Richmond Night 2 Recap (9/13/25)
Listen to the entire show on Nugs or Relisten or Archive.org.
Data mined and explored via Everyday Companion.
The crowd was back and ready for night two. The UGA football game was still going on, and the crew was crowded around a TV off to the side of the stage, Schools side, watching the final moments. They came on about 10 minutes later than the night before, and we were starting to wonder if they were going to wait for the game to finish. There’s no way! Then they couldn’t give us a whole show. Finally, they came on while the game was still happening. GO DAWGS!
As the band walked on the stage an audible “SCHOOOOOOOOOOLS” erupted from the crowd. To an unbeknownst ear, it could have sounded like a “BOOOOOOO” but we all knew it was for the big man to celebrate being in his hometown for the final throw down of this epic run. Let’s talk about band fashion. The night prior, JB, Dave, and Duane came out with sunglasses on, and boy did they look cool! However, as fall rapidly approaches, the sun set during the first, maybe second song of each night. It seemed like Duane and Dave opted for regular glasses on night two (yay for our glasses-wearing rhythm section!!), but JB was still rockin’ those shades, looking fine as hell!
The races were off in granny’s gassed up car. Little by Little opened the show for the second time ever, but the first time ever for a show Panic headlined. Widespread Panic ironically opened up for the Rolling Stones before Red Rocks 2024 and began their short 6-song set with their autobiographical tune. Immediately after the first verse, we think JB regretted his sunglasses choice. Our preacherman gently folded them up with both hands and deftly slipped them into his front shirt pocket before diving into the second verse. It was a buzzer beater! But, he got them in the pocket just in the nick of time! This was the 22nd time the song was played, and has been performed in every single one of the ten runs in 2025. A clear favorite from their new album, Snake Oil King. You won’t hear any complaints from us - it’s such a rager musically, and lyrically such a beautiful description of their life becoming the rockstars they are now. This version slapped, as most do.
Very quickly after the song ended, we heard the familiar strums from Who Do You Belong To? (yes, the question mark is part of the song title). Some may think the introduction sounds shockingly similar to Big Wooly Mammoth, but luckily since they played BWM the night before it was easy to guess what was coming up. This song earned the longest LTP gap for the entire run! It was last played on 4/14/24 in Playa. JB only forgot one line, at the very beginning, “Yes and honey that's just the way you make me feel” but picked it back up for “let go of my hand” so a very quick recovery! Danny Hutchens and Eric Carter of Bloodkin wrote this tune, and it’s only been released by Bloodkin on their album Out of State Plates (1999). It’s a real rockin’ number and this version had a quick tempo. The WATLO HQ Staffers were out of breath dancing with quick feet trying to keep up with Duane’s drumbeat!
Right after the song finished, Sunny picked up his Talking Drum (see photo taken during the show). This is an obvious indication of what is to come - Rock! This original song, released on Mom’s Kitchen (1991) has been a staple of their catalog since 10/4/89, for which we are incredibly grateful. At the end, while we were making it home and moving together, Schools had some excellent additions including “right here, right now.” JB also had a nice little improvisational rap 6:16 where he quoted Red Hot Mama and Tall boy (both played the previous night), “sure look good to me, in the morning his whole world won’t be the same” and some other mumbles that are difficult to decipher.
Sunny with his talking drum. Photo credit: Rail Riding Intern
JB’s guitar brought the song to a close with a complete stop and Duane started off Steven’s Cat, released on Street Dogs (2015). The WATLO HQ Staffers loved hearing this one, as blasts from the past came down memory lane. Shockingly this album is already 10 years old! While they played this song a LOT in 2015 and 2016 (as they tend to do with their new albums), it’s become less common, a song typically played 1-4 times per year. The last one was from Atlantic City earlier this year, 2/14/25, their debut show after having to take an unexpected hiatus. Jimmy ripped it, JB loved singing it, and we were stoked to get to shake and dance to a song about simply getting by, wondering if you can hold out for the next day, a longing to be protected from experiencing sorrow, and realizing that you’ve gotta be willing to make a bold move in order to escape a situation, relationship, or experience that won’t get better.
