Widespread Panic Breaks Out The Band Cover In Sacramento

Widespread Panic's West Coast Tour continued on Tuesday with the sextet’s first show in Sacramento since 1991. Panic closed out the night with a rare cover of The Band’s “Ophelia.”

The concert at Channel 24 began with “Let’s Get The Show On The Road.” Drummer Duane Trucks then played the rollicking beat that marks the start of “Wondering.” A brief pause followed while venue staff attended to a medical issue in the crowd.

Next up were a couple of pairings as “Bear’s Gone Fishin'” was linked with “Blackout Blues” before a cover of The Meters’ “Just Kissed My Baby” bled into “Radio Child.” WSP brought the 76-minute opening stanza to a close by connecting “Machine” with “Barstools And Dreamers” and “Flat Foot Flewzy.”

Guitarist Nick Johnson, continuing to fill in for Jimmy Herring, shined on the sequence of “Contentment Blues” and “Conrad” that kicked off the second set. An extended take on the Bloodkin number “Trashy” then prefaced “Gimme.” From there, “Diner” was the improvisational centerpiece of the frame ahead of “Fishing” and “Pilgrims.”

Widespread Panic ended set two in rowdy fashion with “Up All Night” and a cover of Funkadelic’s “Red Hot Mama.” The encore started with a tender “Nobody’s Loss” before the band punctuated the show with “Ophelia.”

“Ophelia” hadn’t been performed by Widespread Panic since August 26, 2023 — a span of 97 shows. John Bell channeled Levon Helm on the song The Band recorded for their 1975 album Northern Lights — Southern Cross.

Widespread Panic now heads to Los Angeles for a three-night stand at the Orpheum Theatre. The shows will bring the band’s first extended tour in a decade to a close.

Stream an audience recording of Widespread Panic’s show in Sacramento taped by Charles Fox:

Setlist & Photos