Indy Recap Night 2 (8/9/25)
Listen to the entire show on Nugs or Relisten.
Data mined and explored via Everyday Companion.
The Saturday crowd was a bit thicker than the previous night, almost as thick as the humid Indiana air as Panic took the stage for their final Midwest rock show. It was the 30th anniversary of Jerry’s death day and a full moon. Heads were amped about the potential of a Grateful Dead bust-out or a nod to Jerry. In fact, some nerds put together some pre-show research on last time played (LTP) for some of the options:
New Speedway Boogie (makes extra sense to us with an Indy / racing tie-in): 8/2/19
Ramble on Rose: 5/23/15
Bird Song: 8/13/22
One Kind Favor: 3/21/25
Smokestack Lightning: 2/16/25
Good Morning Little School Girl: 5/16/25
This list does not include Cream Puff War, as it was played at the last run in Asheville.
The band took the stage, started their rumbles and tuning and we were off to the proverbial races with Driving Song. This song is one of their oldest (debuted on 4/7/86) and it’s pretty common sandwich bread (see the Red Rocks night 3 recap to learn more about Driving Song bread). However, it’s not the most common opener. This was the 46th time the band opened with it, but only the 7th time with Jimmy Herring as our lingering lead. The sound was good, the pit was grooving, and heads were primed for another Indy throw-down.
The song paused and the familiar notes to Walkin’ (for your love) began. It was the 23rd time they played Walkin’ after Driving. The end of Walkin’ brought us seamlessly back to Driving Song, the 5th time they sandwiched Walkin’ with Driving Song bread. A mini sandwich with one layer of meat (or veggies), and the only sandwich of the evening.
Jojo really led us into the next tune. We loved hearing his honky-tonk keys bring us straight into Ribs! Throughout the entire rendition of this beloved song, Jojo really stood out. Of course, JB’s world-class slide guitar is tough to beat, so let’s call it a tie for Ribs MVP! The band played this so cohesively. Fans joked that their pants had holes from their asses scraping the ground. Not gonna lie, this is the only band that can get us that low and KEEP us that low! JB’s cry at the end, “sister might!” was perfect.
After a full stop, the Indy crowd was blessed with Cotton Was King, officially released on Dirty Side Down in 2010. Another full stop, and then Jimmy quickly led us into Pickin’ Up the Pieces. This was the 501st time the song has been played, meaning the 499th was with Jarrod Walker on mandolin and the 500th was with Billy Strings on guitar! We’ve been blessed with a lot of guests in 2025, more than usual it feels like. However, Indy was a straight up serving of the six cylinders of Panic, no guests the whole 4 sets! JB slightly changed the lyrics to “not quite ready to meet my Savior” and those types of lyrical substitutions are always welcomed! Loved hearing JB’s guitar in the mix. Jimmy played it so beautifully, and the rhythm section was holding it down the entire time! A noteworthy choice from the first set with an excellent jam that cooled down at the perfect time to sweat out all those worries.
Pickin’ came to a conclusion, and Duane kicked off Visiting Day! Hell yes! We’ve been waiting too long for this one. The LTP was 12/30/23 - the longest show gap of the evening and run, 40 shows. What a beautiful message and reminder to look around and only see what makes us smile. Let Jojo sing! The funk jam he started around minute 4 was awesome! Go Jojo, go! It debuted on 4/25/00, and was played 65 times before it was officially released on Dirty Side Down in May 2010. The older Geore era live versions have quite different lyrics than the studio recording and current live version, something interesting to look into and learn about. Since being officially released it’s been played 70 times (including Indy!) for a grand total of 135 times. After an excellent peak, the song came to a full stop.
Duane’s rolling drums, most noticeably his epic bass drum, started Let it Rock! The Boys played this one a LOT in the 80’s and 90’s, a good amount in 2000 and 2001. Starting in 2005, it’s been one you’ll only catch 1-3 times per year. They played it last during Playa in 2024, so not a huge show gap, but the first (and maybe only?) one of 2025. While originally released by Chuck Berry in 1959 (the first cover of the evening!) it was also officially released by Jerry Garcia in 1974. Could this be our Jerry nod? Some fans seem to think so! JB had a great 1+minute rap starting at 4:09:
Oh scared the train to my route. Some too busy trying to get the winning back. Ooooohhhh can’t keep that head on track. Comin’ round the mountain when she come. She still don’t come, she still don’t come. Ohhhh! Hang on tight! Ohhhhhh. hold your head at the end of the night, comin’ round the mountain when she cooooomes! Ohhhhh hear the lion on the front of that train. Come round the mornin’ when she come. Ooohhh there’s a lion on the front of that train! TRAIN! That train! That train! [inaudible mumbles]
Well, we like to think at WATLO HQ that the “lion” was in reference to yesterday’s date 8/8, which is the lion’s gate portal and/or a nod to Leo season. Thank you, JB! What a lovely reminder of the power of the day to manifest all of our dreams with clarity and intention!
