Boston Night 3 Recap (8/23/25)
Listen to the entire show on Nugs or Relisten or Archive.org.
Data mined and explored via Everyday Companion.
The fans and the boys in the band showed up hungry and ready to rage for night three. JB was especially talkative when he greeted the ravished audience with “Hello everybody, (inaudible) …chat chat”. This was all the niceness we got, and then the rock show began with JB growling. There was gumbo on the menu with the set one opener, Thought Sausage was the first pitch this evening at MGM Fenway. Mama and Papa were stirring it up in a PG13 manner, perhaps rated R for face melting danger. Hot, steamy, and saucy all around. The Panic die-hards in attendance were noticing highly creative phrasing by Bell, an omen that this show would be special. Listen closely at 4:48 when the lyric was “Come on in the kitchen Child, Lawd I’m good and ready”. Lawd Child or Child Lawd is a war cry that gets just about everyone lathered on up. If this wasn’t all special enough, Thought Sausage as the show opener hadn’t happened since 3/30/14 - more than 11 years ago (we did the math).
A pseudo segue led us into the hi-hats and big guitar drop of Dyin’ Man. Herring was keeping time and we could see and hear JB bending his strings. Turnt up! Jojo had his traditional lyrical leads in this one and he was as strong as ever. Everything was tight and right in this classic version, the third DM of 2025 and the 265th time ever played of an original released on the 1999 album ‘Till the Medicine Takes.
There was a short pause and then we heard the unmistakable opening guitar riff of Holden Oversoul. A super classic original from the 1992 reissue of Space Wrangler. Our interns were surprised to learn that this was not actually on the original release in 1988. A bit longer of a version than the studio track, this bad boy clocked in at 9:10. The heavy lifting of the jam began at around 3:13 when Herring went off script and into beast mode. Not sure how his fingers can move so fast but our faces took the brunt of this shred heavy onslaught, the rest of the band could barely keep up but Schools and Hermann did a damn fine job of dueling with the white wizard. After a couple minutes, it was time to let the fret board cool off and the song entered a psychedelic phase, loose and floaty and good for a quick chat to the neighbors. Just kidding, actually Dave said STFU, because one intern believed this to be one of the best jams of the entire night. Some mini drums and bass kept the groove moving forward and the crowd had a feeling something was about to happen. Another wild peak sent this song to an MVP level and it was, as the kids say, “sick”. Hot Diggity Damn! (the kids don't say that… But, we do!!!)
Why worry when you can Panic? It was a precise and perfect segue into our next number, the 4th song of an 8 song first set. Another one clocking in at over 9 minutes. Stress kills and there is no need to worry, all good things will happen in all good time. The song Worry has never been released as a studio recording, the only official release of this song was actually on the 2002 live album, Live in Classic City. Many deep and profound messages and images in this saga tell the story of a central character rife with regret, and a past that haunts, along with time fettered away; loss, anger and trouble all coming back to bother them. It has come down to the central truth of just trying to keep their feet warm by a fire that won't seem to stay lit. Being that our band bears a name which is a pseudonym of worry, it is obvious this song has significant importance in the Panic multiverse. Listen at 6:45 for a tight jam segment led by Jimmy, David, and John H.
Worry had a smooth come down and a moment of cheering from the audience, which was followed by the thought provoking piano intro from This Part of Town. Affectionately known as “TPOT” - the Beantown crowd enjoyed a more standard version of this song, and it added to the story line of a character down on their luck. At 1:57 JB creates “Thinkin’, Thinkin’ too much…Sometimes it seems, all we got we’ve either given or taken…maybe around the next corner lifetime we will be forsaken.” After this prophetic play on words by Deacon Bell, the song gets back into the classic shreddy grooves intertwined with soulful delivery of the words by JB. Such a deep and powerful two song combo had more than a few heads thinking about life and all we have been given. We are the lucky ones, given another day to breathe and be, and see this incredible band cast a spell of magic and glory.
A pseudo stop, that ended up being a non-stop, led into a slow sultry drum beat by Duane and then some great guitar work by JB and Jimmy to fire up this new song. The 21st time Little by Little has been played in public, including every run in 2025, it builds and grows like the embers of the fire, blow by blow. The gradual and then sudden ignition from this new piece mirrors the slow burn and eventual blaze that WSP has become. Herring has polished this composed piece to a high shine with a glossy coat, and damn if it ain’t just a gem of a song. The lyrics beg JB to growl a dirty dirty story into our tender ears. We know this band will eventually ride off into a sunset that never sets at all, but we try not to dwell on the fact that none of us are getting any younger. Herring and Duane seem to really take full send to a full realization on the outro part of this heater. Chicken skin allllll over.
