Fresh off their trip south of the border for Panic en La Playa Trece, Widespread Panic injected their revitalized energy into the first of two nights at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas. Nick Johnson, filling in for Jimmy Herring, took the training wheels off and continued to display a masterful understanding of Panic’s deep well. Leaning into the romance of Valentine’s Day, the band layered in a setlist of mostly original love songs and two jam sandwiches in the second set.

After the band settled into their respective positions onstage, the generational ladies’ man John Bell welcomed the Austin crowd before WSP barged into a boisterous “Junior” opener. Soon, JoJo Hermann’s piano blazed an ivory trail into “Greta” until Nick Johnson took the tune to another dimension. Dave Schools’ bass carved deep notches into “Little Lilly” to remind the audience “it’s only real if you believe.”

JoJo favored the organ during Jerry Joseph and Glenn Esparza’s “Climb to Safety” (“Love has always scared you”) and swapped for piano during the introduction of “This Part of Town” (‘Cause where there is love, there is hope). Scaling the levels of his multi-tiered ziggurat of keyboards, JoJo returned to his organ sounds while Johnson added a scorching guitar solo into the tail end of the tune.

Johnson and JoJo’s organ would continue to synergize over a simmering pot of “Thought Sausage” while JB growled intermittently about the state of readiness of the cauldron’s contents. Winding down the set, a machine-less “Barstools and Dreamers” coronated “King Baby” before a fan-favorite “Porch Song” punctuated the first frame.

Past the midway point, Panic covered Tom Petty’s “You Wreck Me” for only the 16th time in the decade since its debut at Milwookie’s Riverside Theatre in 2017. JoJo and JB’s slide guitar slathered the sauce onto “Ribs and Whiskey” that oozed with funky sexiness (“If you don’t gimme your love / I’m gonna find a new way to spend my night / If you don’t gimme a new way to spend my life!”).

A single note from Johnson’s guitar lingered quaveringly in the air while Duane Trucks and Sunny Ortiz built the foundation of “Wondering”, whereupon a jaunty “Proving Ground” gave way to the first jam sandwich of the set. After a percussive climax, WSP slid into J.J. Cale’s “Ride Me High” before swaying back into “Proving Ground”.

Founding WSP drummer Todd Nance’s “Down” set the stage for the second sandwich, this time splitting “Papa’s Home” at the seams. Post-breakdown, Schools curtailed a five-minute drummer’s duel between Trucks and Ortiz by cascading into the spiraling rhythm of “Tie Your Shoes”. After the back half of “Papa’s Home”, WSP tacked on a second Jerry Joseph cover, “North”, to tie off the second set.

For the second consecutive Valentine’s Day, Widespread Panic opened the pair of encores with Warren Zevon’s “Keep Me In Your Heart”.  They’ve performed the tune a half-dozen times or so since its debut during Sunday Service at Red Rocks in 2023. Riding off into the sunrise, the Panics rolled back into their own repertoire with a bouncing “Love Tractor” closer.

Happy Valentine’s Day, y’all. Appreciate each other’s weirdness; life is too boring to not have fun. Not like I have to tell the Good People in Austin this weekend, yin are already livin’ it up! Stay safe and look out for another. One more night of Panic ahead in Texas. Buckle up to get down!

Widespread Panic – “Climb To Safety” – 2/14/26
[Video: Shane Jones]

Widespread Panic – “This Part Of Town” – 2/14/26
[Video: Shane Jones]

Widespread Panic – “Barstools And Dreamers” – 2/14/26
[Video: BRADFORD WALKER]

Widespread Panic – “King Baby” > “Porch Song” – 2/14/26
[Video: BRADFORD WALKER]

Widespread Panic – “Proving Ground” > “Ride Me High” – 2/14/26
[Video: BRADFORD WALKER]

Widespread Panic – “You Wreck Me” (Tom Petty) – 2/14/26
[Video: Shane Jones]

Widespread Panic – “Ribs And Whiskey” > “Wondering” – 2/14/26
[Video: BRADFORD WALKER]

Widespread Panic – “Papa’s Home” > “Drums” > “Tie Your Shoes” – 2/14/26
[Video: Shane Jones]

Widespread Panic – “Papa’s Home” > “North” – 2/14/26
[Video: BRADFORD WALKER]

Setlist: Widespread Panic | Moody Center | Austin, TX | 2/14/26
Set 1: Junior, Greta, Little Lilly, Climb To Safety, This Part Of Town, Thought Sausage > Barstools and Dreamers, King Baby > Porch Song (71 mins)
Set 2: You Wreck Me, Ribs and Whiskey > Wondering, Proving Ground > Ride Me High > Proving Ground, Down > Papa’s Home > Drums > Tie Your Shoes > Papa’s Home, North (77 mins)
Encore: Keep Me In Your Heart, Love Tractor (11mins)
Notes:
‘Down On The Farm’ tease during ‘Ribs And Whiskey’
Without Jimmy; Entire show with Nick Johnson on guitar