Vegas Night 3 (5/10/26)

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WSMDP: Wide Spread Mother’s Day Panic

“Today will outlive yesterday; As long as someone breaks the bread

He's his mamma's pride; He's his daddy's last heartbreak”

A wise person once said “Never miss a Sunday Show”. The exact origin of this adage is somewhat murky, although we are certain that Widespread Panic is one of the reasons this has become a commonly uttered phrase. Many legendary performances, bust-outs, tributes, and countless monumental achievements in Panic history have occurred on Sunday Funday.

This Mother’s Day outing in Vegas was yet another show that was not to be missed. There had already been plenty of mischief and not a lot of rest leading up to the third installment of the weekend. This was officially the 28th time the band had turned up in the venue formerly known as The Joint, and they were fully dialed in from the get go. The chatter around the pool and the casino included debates about how heavily the setlist would lean into a Mother’s Day theme and what songs with Mom references would appear. It turns out a Mother’s Day show is a rarity for Widespread Panic. The last time they played on this holiday was on 5/8/22 in Wilmington, NC at the Riverfront Park Amphitheater. That was the only time Jimmy Herring ever played on Mother’s Day with Widespread Panic. Therefore, this was only the second Mother’s Day show since JH joined the band in 2006, pretty special stuff! 

At promptly 9:05 PM we had our first questions answered. JB appeared with no headwear on, for the 3rd night in a row choosing to go capless. Duane went ahead and sported the backwards cap look and wore a Black Sabbath tee shirt. One of our operatives had attempted to purchase a Bojangles hat like JB’s at the location directly across the street from the resort, sadly they did not have his style in stock and were also sold out of Bojangles visors. The chicken and biscuits however, were sensational. One of our top unpaid interns was able to score a nifty black officially licensed Bojangles polo shirt, it looked great on him. Go Jaime (AKA the newest regional manager of Bojangles)!!

Once our super heroes had their tools of the trade in hand, they did a short bit of tuning and then the drum beat began, quickly followed by a sinewy and rich guitar drop that could make any fan a bit weak in the knees. Junior was here to call his mom on this special day, perhaps even bring her breakfast in bed. This ditty is among the select songs that start with such a nasty flourish that they make us want to run through a brick wall. Hey Kool Aid Man!! OH YEAH! According to EDC, this song was written by Junior Kimbrough and released on his 1992 album All Night Long, and then arranged by Widespread Panic to appear in the form we know and love as part of the 1994 album Ain’t Life Grand. This song was the first of many that would be a shout out to the ones we owe our very existence to: Moms. Here are some of the lyrics as transcribed on EDC by Brian Whitman and Perry Booth:

I love you child, I love you babe; I love your mamma, your sister too

I love your dog, I hope he love me too; I love you child, I swear I love you baby

Love your mamma, your sister too; Love your dog, I hope he love me too

I love you babe, love you child; I love you mamma, your daddy too.

The 7 minute plus version was an epic way to kick off a celebration of Mother’s day that went way beyond a vase of flowers and hallmark card. JB was loving all our Moms, and not in a creepy way.

The energy did not lower at all (more like erupted) as the band executed a super slick segue > straight into the fire of the next song, Send Your Mind, a Van Morrison cover originally released in 1982. The imagery of the main character in this song asking a loved one for a sent mind from afar could conjure a call between a mother and their child. Another number often seen early in the first set and frequently as an opener, Send Your Mind was in the second slot. Last played 20 shows ago in NY (also as the second song of set one). This Vegas version was the first time Nick had a go at playing this classic cover, and he obviously did his homework because the version was ripping. JB and DAS had a little fun at the end adding a few little one liners in to make it more interesting and add some Mom vibes. Listen carefully at exactly 2:45 when Dave reminds us all “You gotta call your Mom”. Just after that we heard JB add “I got one eye on the road, and the other one sleepin’ dreamin’ of you”. SYM came to a triumphant close and the band took a very short pause before Dave brought out a signature Bass diddy to begin the next song.