The entire band took off when his rap ended, clearly energized by JB’s swagger, and we were treated to a very rockin’ well-executed jam! Go, Jimmy!
Without a stop, the band continued rolling into Travelin’ Light. A JJ Cale song off the album Troubadour, released in 1976. Sunny’s vibraslap and other toys he showed off in this song added so much texture and joy. This is truly another outstanding example of a cover they’ve made into their own sound and feel. The jams took off and brought the whole crowd to ecstasy! Dave’s bass drop at 4:35 was epic! Asses scraping the ground all around, yet again! JB’s breathy screams at the end were a welcomed addition. With that, set one was concluded without any verbal announcement from the band. I guess at this point it’s pretty obvious that once they exit the stage that means setbreak errands commence! Snack time.
We loved this introduction to Fishwater to kick off set 2, it was Latin-sounding, JB was in the mix clear as day, Schools’ bass was dropping it back, and Sunny’s bongos and whistles were FIRE. This song always rips and groves, and this version is no exception. Jojo’s funky keys were particularly noteworthy as the finale to the Indy run was bound to be one for the books with this type of start to the final set! Around 10:13 (for real…) JB started a little rap with Dave’s vocals backing him up flawlessly, “Just a little bit of what you go. Woahhhhh my fishwater. Ohh more fish stew. Leave my love on the beach there, awwwwww laaaawwwwd pretty hunny do. Mo, mo, mo, mo, mo, mo, mo, mo, mo, mo, mo, mo, mo (mo’s con’t)... a little bit mo, a little bit mo to the story, a little bit more. A little bit more to the story, just a little bit more. I’m trying to dream my dreams way, way, way, way on back there. As any man might [mumbles…]” The band was super cohesive and connected in their jamming and Duane and Sunny kept the train rolling for a well-earned carrot straight into Little by Little.
One of our favorite new tunes, check out previous recaps to learn more about the lyrics and times played. Nothing uniquely notable in this version other than they were all FEELING themselves, especially JB - pretty sure he got overall MVP both nights in Indy, with Jojo as a close second. The coolest part about Little by Little is the expected ending we all anticipate. This version didn’t end though… they kept going, and rolling, and the bassline kept playing with the keys and drums which led us straight into… GUILDED SPLINTERS.
If our pants weren’t assless from the Barstools and Travelin’ Light in set 1, they certainly were after this song. All booties were scraping the ground swaying back and forth as JB channeled Dr. John and then some… I Walk On Guilded Splinters was released in 1968 by Dr. John. The original lyrics are quite different from what JB gifted the Indy crowd as Panic has really made this cover their own over the years. Instead of fill my “brain” with poison, he said fill my “cup” with poison. The second verse is completely reversed and replaced with other words. Needless to say, all the hearts were certainly melted JUST like butter. It’s worth listening to the Night Tripper sing the original version to really get a sense of how panic-fied our beloved version really is. They first covered this on 9/9/88, and while it’s slightly less common these days, thankfully, it’s still in the rotation quite often. The longest show gap since Jimmy joined the band was 62 shows when they played it on 7/3/15 (LTP was 10/14/14). They annihilated this one… this is why we come to see Panic.
With another well-earned carrot, mostly Duane and Dave with a bit of Jojo brought us into All Time Low. WATLO HQ received an excellent eye-witness report about this one… “during All Time Low, at the end, when they say “all time low, all time loooooooow” the crowd up front in the pit all sung in unison “OHHHH OH OH OH OH OHHHHH!!!” just like in the classic city version. It’s the way I always sing it and hear it in my head, and I guess all the pit people in front of Jimmy did too. It sounded brilliant and everyone was smiling huge.” They got into a really incredible jam, unexpectedly, All Time Low was the second longest song of the night. It’s great when they can play a song in less than 5 minutes or for over 13 minutes. In one WATLO HQ staffer’s opinion, and one reviewer on Nugs, this is the best jam of the night.
The transition into Papa’s home was what (wet) dreams are made of. It’s fairly obvious when you listen to the lyrics to this one that JB mentioning Frosty and the elves indicates that this is a Christmas song about Santa Claus. However, those weren’t always the lyrics. The song has been officially released four times, two “Christmas versions” and two non-Christmas versions. The first time the song was ever officially released was in 1992 on The Mother of All Flagpole Christmas Albums. You may recognize some of the various artists, like Bloodkin and Vic Chesnutt, needless to say this was pretty underground. Then, the song was released on Everyday in 1993 and again, the “Christmas version” was released in 1996 on Better Than a Poke In the Eye. You can buy the album on CD here, but then you also may need to purchase a CD player. The fourth and final time it was officially released was in 2005 on the Live at Myrtle Beach album. So, how do the lyrics differ? See for yourself! Christmas Version Lyrics vs. Non-Christmas Version Lyrics. WATLO HQ has not found the exact show when they stopped the non-Christmas lyrics, but if you know, please fill us in! We’d like to take this opportunity to advocate for the regular lyrics to make an appearance again!