DAS’s bouncy and playful bass line was up to bat after a very short stop. Any bingo player knows to bet the house on a baseball song when you are at the Red Sox home field. JB backed off his growl a bit and brought a Disney worthy croon to his voice, Schools was bringing some nice little harmonies with his backup vocals. With the range of Mr. Bell’s voice combined with his string bending, the turn JB up movement had even more fuel for the fire. They have now played Rebirtha 429 times, and it shows with how well all the parts fit together. It all sounded so pleasing, we believe it could have been a studio version and laid on wax. The actual studio release was in 1997 on the Bombs and Butterflies album. Being the third longest song of the first frame, at 8:34, there was plenty of time to bring it to the next level in the behemoth main end segment.
Smooth landing again by Jojo tickling the ivories, and setting the stage for a barn burner, the first cover of the evening, and our longest LTP gap of the run: Red Beans. 124 shows since the 2/20/22 version, and did they ever rev this one up to maximum frenzy. It is Beantown y'all, and those Boston Baked Beans are the goods, pairs well with Thought Sausage. Soul food, y’all. They did not leave a doubt on this one: pure heat. In the history of Panic, they have played this diddy 115 times, and they all smoked. Written by Muddy Waters, but first released by Professor Longhair in 1980, the original release is worth a listen - straight Bayou boogie-woogie. Incredible.
Set break is never long enough to eat more than a snack, although no need to worry. There was a massive sandwich in store for set 2 that would feed the heartiest of heads and leave leftovers for the mini-fridge at the Best Western. We also were in store for the only two instrumentals of the weekend.
It was an original instrumental that kicked off the second-of-the-evening and final-run frame: Disco. Never released as a studio version, only a live version on the 1998 album of the millennium, Light Fuse Get Away. Excellent version, every one got a chance to shine (except JB’s voice) and we were treated to a nice gentle outro from Jojo.
Three taps on the hi-hat and then we dropped into Pigeons, the cornerstone original from the 1991 self titled album Mom’s Kitchen. Again, JB had his axe turnt up and we were loving it. We, at the HQ, are endlessly impressed by his ability to morph his voice from angelic to demonic and everything in between. The vocal tone he chose on this version (the 1,103rd time they have played it in concert😲) was just classic JB, as to say pure solid gold. This song is highly complex in both the cryptic dreamscape lyrics and the several different segments that all sew together to create an always memorable experience. The Jam dropping at 5:53 is the kind of Schools’ tone and bass delivery that keeps the women's fresh-panties vending machine in business. Herring added, then Trucks, and Sunny got into the melee, finally an insane peak at 7:30, with a piercing banshee angel scream and triple “Lawd, Lawd, Lawd” from the coolest front man in the business, it was time to “Wake up…wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up…You still leave your body lyin’ there…oooh it’s like a car parked out in the field, wake up wake up…some gonna come up and move us soon anyway…wake up in your dreams, you can do anything there, remember how to fly, remember remembaaaahhhhhhar Lawwwwddd”. With a Pigeons this smoking hot we, at the WATLO HQ box seats, had to pinch each other to make sure we were not dreaming. In our dreams however, the popcorn always tastes like chicken.
It was time to cool it down and settle in and remember Kool Aid days. We avoid refined sugar at the HQ but the Kool Aid Man makes regular visits at the office to ferociously run through brick walls. He definitely ran through a brick wall last Tuesday and then again on Friday. Cosmic Confidante took the third slot of a 10-song second set (3-song encore). Another new song, the intro could easily be mistaken by spun heads as the piano intro to the cover song Hallelujah. This, however, is an original from the 2024 release Snake Oil King. Debuted on 5/16/25, this was only the 6th live performance of CC. It’s a ballad and still in the early stages of evolution, definitely a good chance to hold your near and dear nice and tight. This version clocked in at 9:08 and gave plenty of room for exploration. The song ended peacefully and there was a full stop and pause before we got to mack on a mondo dagwood.
Sunny got jiggy with his bongos and we were immediately soaring through the valley in no time. This being the top bread of an eventual 6 song sandwich (counting 2 split songs) it got to breathe and move with the spirit for over 9 minutes. The Jam was fluid and spinny and danceable, it got the sweat flowing again after the CC cooldown. There were a few quiet and cosmic moments, and then everything was in place for our second original instrumental of the weekend, the condiment spread in this sandwich (mayo, mustard, guacamole - pick your favorite!), Party at Your Mama’s House. It was the 227th time ever played, and a syrupy sweet intro that you could just imagine Jimmy pouring onto a short stack of flapjacks at the Best Western Plus free breakfast, served from 6AM to 9AM. One of 5 songs from this show that were all originally released on ‘Till the Medicine Takes (1999), making it the most played album of the Saturday night. One of our executives at HQ said this was perhaps her favorite jam of evening.