Little Lilly took up slot three of the first set, with a signature bass and wooden fish duet coming from the Sunny Schools side (see photo of Sunny with his fish below), another song that could easily be related to a Mother’s Day theme. The sound was still perfect and JB had his vocals set to stunning, so far it was the kind of show that screams SUNDAY. JB honored the lyric about Lilly’s marriage and subsequent bearing of children with the preacher “Even schoolgirls like her way; Oh, marry the preacher, you'd make a little angel someday; Silent as a child when the first snows fall” Lilly was not so little mere days before she delivered the little angel, and we were happy to learn that she is a Mom! The song did not grow into any extra jam, although at the end it was a nice smooth and silky descent with some heavenly vocals by JB and DAS, as well as a slowing tempo and things got more sharp and quiet on the way into the segue> to the next original classic.

The first minute or so of Pleas as it is tracked out on Nugs.net sounds like a hybrid between the two songs, it was at about one minute when the distinctive sounds of a Pleas intro began to take shape. They revved up the tempo a bit, Duane was holding strong and steady and then JB audibled for Paul to turn the bright lights on, but not to let it get too bright or too dark. Another original and a very old classic, and our neighbor with the “More, Pleas” trucker hat got her song! No real definite correlation to a Mom call on this number, it was a good version played by the book and true to the original lyrics and arrangement from the studio release on the 1993 Everyday album. The final flurry of notes from Nick were played according to form and the song ended before a short pause and the strum from Nick that would start the next song. 

Hope In A Hopeless World was most definitely a good reference to all the Mothers out there that are putting in the hard work, it can be tough out there and takes a lot to raise a kid up right. Again JB nailed the original lyrics “Mama's doin' the best she can; It takes hope in a hopeless world; Her eldest son, he stayed in school; Listened to his mother, he never drank or used”. The boys laid down a perfect version, true to its nature and finished without any additional flourishes or jams. We may or may not have been dancing and grooving throughout this song with one of our favorite fans, Hope! She always gives us Hope in a Hopeful World. 

Travelin' Man (a huge shout out to Travelin’ Dan) was next up after a short pause. Not necessarily a Mom song but a definite nod to the Man in the Moon. Amazingly this song is credited to having been written only by Michael Houser, yet the first live version was played on 5/02/03, just a short time after Mikey’s passing. It was released on the studio album Ball, also released the year after losing Mikey (i.e. 2003). This was a great version reminding us all how much fun it is to live in hotel rooms and with certain packages along, y’all might not get too far.

An amazing segue> transitioned perfectly into the ultimate Mikey tribute song: The Waker. There was a time in post-Mikey history when we thought we would never see this song played again. On 12/31/18 the return of The Waker was a “where were you moment” in WSP history. Most folks we know who were in the Fox theatre that fateful night to see the 1,084 show gap come to a close were in tears. Every one of the 19 times The Waker has been played since the return has felt special, and this one was no different. The placement after Travelin’ Man and the flawless segue> added to the sense of grace and majesty. The list of lost friends and heroes after 40 years spreading wide in the Rock and Roll business is long and it is full of intrigue. 

A slight pause and then the slide guitar from JB chained us to the sink for a shot of good old anchor rum and some delicious red pills. The fiery scarlet lights, the haunting slide work and vocals from JB, and the memories of Todd being there at the first ever Honkey Red in LA in 2014 were awe inspiring. Chicken skin for days. One of the more unique and rare cover songs in the catalog, most fans probably would have little idea who Murray Edward McLauchlan is, were it not for this song being included in the Panic catalog. The blend of blues and rock in this guitar heavy piece was a perfect opportunity for JB and Nick to continue their budding Bromance. JB has made a career out of listening and harmonizing with some absolute ace lead players, and he continued to demonstrate his ability to inspire, blend and create new music on the spot. The late peak in this song starting around 6:00 was unreal. Full power and then some. JB slightly altered the last verse with the change up “I got me a girl I see her sometimes, she’s damn near half a ton; Got me own cell room where they carry my old good son”. They landed the Honkey red without a pause and it was a segue> into the next song.