The crowd got very loud at the end, relentlessly cheering for what was to come. JB led us straight into May Your Glass Be Filled. A touching tune, especially considering it was the 23rd anniversary of Mikey Houser’s death the following day (Rise in Power, our fallen guitar hero, Michael Houser 1/6/62-8/10/02)... “I was made stronger forever and ever, knowing you as my friend.” Not a dry eye in the amphitheater…
The mood lightened up with the familiar guitar strums to Space Wrangler! Vibraslap central! Sunny Vibraslaps hard! We’re big big fans of this incredibly old original. Panic’s most played song after Drums, and we welcome it every single run. JB kept adding “light” after “space” in the lyrics, perhaps because of the incredibly strong light emanating from the full moon. Similar to the Red Rocks version earlier this summer, JB invited us to “drop some whiskey in there” during the skol, followed by some “laaaaawds” that will make any true fan's nipples extra hard. Jimmy really blasted us all into space, the energy was high, and our dreams were so clear. Chicken skin allllll over for the final peak. Wowzas. Towards the middle / end of the song the giant full moon was just creeping into view over the trees hanging really low and big in the sky, which was perfectly thematic for the drumroll into Porch Song!
The “woo” after they first sang “havin’ a good time” was so raw and real! The band was having so much fun, and so were all of us! Easy to live the moon time when it was that huge and in your face! It felt so well-timed to honor the full moon in Aquarius right as it got into clear view for all the heads to admire.
JB led us into Genesis, a beautiful cover. It’s the first song on Jorma Kaukonen’s first solo album, Quah, which was released in 1974. Here’s a live version of him playing the song from the same year. A sensitive, beautiful, romantic yet also incredibly emotional and heart-wrenching song with a romping rockin’ interlude - a perfect Panic cover.
A loud and intense intro brought us to the set 2 closer, CONRAD! Dare we say, the perfect way to end a set? We dare… Needless to say, JB was feeling it with all his moans, groans, and “child’s” inserted into the lyrics. Pay attention to the last lyric of the song, JB likes to switch it up, but it can clue us into the kind of “butterfly” our favorite busy little hard-working caterpillar turns into. In this version, WATLO staffers heard “I’m so wide.”
With that, set two was concluded, with no additional commentary from the band. They took the stage for the encore, and Schools said, “Okay, Indianapolis, we must have complete silence. Shhhh. We have a very special program for you tonight.” Aka STFU!!! Chompers not allowed. And, with that, Jojo and his beautiful keys started Nobody’s Loss. Interestingly enough, including this version, the song has been played 149 times: 70 times in the encore and 79 times in the first or second set. Almost an even split. So, it’s a comfortable song for the encore, to say the least! They substituted the lyrics to “Turn our heads into the moonrise” rather than “sunrise” with a not-so-subtle nod to the immense full moon that rose into view during Space Wrangler. Even though Visiting Day won the longest show gap contest, Nobody’s Loss was a close second, with a 30 show gap (tied with Impossible from the night before), last time played on 4/16/24 in Playa in (you guessed it!) the encore. The last time played was a noticeably very slowed down version and the only song of the encore. Couch touring heads were frantically texting hoping they’d play a rager afterwards and not leave the Indy crowd with a one-song encore like we were left with in the last Playa.
Thankfully, Duane beat his drum and Lawyers, Guns, and Money took us home! This song is such a crowd rager, originally released in 1978 as the last track on one of Warren Zevon’s best known and most accoladed albums, Excitable Boy. Here’s a live version from 1980. AJ notified WATLO HQ as an eye-witness reporter and reminded us that this was the exact same encore combo from night one of Huntsville 2023 (7/28/23). A really interesting nerd fact - thank you, AJ, these are the kind of stats we crave! A rockin’ version, short and sweet as they typically are, the shit certainly had hit the fan in the best way possible as we were left with good vibrations, goosebumps all over, and smiles from ear-to-ear!
JB addressed the crowd (finally), “Goodnight everybody. Thank you very much.” And Dave chimed in, “thanks for sharing in our lunacy.” What a run!
Looking forward to seeing ya’ll in a few weeks for a wicked good time in Boston! Let’s go Panic!!! Best band in the land, by a country mile.