The song faded with those familiar rumbles, key strokes, and guitar strums that led into Driving Song. The quintessential Panic song. One of the first songs ever played live, and released on their first album, Space Wrangler (1988), it’s one we welcome time and time again. A WATLO intern realized during this song that a dog / cat theme was starting to develop since Rock. All references to dogs/cats will be listed out below the recap in the next few days. Stay tuned
Driving Song is often used as “sandwich bread” as we like to refer to it at HQ. Sometimes they only put one song in between the two parts, other times Driving Song can be used to support a pretty meaty sandwich. Only one song was used this time, Blue Carousel, a new one off the Hailbound Queen (2024) album. It hadn’t been played since Nashville (4/26/25), so before Jojo’s injury. This was the first time ever this song was used for the “meat” of a Driving Song sandwich. Exciting stuff! We love this song over at HQ and jam it regularly. When you hear those voices all around you, remember that LOVE & JOY is what it’s all about. Stay positive, stay grateful, because WE ARE THE LUCKY ONES! Regardless of what’s going on around us, we can just be haaaaappppppy on our proverbial blue carousels, we’re all super grateful the band reminded us of this!
The song ended and there were about 1.5 minutes of strumming, rumbling, and tinkering which led us all back into Driving Song. A very thin slice of bread (2:41) completed the sandwich. While some of us would rather be Driving > Disco, we are grateful for the newness of using a different song for “meat” and testing out new material between such a tried and true song. Solid Panicking right there!
Very quickly after the song ended, Schools dropped us into Papa’s Home. A welcomed song during any time of year, however JB has been favoring the Christmas lyrics since the 90’s. There are actually two sets of lyrics linked on Everyday Companion. An intern was recently tasked with tracking down the first time the Christmas lyrics had been used and discovered a recording from a hotel room in JB’s hometown - 11/28/94 (not listed as an official show on EdC). It’s hard to find audio proof of those cowboy lyrics, so if you discover versions of Papa’s with the original non-Christmas lyrics, please send them to your favorite group of nerds (US!). This was the 537th time the song was played, and is also common sandwich bread. However, this version was played straight through. Right at 5:36 every bandmember just completely took off into one of the most noteworthy jams of the entire weekend. MAKE IT HOME, PAPA!!!!! GO, GO, GO!!!!!
The song barely ended before we heard the familiar organ notes to You Got Yours and then an entire power surge from the stage blasted into it. YGY was released on Bombs & Butterflies (1997). This was an incredibly rockin’ version and really showcased each band member’s strengths, notably Schools’s amazing backup vocals that aren’t talked about enough, so here we are talking about them! At about 3:16, Jimmy sustains a note reminiscent of our beloved original lingering lead, Michael Houser. JB’s vocals were like liquid golden butter. This song had a HUGE show gap after Mikey’s death and wasn’t played after 6/29/02, his last Red Rocks run, until 7/28/06, 271 shows later! Jojo treated us to a Cars tease - all six cylinders were really firing, and from the VIP box, we thought this was the first set closer!
But alas, they had one more in them! With a normal-sized guitar, we were treated to Ain’t Life Grand to close the 3rd set of the run. TURN JB UP! He was in the mix so much - we think he liked having his giant, man size guitar during this version. By the 655th time playing it, you think they’d have it down and boy did they! This was, what we like to call, a live studio version of the song, not much jamming or improvisation, just perfect playing, singing, and emoting! JB said, “Thank you, we’ll be right back!” and we were treated to an unusually short set break (35 minutes).
David Allen Schools was LOVING the “SCHOOOOOOOLS” chanting all weekend. It’s always great showing him our love and support. When they came back on stage from setbreak, he said, “Alright, if you’re gonna do it, let’s really do it! What’s my name?” To which we all replied, “SCHOOOOOOOLS” and he said, “That’s right. Thank you! You guys did that for my Mom, thank you!” Awwwww, thank you, Dave’s Mom for giving birth to the world’s best bass guitarist and backup vocalist.