DAS brought the noise in the methodic and tribal bass loop as Duane continued to awaken his brand new drum kit with a grinding and growing beat. Meanwhile, Zoel stepped onto the stage to execute a ninja worthy change of guitar for Nick. It looked like a gold PRS was now in play. JB was definitely ready to bring maximum Mother’s Day energy on a cover song that could not be any more on the nose as far as the Hallmark Holiday reference is concerned. Once the crowd became aware that Red Hot Mama was about to crash the dance party, a cheer of sheer joy and excitement could be heard all the way from the Bellagio. Mixed into the Tribal drum power beat and Dave's soul shaking bass, Sunny added some faint electric drum sounds that were reminiscent of the DJ Logic sit ins back in the day. Nick flared his freshly tuned axe and the scorching tone tore through the club like a flamethrower. JB had a very creative take on the first verse:

“Ride on redmmm mama, ride on red hot mama, go on get it mama, go get to it mama, red hot mama moved to the city, fancy dancin’ with the big time spenders, she was groovin’ red hot mama oooh Savannah all the way to HAVANA she been cooped up too long.”  

As JB began the creative verse phrasing, Dave looked his way a bit quizzically at first, and was watching carefully to see what exactly the wily and spontaneous front man had up his sleeve. As it became apparent this was no accident or flub, more of a new lyrical composition to an old classic cover song, the smile on Dave’s face told the story: he was super stoked to see his buddy pull a rabbit out of his hat and throw down a heater of a freestyle lyric. Dave answered with some even mightier bass playing with sunny and Duane giving it absolute hell. JB took his vocal mastery to another level, going between growls, whispers, screeches, and didn't leave anyone wondering if he was fully invested. Around the middle of the song, the veterans held the groove and stepped back a bit to give Nick another chance to take a big huge bite of the apple. By the latter third of the song, all 6 guys were basically raging as hard as they possibly could. It was so loud and so fast it could have been the soundtrack to a slasher film at the absolute goriest moment. For lack of a better term, it was sooooo sick. Wow. The set was over and they left the stage to take a break. It was a set short in time but long in rage. All gas, no brakes. 

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/267671_1bbe37e8012144f294a575299b791fb0/1080p/mp4/file.mp4

During the set break, we attempted to host our first WATLO Family Photo! Stay tuned for the results... we ended up taking four separate photos as we didn't necessarily indicate a time. We're learning! If you missed it, stay tuned for our announcement for the date, time, and location of our next family photo during the Mecca of all Panic runs - Red Rocks!

After a third and final shockingly short set break, the band took the stage for their final set in Las Vegas. It’s always bitter sweet when it comes to an end, but all good things must. Continuing with the Mother’s Day theme, Little Kin kicked off the set - “Mamaaaaaaa!” The last four times this song has been played (1/22/26, 12/29/25, 10/26/25, 8/22/25) it opened the second set. A comfortable spot for the farmer’s wife. Tonight, just might make for kingdoms to come. Who knows how many little wranglers were conceived after this glorious show? This was only Nick’s second time playing LK, but you would never have guessed it! He shredded. 

After a slight pause, Good Morning Little Schoolgirl started, a classic blues cover the band has been playing since 10/5/87. Another clear reference to Mothers, as the main character pleads “Tell your mama and your papa I'm a little schoolboy too” . While the lyrics are slightly disturbing, when the delta blues master Sonny Boy Williamson recorded it in 1937 times were certainly different. So many musicians we know and love have recorded their version of this staple, including: The Grateful Dead, Taj Mahal, Van Morrison, Eric Clapton, Steppenwolf, Hot Tuna, The Yardbirds, The Derek Trucks Band, and of course Widespread Panic on their 2012 live compilation Wood. JB’s vocals made us swoon, his voice like buttery velvet. The left corner (Nick & Jojo) shined, earning them MVP of the last show of the run. During the song JB faced Nick the majority of the jam. Nick is a master of the blues guitar and we were grateful to bask in his prowess. Duane’s tech needed to come on stage to tighten one of his cymbals. He is full of power and his kit needs to be prepared for punishment. The intensity picked up around 6:42, culminating in a massive peak at 9:45. Then, JB stepped back in with his vocals, singing,

“Wake up little school girl, waaaake upppp little school giiiiiiiiirl. Don’t know what time or what day. I’ll get you home little school girl, hoping it’s not your daddy’s shooting day.”

