Widespread Panic Raises Hell With 7 Cover Debuts At New Orleans Halloween Show

Widespread Panic turned to Dante’s Inferno for inspiration on Saturday at New Orleans’ UNO Lakefront Arena, building their Halloween setlist around a descent into the underworld. Seven cover debuts and the returns of “Lake Of Fire,” “Tush” and “Sympathy For The Devil” highlighted the finale of the band’s two-night stand.

Nick Johnson played guitar throughout the concert, continuing to fill in for Jimmy Herring. The show marked Panic’s first Halloween in New Orleans since 2021, renewing a tradition at the venue that dates back to 1997.

Panic established the evening’s direction with “Down” and Jimmy Cliff’s “Sitting In Limbo” before unveiling their first-ever take on The Doors’ “Break On Through (To The Other Side).” “Bust It Big” followed ahead of just the second performance of ZZ Top’s “Tush.” The trio’s classic had been absent from WSP setlists since October 10, 2021 in Austin.

The rest of the opening frame mixed familiar material with titles that fit the evening’s theme, including “Red Hot Mama,” “Ribs And Whiskey” and “Contentment Blues.” “Thought Sausage” led into the set-closing “Lawyers, Guns And Money.” Hints of “Going Down” surfaced during the show before the band gave the blues standard its full debut in the second set.

Audio from the 1976 film Network introduced set two, setting up Panic’s first performance of Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It.” The band then revived Meat Puppets’ “Lake Of Fire” for the first time since April 21, 2018 at the Wanee Festival.

Talking Heads’ “Papa Legba” continued the journey before Panic moved through Jimi Hendrix’s “Machine Gun,” another Talking Heads selection in “Life During Wartime” and their own “Imitation Leather Shoes.” The sequence led to the full unveiling of the Don Nix-penned “Going Down,” a song closely associated with Freddie King.

Two more debuts followed: the Willie Dixon-penned, Howlin’ Wolf-popularized “Down In The Bottom” and Curtis Mayfield’s “(Don’t Worry) If There’s A Hell Below We’re All Going To Go.” After spelling out the theme with the Mayfield selection, Panic capped the second set with “King Baby” and “All Time Low.”

The three-song encore brought two final additions to the repertoire. Dolly Parton’s “Halos & Horns” opened the frame before Panic debuted Black Sabbath’s “Lord Of This World.” The Rolling Stones’ “Sympathy For The Devil” provided the closing statement, returning for the first time since January 27, 2020 at Panic En La Playa.

New Orleans has hosted several of Panic’s elaborate Halloween productions. Their 2019 salute to Andy Kaufman featured appearances by George Porter Jr. and R.E.M.’s Mike Mills, while the band’s 2021 Halloween show at the arena introduced “Halloween Face” alongside covers of David Bowie, R.E.M. and The Radiators. Last year, Panic brought an Alice In Wonderland theme to Savannah, Georgia.

Widespread Panic next performs December 30 and 31 at Bojangles’ Coliseum in Charlotte. Watch fan-shot video from the band’s Halloween concert below:

Listen to official audio of Saturday’s Halloween show with a nugs subscription below:

Setlist (via EverydayCompanion.com)

Set One: Down > Sitting In Limbo > Break On Through (To the Other Side) > Bust It Big, Tush, Red Hot Mama > Ribs And Whiskey > Contentment Blues, Thought Sausage > Lawyers, Guns, And Money

Set Two: We’re Not Gonna Take It > Lake Of Fire > Papa Legba > Machine Gun > Life During Wartime > Imitation Leather Shoes > Going Down, Down In The Bottom > (Don’t Worry) If There’s A Hell Below We’re All Going To Go > King Baby > All Time Low

Encore: Halos & Horns, Lord of This World > Sympathy for the Devil

Entire show with Nick Johnson on guitar

[Only ‘(Don’t Worry) If There’s A Hell Below We’re All Going To Go’, Only ‘Break On Through (To the Other Side)’, Only ‘Down In The Bottom’, Only ‘Going Down’, Only ‘Halos & Horns’, Only ‘Lord of This World’, Only ‘We’re Not Gonna Take It’; Audio from the movie ‘Network’ played before ‘We’re Not Gonna Take It’; Without Jimmy; ‘Going Down’ teases after ‘Sitting In Limbo’, ‘Lake Of Fire’, and ‘Papa Legba’; Last ‘Lake Of Fire’ – 04/21/18, 292 shows; Last ‘Sympathy for the Devil’ – 01/27/20, 221 shows; Last ‘Tush’ – 10/10/21, 201 shows]