An astonishing and unpredictable The Harder They Come opened the final set in Richmond and we were shocked! It was only the 6th time ever played, but second time in 2025. Having just played it at Red Rocks with Chuck Leavell, they were well practiced. This time, we were treated to the number without a guest, just the classic six pack of Panic that we love so much. JB’s voice was astonishing - someone had his hot tea with honey and lemon at setbreak. Originally released in 1972 (53 years ago!) by Jimmy Cliff, it’s a song about freedom and fighting for what you want. Panic does the reggae tone so well!
Without a stop, the band dropped right into Pigeons. Quite the opposite sound of the previous song, really showcasing their depth and musical ability to go from soft reggae tones to a massive dirty southern drop into an old time favorite. Our second tune from Mom’s Kitchen (1991), this version RIPPED, as you can expect for the 1,103rd time played. We love Sunny’s toys so much! Sunny showcased SO many of them right around the 5-minute mark. Similarly to Pilgrims, he just gets to pick up one right after the other as we are treated to many unique noises from the oldest member of the band. The jam was so impressive and then the echoes from JB “leave, leave, leave” with Schools hawkish screaming in the background and Jimmy’s whammy bar in full effect - PURE PERFECTION! JB said: “just like snake skin in the grass” possibly foreshadowing the Second Skin that was to come later in the set. We had a nice baby rap from him,
“Somebody gonna move us anyway. Maybe your mama, maybe that sloppy dog, awwwww maybe that kitty cat being ‘fraid of that. Wake up, wake up, wake up, Awwwwww remember. Remembaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.”
He kept up with the dog and cat theme from set one, that’s for sure! The song fully ended, and we got a couple minutes to catch our breath and drink some water, which was highly needed after those two scorchers in a row!
Tackle Box Hero was next, another new Jojo tune off Snake Oil King, this was the 15th time played ever, fourth time in 2025. A tale about a hero's journey, traveling around the country, coast-to-coast searching for the sea, a place to cast his sorrows. Constantly making waves, just like the ocean! It’s a fun number to dance to and they really jammed it out from about the 4-minute mark until the end.
With barely a pause, the entire band flawlessly transitioned into City of Dreams. Most recently played in Asheville in July, this tune was originally released in 1986 by the Talking Heads. It came off the film soundtrack True Stories. Movie night, anyone? This song is grim and bleak, and while it’s heartwarming to sing about living in the city of dreams, it’s also quite disturbing to think about how we’ve built our cities and who has been harmed in the process of creating and building them. So, while we extend gratitude for our beautiful lives in these wonderful places, we also pay homage to the extinguished native people and various wars fought to protect our urban cities. Panic first covered this song on 3/4/92 which was Jojo’s audition show, an acoustic show, and our beloved band opened for Tower of Power. JB’s voice was superb, he truly is the sexiest man aliiiiiiiive!
Jimmy ripped into Running Down a Dream right afterwards. Ahhhhh, see what they did there? Double dream songs! This was the 11th time Panic covered this Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers song, originally released in 1989. The first time Panic played it was during the Halloween run in 2022 in Savannah, GA, which was appropriate for their dream theme. We love when they learn new songs for a Halloween theme and then they stick around! JB singing and channeling David Byrne and then Tom Petty was such a treat, plus the connected theme - what a thrill! They’ve never played those two songs back-to-back! Yay, Panic!
With a complete and total stop, which allowed us to pick our jaws up off the ground, Schools led us into Second Skin. This version of the song is FAT - clocking in at 19:09 it was almost 6 minutes longer than the longest song from the previous night, making this the longest song of the entire weekend! LFG! Boy did we all step into the soft parade, we were feeling it! From the album Earth to America (2006), the last studio album with George McConnell as the lead guitarist. Thank you George! He was the lead guitarist from 7/3/02-7/30/06. He recorded two amazing studio albums with the band (Ball and Earth to America) and played in several shows that were officially released as albums. This was the 169th time played, most recently in Asheville of this year. Around 6:18 Jimmy got real Colonel-y, his jamming during this song is more subdued, less metal / “all the notes possible” and much more psychedelic. Wow - just complete carnage…. They cooled it back down around the 10-minute mark but then around 12:30 the jam derailed just a smidge, verging on “space” while JB hauntingly said “just another story….” ooooohhhhhhh eeeeeee! Chicken skiiiiin! We have mixed feelings about space jams at HQ. One of us is a HUGE fan, and this was her favorite song of the weekend, not surprisingly. Schools and Duane brought it back around minute 14 so that JB could sing the last verse and remind us that we only have skin to lose - yessir! What a banger!