And the crowd went wild at his reference to their song played the previous night, Ribs. 

They came to a stopping point, Jojo adjusted his microphone to prepare for his vocal onslaught, and then they ripped into Dyin’ Man, last played on 8/23/25 in Boston, meaning this was Nick’s first one! They weren’t very cohesive on the vocal intros, it sounded like there was some dusting off they needed to do. First played on 4/20/97 at the Capitol Ballroom in DC, this was the 266th performance. Jojo enunciated the lyrics so well, we were able to hear him say “All the people down at the unemployment agency have been telling me” more clearly than we can ever remember! Usually he omits "unemployment" because it’s so hard to fit all those syllables in the line, but not tonight! 

They needed to take a pause so JB could strap on his black guitar, typically meaning a Vic Chesnutt song is coming up next. We were waiting for an Aunt Avis, as they played it during their last Mother's Day show in Wilmington and its only appearance in 2026 was back in Austin. And, sure enough, Dave’s bass indicated that moment was RIGHT NOW! Vic makes an appearance in the official music video of this song. We highly recommend watching it. They got into an incredibly heady jam, each member playing with all their might, cohesively building something very special. Musically, they dropped back into the chorus of Aunt Avis around 8:45 and then Jojo took over with an organ solo. Being that an aunt is a mom’s sister, along with clear references to family lineage (mama, daddy, grandaddy, granny, great uncle, and finally Aunt Avis), this was yet another clever reference to the growing list of Mother’s Day specific song. What an amazing setlist!

Very shortly after the fizzle that ended Aunt Avis, Dave dropped into Machine. During the fizzle, JB put his wood colored guitar back on. An incredible version of the first instrumental of Mother’s Day segued> into an unparalleled Barstools & Dreamers. This song clocked in as the longest song of the evening at 17:42 on Nugs. We reviewed the last ten performances of B&D, and it’s the longest one of the last ten:

• 4/17/26: 14:01

• 2/14/26: 14:45

• 1/21/26: 14:51

• 12/29/25: 15:39

• 11/23/25: 16:05

• 10/25/25: 14:55

• 9/12/25: 13:11

• 8/8/25: 12:21

• 6/28/25: 12:47

• 4/26/25: 14:10

JB was inserting many “childs” in this version, perhaps because it was Mother’s Day, and in order to be a Mother you need a child. We also like to believe that reminding us all to NOT cross what the lady thinks is another nod to celebrating all the mothers. Even though this was Nick’s fourth Barstools, it was only the second time he introduced the song with Machine. They truly blew the roof off The Theater, the crescendo around 8:45 was so freaking epic and they were relentless, not giving up for anything. Complete nonstop, in-your-face, highly aggressive Panic. This is worth revisiting for the rest of eternity. Paul Hoffman put Nick in the spotlight during the peak, which was really amazing to see him so included in the band's visual effects. JB’s guitar was loud in the mix during the couple of minutes leading up to his rap, then Dave stepped up creating space for JB almost like a telepathic communication to tell him that it was time for him to let his soul flow (13:39): 

