Port Chester Night 3 (11/23/25)

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Never miss a Sunday show! Spreadheads gathered for the final night at The Cap. We were ready, a half an hour earlier than the previous two nights, for what was sure to be a special occasion. By this point, everyone knew the drill - wristbands for the floor, seat-holders went upstairs…and we were all the lucky ones!! The stylized colorful picture of Col. Bruce on JB’s monitor indeed had the word beneath changed to “Release”. Haunting and mysterious to be sure. (Grease → Ease → Release)

After some cheering, the six men took their positions without any speeches, and Dave’s bass kicked off the fifth set with Rebirtha. Without the Bingo commissioners at this run, our Airbnb invented a different game, one that still confuses some players to this day due to its arcane and convoluted rules. Somehow, with the Rebirtha opener on night 3, we had a winner! So we hooted and hollered despite the unnecessary complexity and confusion the game brought. Bingo is much less complicated it turns out! This tune originally debuted as an instrumental called “Apologies to George Porter” with the added lyrics taking place on the fourth time played (10/2/94). The rhythm section kept the tempo chill providing lots of space for Jimmy to play all the notes. Our heroes certainly took the helm, they were all feeling it! The jam breakdown was an excellent opportunity for Sunny to showcase his wooden blocks, and showed us he did, phenomenal work, Mr. Ortiz! 

Next up was Tall Boy! The most recent podcast release asked fans to recount their favorite sit-ins. JD talked about the infamous Dottie Peoples and the People's Choice Choir sit in during Tall Boy and Testify on 6/22/02 at Bonnaroo. Remarkable stuff. Check out the episode HERE. Despite this being their 516th time playing this song, it was performed as if it was their first, with absolute fury and might! They were definitely proving something during the final night of the run. At about 4:50 Jojo’s keys started a jam that Jimmy took as a cue to launch the theatre into oblivion. Dave wasn’t far behind absolutely raging that six-string bass. They collectively decided to extend the jam, a nice loooooong Tall Boy, at least 32 oz, maybe even one of those giant Fosters cans from Australia that come in handy when you are only having “one beer”. The song fully ended giving everyone a chance to regroup, perhaps shed a layer, grab a new guitar, take a sip of cold beer.

Finally, Papa Johnny Road started up! The song came on like it was shot out of a cannon and we were very excited about it. This is one we don’t get often these days. Played a total of 125 times in all of history, first on 4/15/03, it was played quite often during the George years. Once Jimmy joined, the LTP gap got slightly bigger, but it was still a fairly common one to catch. Then it saw two massive LTP gaps: 2/2/16 (104 shows and Duane’s first PJR) and on 10/21/17 (102 shows and Duane’s second PJR). After that the average LTP gap has been 26.4 shows. Duane has only played this one 12 total times. JB was IN THE MIX. Hearing our front man's guitar so clearly made us laugh so hard we think the devil got scared! 

The song came to a full stop, and we got a little tuning ditty that lasted a full 40 seconds before Dave catapulted us into Machine. The first and only instrumental of the entire run! This was the 6th time played in 2025, and is almost always followed by Barstools. The last time it was NOT followed by Barstools was 1/20/24 when they swapped the two songs and played Barstools first. It was time to let loose and let your limbs fly alllll over the place, because soon enough we’d forget about what our bodies had just done, until the next morning when we would most definitely begin to remember exactly precisely what our aging bodies had just done. 

Something about that Barstools drop just gets your caboose low, stank face on, and arms swinging back and forth. This version was dirty as a squirrel's nest in November, and clocked in as the longest song of the entire run. JB added extra growls, which is always a good sign. The jam was so superb. JB’s guitar was clear as day, and they cohesively took the music to extraordinary places, working together as a strong unit. When John Bell tells you there are “Two steel balls” in the pinball machine, you know things are about to escalate. The lighting during the depth of the jam was impeccable, with the whole place going dark and then one white spotlight suddenly illuminating a single band member who was hitting a mark, it was very well executed and drove the crowd mad. Flawlessly, the ferocious jam was brought back into the song where there was a perfect interplay between the rhythm section and Jojo & Jimmy. This lasted longer than usual, which fans were encouraging! JB started up the lyrics again at 13:19: 

“Awww, baby doesn’t know what I just said. Baby don’t know any words yet. Awwww just sounds, sound comin’ through. Awwww mama, dada, mama, dada pillow. Oooh, like Charlie Brown’s teacher. Awwww, Charlie! Like talkin’ without a Preacher. Babies only see, ohhhh colors around the people. Awwww look into the eyes of the doggy dog to know what’s real. Awww what’s real.” 

