fine vocals and fearsome bass psychedelia as he led the crew smoothly into the next number.

Saint Ex. bubbled up from a combination of Herring laying a perfect foundation and then Sunny joining with the cymbals, and finally JB layering his voice like the sweet sugar on top. This song has gained a strong following over the years since its debut in Orange Beach, AL on 05/07/10, and being that this was the 154th version played live in 15 years, many have a strong affinity to this track from Dirty Side Down. The slowdowns and storytelling between headbanging opportunities are a fun way for the crowd to gain a wide array of emotions in a relatively short span of time. As usual, Sir J.Bell was all over this one and sang the words in a way that felt oh so right. Incredible imagery, insane phrasing, and impeccable cohesion between all involved. Home Team for the win. We can count on this one to stretch a few extra bars at the end and give Duane a chance to take out any aggression on his kit, what did those poor drums ever do to him anyways?

Some tuned feedback ended the previous song and again, Schools cleansed the air with his trademark bass trickery. The stage lights then all turned blood red and JB began to bend his guitar and use his slide, this was the portal to Honkey Red. At about 11 years in the lineup, its not exactly new but also not an old classic. Many have fallen in love with this heavy duty cover song, written by the Canadian folk hero Murray McLauchlan. Porch song is all about “Havin a good time” whereas this character states plainly that he “ain’t got no back porch”. It is this dichotomy within the WSP catalog that keeps us all coming back again and again, knowing for sure that we do not know exactly what feelings will be invoked at any particular performance, at any particular time. Its showbusiness at its finest, improvisation that borders on spirituality, worth the price of admission and then some. JB capped it off with a “Lawwwwwwwwwwwd” for the ages, and the band took a brief pause before the next song.

A simple drum beat and some gentle strums with a bit of blue lighting led us into the crowd pleasing and hug inducing Blue Indian. Again during this nice succinct 5-minute version it was remarkable how many folks around us were making eye contact and smiling as though we were all old friends knowing how good life truly can be when paired with the feelings of being home and being still right here. One of the few party tricks that the fans all participate in is always a good time when we take our tattered and sweat stained SEC college football hats off and salute one another. With just 1800 folks in the house, it was likely that just a few degrees of separation was all it took to find out that we probably all actually do know each other somehow or another. Arrive at the show with a few friends, leave with a few more is one of the joys of this fan base. We know several folks that will tell you with great honesty that they met many of their best buds at Panic shows. Home Team wins again and again!

Blue Indian is always a cool down song, and the boys seem to focus on closing sets with a bit more heat: enter the Jerry Joseph song North. In rotation since 1999, this was the 288th playing and just the third outing of 2025. According to our calculations there was not one single JJ song played at the recent Milwaukee run, so it was nice to see this one pop up at a crucial time on the setlist. Another number from 2010’s Dirty Side Down (officially released over TEN years since they first played it live), they brought as much pizazz as they could muster late in the show on night one. Duane kept them honest with some aggressive drumming and Dave had plenty to add from his perch, he was so frisky and animated all weekend, it was a sight to behold, go DAS!! It was clear that they didn't want to play it too safe here and took this one to a nice meaty peak at the end, allowing all the squirrels in the house to really shake loose and get that extra bit of dancing in. It was hot in there and thankfully the thoughtful staff opened up exit doors in the wings of the building to cool us down. Jojo and Jimmy sent in their applications for MVP of this set closer with some full sending of their own, before a nice tidy finish. No words from JB as he left the stage for a mini break before the encore.

Upon the band’s return to the stage, Schools had this to say: “Yea I don't need no power tide, I don’t need no power lunch, I’m tellin’ you man, I got a knockout punch         ………....satisfaction is guaranteed”. 

With that, we next heard Jojo’s piano just as clear as a bell to begin the heart centered song, Expiration Day. Written by Vic Chesnutt, it was officially released by the band brute. in 2002. (a side project band made up of Vic, DAS, Mikey Houser, Jojo, Todd Nance, and JB). This song speaks for itself in so many ways. The interplay between the simple piano notes and JB’s soul filling voice is enough to make the most jaded vet get a bit misty in the eyes. Being that Widespread Panic is one of the hardest working and most humble bands in the history of Rock and Roll, it makes the songs about work and simplicity ring so true. These guys know exactly what it means to shave metal until they die, and even sell eggs and chickens on the side. They aren't just singing this stuff, they are living these stories. Many of the core fans can also relate to these stories, these songs about us.

Just before the encore, the hardest working guitar tech in the land was seen with JB’s tiny guitar, leading some folks in the crowd to call an early guess of an Ain’t Life Grand encore. If you guessed that, you were correct, although for this version JB just kept hammering forward with his full sized axe, and let the tiny guitar rest. The title track to the 1994 album of the same name, ALG is a bit of a Panic anthem and a great way to get things pepped up again before dismissing the crowd for the evening. It is amazing after all these years and untold miles that they can summon the energy to bring the level up at the encore slot, but then again they are the best band in the land. Strong finish to a well balanced show and a perfect way to welcome so many to their first go at “The Cap”. Even the squirrels were ready to rest their little fog feet and take some shelter from the chilly long evening ahead. Those satisfied heads leaving the venue could veer left and enjoy some good vibes and very neat art and historical photographs at “Garcia’s”, a Jerry themed watering hole attached to the front lobby of the theatre.  Thanks for reading and thanks for being one of the good people. As JB said at the end of ALG “Thank you everybody…Good night.”