“Oh well baby doesn’t know what I just said. Baby hadn’t gotten to learn any words yet. Just dropped in to see what that baby’s baby’s condition was in. Babies babies babies. Ooooh. People only talk, awwww, people think and talk in words they already think they know. Baby hadn’t learned any words yet. Every ditty just the same. Loooong way. What did I get myself into this time? I was seeing all these babies having a pina colada. Awwww, snatch me down, ready to get back in body, child. And I don’t know any words yet. People only talk in words, tryin’ to get them babies on their same wavelength. Some, some reason. Googity googity goooo. They’re keys rattlin’ in your face, that’s the way they start. Ahhhh, I know. Babies only know what the people feeeeeel. Baby know what the people feeeeeeel. Seeing all the colors around. Surrroundddd, surrrounddddd, all the people feel. Me, mom, and daddy, Me, mom, and daddy, Me, mom, and daddy, we’re a happy family. Me mom and daddy, me mom and daddy, me mom and daddy, we’re oh, so a happy family. Really love the people. Know the baby only know what the people feel. Really love, really love, really love, awwwwwww. Don’t give a think what the people think. Don’t really care what the people think. Looooooooooooooooooooove.”

Concluding at 16:58, JB’s rap clocked in at a whopping three minutes and 19 seconds, a Mother’s Day pina colada special complete with a jingling set of keys and one big happy family. The song ended shortly after that to an enormous cheer. We knew in the moment that it was one of the best Barstools we have ever witnessed. 

JB threw his black guitar back on, indicating another song with a heavy slide emphasis, or even more Vic Chesnutt? Quickly we had our answer - Party At Your Mama’s House, another fantastic song carrying on the theme of Mother’s Day. Nothing beats a late set PAYMH. We didn’t do the calculations (please, if you want to join our intern army, feel free!) but at over fifteen minutes, we’re guessing this version sits at the longer end of stretched out PAYMH’s. This one was so beautiful and it seemed like every member was taking his time, unrushed to deliver the maximum sound and experience. Even our Phish phriend from Reno enjoyed this one and she is very hard to please. The eruption around 10:16 was monstrous, full of joy and elation. Nick took this one beyond expectations, he was non-stop. Such a stud! Duane started clashing alongside him and the two of them were producing some epic improvisation. Around the 13-minute mark they slowed the rocking down to more lullaby-style music. It was interesting to note in person that JB actually changed back to his Natural wood colored guitar in the latter third of the PAYMH, a veteran move that allowed them to mature and modify the sound as the song began to approach the finishing stretch. This mid-late song guitar change also allowed the band to have a flawless segue> into the next song without missing a beat.

Our sensors indicated that Jojo and Schools gave away the next song, beginning to play Ride Me High with about 40 seconds left of PAYMH on the track on Nugs. This was the only JJ Cale song they played in Vegas, a number they’ve been covering since 11/4/96. This was a relatively short version, sometimes they can stretch this one close to twenty minutes, but tonight they kept it under ten. There was no Zambi Jam in this RMH. Despite its “short” length, it really packed a punch! The three vocalists coming through at once was epic - we love hearing the sweet sounds of Jojo’s, JB’s, and Schools’s vocals harmonizing together. Schools emitted a “Wooooo!” right at the beginning. We love and encourage bass mountain to add all the sound effects he wants to. Jojo took this to the absolute next level, suuuuuuuper high high high. Schools released another “Woooo” at the end giving us a beautiful bookend of wooo’s. Wide me High!

The entire band, together as a cohesive unit, transitioned into Love Tractor so beautifully! As you may recall, we just celebrated Love Tractor joining the 4-digit club in Birmingham, this was its 1,001st played live. At this point the dance floor opened up wiiiiiiiide, wide, wide and we were able to rage dance as hard as we wanted to, laughing and loving life, to an extent that’s only achievable at a Widespread Panic show. If you know, you know!! Love Tractor is a very common set closer, so to continue with our nerdy opener and closer analysis, we chose LT as the song we’d dive into for N3. However, since there are 1,001 versions, we chose to only focus on stats since Jimmy joined the band in September of 2006. Don’t worry, that’s still an analysis of 225 Love Tractors, still plenty of data to sift through. It’s a rare opener, but we wanted to keep it consistent with the other two deep dives we took, so for consistency’s sake alone, Love Tractor has opened a one-set show twice, the first set three times, the second set five times, and the encore zero times. Its position as a closer is strong, as Love Tractor has finished off a mega-set once, ended the first set 45 times, the second set 30 times, the third set twice (NYE 2013 and 2023), and ended the encore 32 times. Wow. Since Jimmy joined the band, Love Tractors' position as the opener has occurred 10 times (4.4%) and has been in the closing position 110 times (48.9%). Meaning that 53.3% of the time Love Tractor has been played in the Jimmy Herring era it is either a set opener or, more likely, a set closer. 

