Widespread Panic Deliver Two Nights in Austin with Nods to Valentine’s Day and Four Decade Brotherhood
Photo: Marc Millman
Over the weekend, Widespread Panic took the stage for a pair of live engagements at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas. The Southern jam troubadours’ latest spree came after their destination concert series, dubbed Panic en la Playa, and the continuation of their onstage storyline with guitarist Nick Johnson, who is currently filling in for Jimmy Herring. The two-part stand picked up on Valentine’s Day, Saturday, Feb. 14, a theme that informed their delivery and song choices, and continued on Sunday, Feb. 15, with nods to the band’s different eras and members in recognition of their 40th anniversary, observed on Feb. 6.
The Peach State ensemble marked the start of their Austin stand with a take on “Junior,” before JoJo Hermann assumed control of “Greta,” using each press of the keys to conjure a continuation to the night’s journey. “Greta” merged into “Little Lilly,” providing Dave Schools the opportunity to develop a groove. Jerry Joseph’s “Climb to Safety” pushed a cathartic release of the heart, using lines like “Love has always scared you,” before “This Part of Town.”
The first set continued with “Thought Sausage” and “Barstools and Dreamers” ahead of “King Baby” and a crowd-pleasing “Porch Song.” A rarity emerged at the top of set two, Tom Petty’s “You Wreck Me,” before a funky take on “Ribs & Whiskey.” The latter ran into drummers’ favorite, “Wondering,” which proceeded into a ricochet of material: “Proving Ground” > J.J. Cale’s “Ride Me High” > “Proving Ground.”
Nodding to their roots, the band positioned founding member Todd Nance’s “Down” in the queue before busting into “Papa’s Home.” The latter opened a wave of percussive ambiance, which eventually met “Tie Your Shoes” and carried into the second half of “Papa’s Home.” The band covered Jerry Joseph’s “North” for the last song of set two. For their encore, the band continued their trend of covering Warren Zevon’s “Keep Me In Your Heart” and their own “Love Tractor.”
Widespread Panic returned to their chosen Austin, Texas location on Sunday, Feb. 15 by pushing the gas and accelerating into “Driving Song.” “Disco” initiated an opportunity to improvise, before pushing back into the set opener. Next, they sparked “Little by Little,” which Johnson had previously winked at during “Driving Song.” “Goodpeople” ran into “Dark Bar” and back again, before the group illuminated Vic Chestnutt’s “Aunt Avis.”
“Holden Oversoul” attached itself to Bloodkin’s “Henry Parsons Died,” and represented the finale of set one. Resuming their spots on the Lone Star State stage, Widespread Panic plucked “Blackout Blues” as the initiator, before a well-nourished jam section emerged as “Diner,” inviting fresh perspective and an in-the-moment improvised section of lines a la JB. “Blight” continued the sequence, which birthed “St. Ex.” Next, they picked up Michael Houser’s “Airplane,” which merged into “You Got Yours.”
With gas left in their engine, the group placed “Gimme” ahead of “Blue Indians” and eventually closed the set after “Pigeons. Sunday’s encore consisted of three songs: “We Walk Each Other Home,” “Up All Night,” and “Tall Boy.” After filling out two nights in Texas, Widespread Panic will continue their schedule with the next wave of live dates: March 20-22, at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre in St. Augustine, Fla. These concerts are sold out.
For more information, visit widespreadpanic.com/shows.
Widespread Panic
Moody Center – Austin, Texas
Feb. 14, 2026
Set I: Junior, Greta > Little Lilly > Climb To Safety, This Part of Town, Thought Sausage, Barstools and Dreamers, King Baby > Porch Song
Set II: You Wreck Me, Ribs & Whiskey > Wondering, Proving Ground > Ride Me High > Proving Ground, Down, Papa’s Home > Drums > Tie Your Shoes > Papa’s Home, North
Encore: Keep Me In Your Heart, Love Tractor
Widespread Panic
Moody Center – Austin, Texas
Feb. 15, 2026
Set I: Driving Song, Disco > Driving Song, Little By Little, Goodpeople > Dark Bar > Goodpeople, Aunt Avis, Holden Oversoul > Henry Parsons Died
Set II: Blackout Blues, Diner > Blight > St. Ex, Airplane > You Got Yours, Gimme, Blue Indian, Pigeons
Encore: We Walk Each Other Home, Up All Night, Tall Boy