A very enthusiastic and epic back half of the PAYMH faded into the first portion of sandwich meat, Low Spark of High Heeled Boys. This classic Traffic cover was performed for the 230th time ever. This title track was on Traffic’s 1971 album which topped out at #7 on the charts in its heyday. At over 10 minutes there was a lot of time to take their side quests and feel out the space by composing new music on the spot. A few mini solos from both Dave and Jimmy gave the audience a reason to witness and behold what improvisation is all about.
The next layer, the proverbial “cheese” of our sandwich was a radio-version length of All Time Low. Again a selection from ‘Till the Medicine Takes, the fellas kept it tight and concise, they knew they had more ingredients to add. We need help at 2:19. Did JB and Jojo say "Thrown from the top of a jelly fall” or did they shout out Boston and say “Thrown from the top of a chowder fall”?? We are always hiring interns, so get in touch with your interpretations of these authentic anomalies. Submit your application today!
Herring melted a few more faces on the way out of ATL and Duane hurt his drums, leading us into the placement of our second serving of “meat.” This sublime segue led us back into Low Spark, and the bass really grounded the hall as we were swaying to and fro in the VIP box seats. JB, again, sounded like a million bucks and a trillion bucks had a love child and the child was named JB’s voice. The LSoHHB here was just over 3 minutes, and next up, the closing slice of bread.
Again a money maker segue into a Sunny fueled SV, and it was a pure triumph. What a journey through a sandwich clocking in at over 43 minutes. Pure mastery. How do you follow such an act?
We will tell you how: you don't miss a beat and step up and just absolutely crush the guts out of a Panic standard classic heater. The chosen song to hit out of the park was Postcard, from Everyday (1993). It was rumored that the Kool Aid Man was listening to this heady version of said song at full volume on Tuesday when he ran through our brick wall at HQ. Apparently it was precisely at 2:44 when a mighty rebel yell came from atop Bass Mountain. We forgive you Kool Aid Man! Rather than whipping up an ass-kicking time, JB substituted the lyrics with, “we whipped us up a space with no time” - what a remarkable indication of a special run! A space with no time?! That’s the kind of vibe we shoot for everyday! We had a trusty eye-witness reporter at the show (not in the box seats though) that said this Postcard “Blew her mind”. You are not alone sister, this was an insane version. It was this second set closer that really gave strength and legs to the label “masterpiece” which many are calling this show. Hot diggity Damn!
Before the encore, JB was highly talkative with his announcement “All right Boston, thank you very much!” Schools added “WoooHoooo…Yeahhhh!!” Then JB said something like “it's very important” and “Gimmie a beat”. Blue Indian Do-Si-Doed into the hall like a competitively trained dancer that had too much Chamomile tea. Hats came off, hugs were all around, even a few chompers stopped talking and listened as the medicine took. Just like home, Y’all. “Where all the stray souls go”. Again with the sweet molasses leads, Jimmy brought tears to the eyes of at least one of our beloved eyewitness reporters. Chef’s kiss on that cornbread.
A full stop so Jimmy could grab a different guitar since this song is in a different pitch (drop D), and then time for a Beatles cover (released in 1968) also covered by Jerry Garcia Band, released 20 years later in 1988 from their live concert at Hartford Civic Center, a mere 98.8 miles away from the MGM Music Hall. This song has become somewhat regular in the rotation since its debut on 3/13/22 in Sin City. This was the 9th time ever played, and as gorgeous as this band gets. Once the tear duct seal was broken on Blue Indian, well damn if this song didn't get the tears flowing for more than one head in the house. The guitar work at 3:48 was enough to make even the Kool Aid Man Cry. Jimmy is a legend. His mastery of tone is impeccable. More top self work from our lingering lead on the way home from DP.
Now, after a wee stop for Jimmy to change his guitar again (that last one was special for the pitch in DP), the boys tasked the drum corps to fire the cannons on one of the most awesome run closers, Porch Song. A scorcher that could make one cry in the memory of Michael Houser 10/6/62-8/10/02 (Rise in Power). He is, was, and always will be the man in the moon, and that man is a musician. We here at WATLO HQ agree that this was approaching a masterpiece level show, it had our eye witnesses crying, dripping with sweat, minds being blown, and finally walking out with a “mellow high,” stating this was “easily one of the strongest Panic shows I have ever seen,” and floating off into the Beantown night. JB summed it all up with “Thank you Good People, good night everybody.”
Thanks for reading and for supporting the podcast. Stay tuned for the pilot episode airing soon and a merch drop coming up for Milwaukee. We love every one of you, and the best thing about this band is that it fosters the best friendships and connections a soul could ever wish or want for. See Y’all in Richmond, for a Schools’ hometown THROW DOWN!
Peace, Love, and Panic. Remember above all else: Never miss a Saturday show.