After the second eruption of “YEEEEEHAWWWWW” Schools exclaimed, “Hit the jackpot!” and then JB shredded his guitar. After the explosive ending, our heroes left the stage without a word, and we stood their cheering until they came back for their last encore of the run. 

JB greeted us upon their final return to the stage, “Thank you very much for coming together this weekend!” Duane kicked it off and the band began their tenth rendition of the Warren Zevon song, Keep Me In Your Heart. We like to celebrate ALL milestones at WATLO HQ. Sometimes that’s the 1000th time played, 500th time played, but in this case, we welcome KMIYH to the two-digit club. There seemed to be a Mother’s Day thread through a vast majority of the show. As JB sang about experiencing the memory of a dearly beloved, particularly one who does simple things around the house, we couldn’t help but think of all the mothers no longer on this plane of existence. This felt like their homage to those who were grieving the loss of their mothers on this very special holiday. It was heartfelt, beautiful, and emotional. 

They came to a stop and Schools bass introduced another cover, Vampire Blues. Originally released by Neil Young in 1974, this was the biggest bust out of the run! Last played on 7/28/23 in Huntsville, AL, there were 87 shows since the last time they covered this one. They first played it on Halloween in 2005 with George McConnell on lead guitar, in Las Vegas, NV. This rendition was only the 45th time the song has ever been played by the Panics. JB’s vocals came in a bit soft. We noticed he was taking his time getting to his microphone on several occasions. We respect his unrushed, calm, cool, and collected approach to performing. It was Nick’s time to shine, as he got to rip into this one for the first time in the big leagues. JB yelled out for Jojo and then he had a turn to solo on the organ. As mentioned earlier, that left corner was emitting a LOT of heat. Jojo and Nick really went above and beyond all night. JB adlibbed a bit,

 “Bumper stickers, something wonderful. Good times are coming, but they sure are coming slow.” 

Towards the end of the song, we leaned over to our neighbor and said “do you think this is the last one?” To which she replied, “no way!” Thank JBesus, they transitioned seamlessly into Postcard. We love when they end a run with an original. Even though this song has been in the rotation since 1986, it’s only been played 261 times. There are notable gaps between Mikey’s and Todd’s last show with the band. JB always changes a few words here and there in this song, and on this particular evening he sang the following:

 “Well the air, we breathe, yours and mine. Whooped us up, awww an ass kickin’ lifetime. This planet’s nuts, my kind of place. I don’t wanna leave.” … “Awww, the air, we breathe here is fine, fine, fine. Lawwd, pick each other up, awwww, justice, lifetimes. This planet’s nuts, lawwd my kinda place. I don’t wanna leave. I never never wanna leave.”

Wow. What a finisher. There were audible cheers to never wanting to leave - it’s always so tough to say goodbye to all your friends and Panic Family at the end of a run. 

JB left us with, “Thank you Las Vegas, thank you, everybody! Goodnight, goodnight, goodnight!” Eminence Front blasted through the house speakers, the pit had a bonus dance party as we very slowly made our way to the exit. It’s always important to take your time saying goodbye! We checked out the band in the bar at The Virgin - they were so great! It was such a fun scene with all our favorite people gathered in one place. We overheard many heads refer to this run as “Sateside Playa” because so many of us were on campus at the resort all weekend. Such an incredible gathering of humans. Wide, Wide, Wide: How Wide Can You Go???

Thank you GOOD PEOPLE - we will see you at Red Rocks as we kick off summer tour over a mile high! Tip your bartenders and get home safe.

Thank you to our Title Sponsor, Higher Love: