{"id":410896,"date":"2026-07-24T16:16:19","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T16:16:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/410896\/"},"modified":"2026-07-24T16:16:19","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T16:16:19","slug":"widespread-panic-honors-local-legends-at-first-l-a-show-in-10-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/410896\/","title":{"rendered":"Widespread Panic Honors Local Legends At First L.A. Show In 10 Years"},"content":{"rendered":"

Following a West Coast tour filled with cities the band hasn\u2019t played in a decade<\/a>, Widespread Panic began its last stand on Thursday night at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles. For the Athens, GA blues bulldog\u2019s first visit to the City of Angels in ten years, Widespread Panic celebrated L.A.-area luminaries War and Warren Zevon, and dusted off a Talking Heads deep cut not seen since 2023.<\/p>\n

Coming out for the second set, drummer Derek Trucks and percussionist Domingo \u201cSunny\u201d Ortiz laid the foundation for Talking Heads\u2019 \u201cPapa Legba.\u201d The rhythmically fueled cover from 1986\u2019s True Stories hadn\u2019t been seen since April 18th, 2023<\/a> in Austin (per Everyday Companion<\/a>), with Thursday marking only the fourth appearance this decade for the song that was a setlist staple in the \u201980s and \u201990s. Trucks, Ortiz, and bassist Dave Schools then propelled the band into \u201cSecond Skin\u201d for some of the evening\u2019s deepest improvisation, and the second set was off and running. <\/p>\n

Following a genteel \u201cBlue Indian\u201d and a meaty sandwich of \u201cSurprise Valley\u201d > \u201cBlight\u201d > \u201cSurprise Valley,\u201d Widespread Panic offered its first local shoutout on War\u2019s \u201cFour Cornered Room.\u201d Although not technically from Los Angeles proper, the boundary-breaking, multi-racial funk band was born about 25 miles south of the Orpheum Theatre in Long Beach (which, for the record, is still part of Los Angeles County). <\/p>\n

Related: Watch Dave Schools Tell Red Rocks How Colorado Inspired A Classic Widespread Panic Song<\/a><\/p>\n

Then, after closing the second set with a fluid \u201cChilly Water,\u201d John Bell brought the mood down with a tender reading of Warren Zevon\u2019s \u201cKeep Me in Your Heart\u201d to open the two-song encore. Though the late Excitable Boy was born in Chicago, Zevon lived most of his life in Los Angeles where he befriended fellow luminaries the Eagles and Jackson Browne in the waning light of the Laurel Canyon movement. Zevon appeared extensively alongside Browne, Bonnie Raitt, and Linda Ronstadt (who scored a Top 40 hit with a cover of Warren\u2019s \u201cPoor Poor Pitiful Me\u201d) in a 1977 Dutch documentary on the L.A. music scene that\u2019s absolutely worth a watch and embedded below. <\/p>\n

Check out fan-shot videos from Widespread Panic in Los Angeles and photos by Josh Martin<\/a>. The band returns for two more shows on Friday and Saturday. Grab tickets here<\/a> or tune in for a complimentary audio livestream on the band\u2019s YouTube channel<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Widespread Panic: \u201cKeep Me In Your Heart\u201d (Warren Zevon) \u2014 7\/23\/26<\/p>\n

Video: Todd Norris<\/a><\/p>\n

Widespread Panic: \u201cClimb To Safety\u201d (Jerry Joseph, Glenn Esparza) \u2014 7\/23\/26<\/p>\n

Video: Todd Norris<\/a><\/p>\n

Widespread Panic \u2014 Orpheum Theatre \u2014 Los Angeles, CA \u2014 7\/23\/26 \u2014 Full Audio<\/p>\n

Audio: Zmanatl<\/a><\/p>\n

Wonderland [Full Documentary] \u2014 1977<\/p>\n

Video: Bonnie\u2019s Pride and Joy<\/a><\/p>\n

Setlist<\/a>: Widespread Panic | Orpheum Theatre | Los Angeles, CA | 7\/23\/26<\/p>\n

Set One: For What It\u2019s Worth (Buffalo Springfield), Tall Boy > Rock, Rebirtha > King Baby > Worry, Tickle the Truth, Henry Parsons Died (Bloodin)
Set Two: Papa Legba (Talking Heads), Second Skin > Blue Indian, Tackle Box Hero > Surprise Valley > Blight (brute.) > Surprise Valley, Saint Ex, Four Cornered Room (War), Chilly Water
Encore: Keep Me in Your Heart (Warren Zevon), Climb To Safety (Jerry Joseph, Glenn Esparza)<\/p>\n

Widespread Panic | Orpheum Theatre | Los Angeles, CA | 7\/23\/26 | Photos: Josh Martin<\/p>\n

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