Widespread Panic Hits The Ground Running On Panic En La Playa Night One

It’s been a long two months since Widespread Panic had last performed, but that was all washed away on the shores of Riviera Maya, Mexico. Last night was the opening performance of the band’s sixth annual Panic en la Playa, bringing their high energy rock and roll down South of the border for the first of four nights under the stars.

The band got things rolling with “One Arm Steve,” keeping the energy high with favorites like “Send Your Mind,” “Weight of the World,” and more. The band really got into a jive during the later half of the set, rolling through “Honky Red > Bear’s Gone Fishin’ > Blight > Climb To Safety” to close out the hourlong offering.

The energy level never waned in the second set, opening up with a cover of Buffalo Springfield’s “Mr. Soul” before jamming out “Visiting Day” and “Second Skin.” From there, the band wouldn’t stop rocking until the end of the set, segueing into “Rebirtha,” “Cease Fire,” “Drivin’ Song” and more. They took “Drivin’ Song” into a funky “Disco” before returning to the “Drivin’,” ultimately dropping out into a percussion jam for Sunny Ortiz and Duane Trucks. They would be joined by bassist Dave Schools for some “Drumz & Bass,” which eventually resolved into a huge “Proving Ground.”

Check out the video of “Drumz/Bass jam > Proving Ground” below, courtesy of MrTopdogger.

The show kept rocking with “Solid Rock,” which segued back into “Proving Ground,” and ultimately the band closed out the second set with “Action Man.” They kept the mood light for the encore with the song “Vacation,” and closed it out with the fan favorite “Bust It Big.”

See a video clip from “Bust It Big” below, courtesy of LoadOffAnnie.

Check out the full setlist below, courtesy of PanicStream. You can also head to PanicStream for a full audio stream of the performance. Widespread Panic returns to the stage tonight, February 28th.

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