With an extra “feel” out of JB, the song ended to a MASSIVE applause from the audience. 

The band regrouped, which gave us all a chance to wipe the sweat from our brow. Sunny’s custom goat toes started shaking, cueing up the rest of the band to start Free Somehow. This was only the 11th time the band gifted us with this beautiful original song. The lyrics are all about Alice in Wonderland, perfectly appropriate for the recent Halloween theme. It was taken off the shelf during that show, after a 596 show gap. Revisit the Halloween recap to learn all about that song and how it depicts Alice’s tale perfectly. They played this song as a studio version, quick and to the point, reminding us that we all deserve to feel free. 

After a microsecond pause, Duane started off Up All Night. A Jimmy song through and through, first played on 10/26/07, released on the same album as the previous song, Free Somehow. This was the 7th time it was played in 2025 (although, not in Savannah), a band favorite! This song has been surprising fans with an epic jam right around the 3-minute mark. This UAN was no sleeper and touted one of the best jams of the weekend. Another kudos to the lighting tech for really nailing the red and green lights during the Xmas shout out and reminding us to start gearing up for the impending yule tide. Jimmy went off and Dave was holding it down so hard, gifting us with an incredible bassline. The crowd went bananas. After almost four solid minutes of complete jamming, they brought it back to the familiar notes of the chorus. JB added some “awhhh”s at the end. 

The song perfectly faded into Cosmic Confidante. This was only the 9th time the song has been played because it first debuted on 5/24/24. This was, however, the first time it was played in the first set! What a blessing! JB obviously loves playing this song! Some Panic fans aren’t quite sure what to do with the slower numbers that are more like ballads. May we suggest alternatives to leaving the venue for a bathroom break and a beverage refill: swaying arm-in-arm with your buddy, making out with your girlfriend or girlfriends’ friend, doing a mini photo shoot with the band in the background of your pics, high-fiving your neighbors, not talking too much and definitely not complaining in even the slightest. Okay, back to the music! 

Next, the band played an interesting intro to Love Tractor, thanks to Duane and Dave. It sounded a bit like the Super Mario song, but eventually we got to the familiar beginnings to Fuck Truck! The tempo felt a bit slowed down, which gave JB lots of time to stretch out the vocals. He swapped out “mama” for “pappy” as the parental figure that reminded us we’re alright, boys! JB was back in the mix, thank JBesus! Rather than inaudible screams, JB said very clearly “ohhh laaaawd” at 3:19, which encouraged the crowd to yeeeehawww just a little louder. Jimmy and Dave both went completely off around 5:30, what a way to end the first set of the final evening! 

Without a word, they exited the stage. After an absurdly long 49-minute setbreak (even by Panic’s standards), the crowd was ready to rock the 6th and final set of the run at The Cap. JB asked the audience, “Ya’ll doing alright?” to which the crowd cheered and hollered. Our cutest frontman then replied, “just checkin’!” Awwww, thanks for checking on us, JB! 

Duane started off their autobiographical tune, Little by Little. To continue clocking this one as their most favorite new song to play, it has now officially been played 24 times out of the last 23 tour stops. While we love this song so much, it will be interesting to see when they’ll choose to omit this beloved number, as they seem to be on a mega streak. The lyrics really dive into their story of becoming a band, and we like to think their mention of meeting “some saints and heroes, too” refers to all the loss of fallen friends and bandmates our six leaders have endured. And this began a focused and deliberate tribute to Todd Snider, who passed away November 14th, just a week before their run at The Cap. He certainly was a saint who had a huge impact on friends and band members alike, specifically Duane and Dave who were his bandmates in the under rated super group, Hard Working Americans. 

They quickly went into You Should Be Glad, which was recently taken off the shelf on Halloween in Savannah. Todd was very vocal about his battle with depression and discussed the connection between his songwriting and his experiences with substance abuse and depression. The lyrics eloquently request that “you should be glad, you should be happy” perhaps as a nod to Todd, with an understanding that wherever he is now is a better place where he can indeed find happiness. This version was good, and showcased each member well. Jimmy seemed to come in a bit early for the guitar-lick shift, so the band took the song around the block a couple more times before the final audience participatory “woo”s we cried. The ending felt a little rushed.

Shortly after wrapping up YSBG, Jojo kicked off This Part of Town. It was during this song that several friends looked at each with knowing realizations that this whole set could be considered a tribute to Todd Snider. While we all hear Mikey and Todd Nance’s voices singing this one, we now have another friend to think of, wondering if Todd can see the sun from where he’s standing now. Jojo did a tremendous job of dropping his voice really low during the first chorus, incredibly reminiscent of the way Todd sang the song. JB changed the lyric “I’ve been up and I’ve been down” to “I’ve been lost and I've been found”, adding a poignant layer of meaning and depth to this tribute song.

All Time Low started next, so far each song of the set was played on its own without a sandwich or carrot. At about the five-minute mark the jam really took off to an explosive level. The white strobe light and beams sent into the balcony were accused by one friend as being a “retinal scan”. After a quick minute surge, it slowed down a bit, with Dave leading the charge. Sunny hit his wooden blocks, and those paying very close attention could start to hear teases of the next number. Hitting an all time low can be associated with addiction. Todd battled addiction to morphine, oxytocin, booze, and probably other substances that we aren’t even aware of. It’s clear he hit some lows throughout his career as he suffered with addiction his entire adult life. The last week of his life appeared to be an example of an all time low, as he grappled with an arrest, hospitalization, a pneumonia diagnosis, and left the hospital while making threats and showcasing disorderly conduct. Truly a tragic tale of a talented and incredible soul.

Next, Dave gave it all away with the familiar bassline to Blight. JB’s guitar was coming in clear as day, which was so awesome! “Don’t bestow, and you - you’re hiiiiigh up on it, don’t you see?” Dave was feeling the vocals and oscillated “binge,” “tinge” and “youuuuuuu” - he was singing with so much emotion. At 3:28, Dave says something like “this again” although it was difficult to decipher exactly what he said. Todd certainly shined even though he had many blights that were publicly known, such as multiple stints in rehab, various drug addictions, and many arrests. The definition of a blight (as a noun) is a thing that spoils or damages something. These various aspects of Todd can indeed damage a reputation or a character, yet he shined through it all. He was so beloved by those who knew him and worked with him and fans who got to see him perform. He was an incredibly special soul that shined brightly through all the spoils and damages that he suffered throughout his life. The jam that started at 6 minutes is phenomenal. Each member was playing so hard and so emotionally, with so much heart and soul. They left it all out on the couch and the table. At 8:00, Jimmy started a beautiful guitar lick very different from how they were all jamming out in a dark space just before that. It sounded ethereal, almost happy and angelic quite suddenly. 

Then they hit us with I’m Not Alone, a perfect tune to keep up with the theme they were crafting. We can all suffer with the feeling of being sad despite being surrounded by so many loved ones. While we aren’t musicians ourselves, we can try to sympathize with the feeling of being depressed even though you’re looking out at crowds of people staring back at you smiling, or band mates on stage with you. You’re never alone, but could still experience intense emotions associated with depression. Todd was not shy about his depression and talked about it openly, even though he was rarely ever alone. Dave’s bass solo brought tears to the eyes, he played this set with so much passion and love. 

Without even ending the song, Dave started playing the commanding bassline to Tie Your Shoes. A song that reminds us to be so present, grateful, and to never take anything we have in this moment for granted. When someone dies, it is an incredibly important reminder for those of us still living.  We always love and welcome this song, as the WATLO Way is certainly steeped in presence and gratitude. This was the 340th time the song has been played and the 7th time in 2025. JB’s guitar was so audible! Again, each member was playing with might and passion. Jimmy stretched his guitar playing and notes in a very unique way during the first jam session in the song. The jam built to a tipping point as they continued to get louder, bigger, and fill the entire theatre with so many notes. Finally at 5:52 JB exclaimed, “love your girl! Chiiiild, love your girl. Wake up now someone else gon’ jump in and love, love your girl.” Yesssss! But for real - don’t take a single second you have with your friends, spouses, or crushes for granted. Love your people and love them HARD because you never know when that will be your last show together. At 6:55 Jojo started the Little Drummer Boy jam, incredibly appropriate for the time of the year. Jimmy noodled a little as his jam got a little more colonel-esque. The last two minutes of the song had the spaciest and most “out there” jam of the weekend, it devolved just the right amount. Enough so that it was hard to keep dancing (we like a good challenge!), but not too much that they were lost at sea. 

Dave, Jojo, and Jimmy eloquently brought the song into a Talking Heads cover, “Heaven”, released in 1979. This was the first time Heaven was played in 2025, last time played on 4/14/24 in Playa, which was 45 shows ago - the largest LTP gap of the evening. There wasn’t a dry eye in the theatre as we realized the party where everyone is, where our band plays our favorite song is RIGHT NOW, RIGHT HERE. Again, a not-so-subtle reminder that the Kingdom of Heaven is right where we are standing, and to not take a single moment for granted. There were audible cheers, hoots, and hollers, when JB said “It’s hard to imagine that nothing at all, could be this exciting, could be this much fun.” Such a great song for them to cover! We are the lucky ones!

They fully stopped and took a moment to recombobulate and look at each other. Then, we got every fan’s dream, a FIRST TIME PLAYED! The boys paid direct homage to Todd Snider with one of his songs, Play a Train Song, released in 2004. Todd was born on October 11 in 1966 in Portland, OR. While seeing Jerry Walker in Texas in 1985, he realized he wanted to learn guitar and be a singer songwriter. He began writing songs the very next day. In 1989, he moved to Memphis, TN where he got a weekly gig at The Daily Planet. Soon after, the audience learned his songs and would sing along with him, indicating how much his music resonated with so many people. From 1994-2025, he recorded 21 albums, under multiple record labels. In 2008, he started his own record label, Aimless Records. In 2013, he co-founded Hard Working Americans with Dave Schools, Duane Trucks, and Neal Casal, adding Jesse Aycock after recording their first album at Bob Weir’s TRI Studios. His most recent tour was abruptly canceled on November 3, 2025 via Instagram stating that he had sustained “severe injuries as the victim of a violent assault outside of his hotel.” While in Salt Lake City, preparing for the next stop of his tour, he told police he was beaten up and robbed. His injuries required him to have staples in his head. The police later charged him with disorderly conduct, criminal trespass, and threats of violence for causing disturbances while seeking treatment from Holy Cross Hospital. He subsequently died from pneumonia in Nashville, TN on November 14th at the age of 59. Read his full Wiki page here. 

This was a beautiful rendition of Mr. Snider’s song. Someone (Dave?) shouted something right at the end “that’s space little buddy” although it’s hard to pick up exactly what was said. The best assumption is that it was a send-off for Todd Snider. Rise in power, rest in peace. They brought home the final set of the run with Climb to Safety. Another necessary reminder to never let people drown. We’ve got each other’s collars, we can rise out of the water, we know that it’s no fun to die alone! Yet again, they each played this one with emotion and all their raw vulnerability on full display. They took their guitars off, put down their drum sticks, and cracked their knuckles as they exited the stage leaving us all to wonder what the encore would bring.

JB authentically shared, “We’ve had a wonderful time with you people this weekend. We’ll continue to rejoice for just a little bit more.” Pilgrims kicked off just as he wrapped up his sentiments. JB had such beautiful vocal oscillations, a stunning rendition of a song that they’ve been playing for over 33 years (FTP 9/14/92 as an instrumental). Sunny gets a chance to take out LOTS of toys for this one, all types of shakers and bells. This was the 578th time played, and the 7th in 2025. Jojo had a great organ solo to conclude the song.

Jojo’s extended organ playing allowed JB time to grab hold of his tiny guitar. They ended the entire run with “End of the Show”. This was the third time this year they concluded an entire run with this Bloodkin cover (Atlantic City and Red Rocks were the other two). Bloodkin released this song in 1994, the same year Panic first played it. Of the 113 times it was played, we wanted to get a visual of how often it was played in each set, so here you go (bonus nerd points to the fan who knows the ONLY time it’s been played in the first set without checking EdC - it’s obvious once you think about it!):

A comfortable encore song indeed! At the very end, JB gave a few extra twangs on his mandolin, “ahem”... tiny guitar, while Jojo provided some key flutters, and then JB said, “Goodnight, everybody! Thank you very much.” 

With that, fans poured into the streets of Port Chester as they gave their final hugs to friends (until post Monday brunch hugs). It was an emotional and incredible weekend: seeing old friends, making new friends, and witnessing the band say goodbye to lost friends. GREASE>EASE>RELEASE. Just feeling a little bit easier knowing that you ALL were there (either in-person or tuning in from the couch). Mikey, Vic, Danny, Bruce, Garrie, Todd, Todd, Jerry, Phil, Tom, and too many others to count. All the biggest love from HQ Y’all. Be good to each other and Go Dawgs. With that, we are bidding adieu until the New Year's run at the Fox. Submit your eye witness reports because your favorite staffers will be elsewhere during the NYE holiday. Peace, Love, and PANIC!!!!!