In the last 30 seconds of Second Skin, Jojo’s funky organ groove gave away the next tune, Ride Me High. JJ Cale released this song in 1976 on the album Troubadour. They first covered it on 11/4/96 in Auburn, AL. This version marks the 308th time the song has been played. It’s such a great cover for Panic - sexy, groovy, funky, and they can really jam it out. These two songs (Second Skin and RMH) win best jams of the weekend in one WATLO HQ staffer’s opinion. Schools shouted “one more!” to let us all know they had one more chorus in them!
Sunny was up to something nutty as RMH ended…. But what could it mean? Schools started strumming a diddy…. Awwww shiiiiiit! JB’s scratching away… it can only be one thing… COCONUT!!!!!! Yeeeeehawwwwww! This song came out as a single 45 rpm in 1986 as “Coconut Image” and has been played a LOT (321 total times now), but mostly in the earlier years. There was a lot of spreading of the coconuts from 1986 to 1990. Then they took a huge show gap until Halloween of ‘92 (372 shows). It became a three-year Halloween tradition (1992, 1993, 1994) - so for insane Coconut lovers (like most of us at WATLO HQ, kind of a requirement here…) you had to go to the Halloween show to see it. From 1995-2002 it was a song you’d catch 3-10 times per year. Rare? Yes. A ‘bust out”? Not really. In 2003, after Mikey’s death, they played it 15 times, 8 times in 2005, 8 times in 2006, 3 times in 2007, 6 times in 2008, 3 times in 2010, 2011, and 2013. Then, it started becoming more rare: twice in 2014, once in 2015, twice in 2016, twice in 2017, and then only ONCE PER YEAR in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024. However, this year, in the year of our lord two thousand and twenty five, we have been blessed with TWO COCONUTS, once in Nashville (4/24) and then another time at this show! Thank you, God (aka Fred and Jack!)! We’ll take that song EVERY RUN and we promise we will not complain. This song is perfection and such a necessary and beautiful reminder that there is indeed enough for everyone! So let’s share! Let’s share dance space, water, drinks, food, joy, smiles, and our souls!
While Schools was following his nose to where the coconuts grow, because nobody knows like his nose knows, JB was shoulder shrugging away whilst singing, “Get a little sand between our toes, get a little mud between our toes, get a little sand between our toes.” Gah! What a man! I want to share my coconuts with JB!!!!! Schools explained at the end, “That goes out to you amazing Grace Street!”
JB slung his black Washburn over his shoulder, his finger had a slide on it, and we were blessed with a Ribs and Whisky! Yeeeeeehaw! This song is a JB original and was only played five times with Mikey. Thankfully, with Jimmy at the guitar slaying helm, it’s in the regular rotation. Thanks JBesus! It was released on Earth to America (2006) and this was the 245th time played. Ohhhhhh, JB threatened to get with our sisters again! “You don’t believe my love, I bet your sister will!” Lawwwwd, child. After a ripping Ribs, Schools gave an enthusiastic “muah!” as he blew his hometown crowd a kiss, and they exited the stage.
After a few minutes off stage to pat themselves down and drink some beverages, maybe grind a bite or three of a pulled pork sandwich, they came back on and Schools was chiefing a cig. The Bass master said “Let’s hear it for Harvie Street, c’mon!!! Oh, the floors we slept on!” Possibly indicating the student housing from Virginia Commonwealth University? If anyone has information on this, please share!
After Schools reminisced about his upbringing in Richmond (more specifically, Harvie Street), JB started reminiscing himself with the beautiful new song, Cosmic Confidante, released on Snake Oil King (2024). This was only the sixth time played and is such a gorgeous story about two friends growing up together and moving in and out of each other's lives, until finally death finds one. What a walk down memory lane, Mr. Soul himself reminded us of kool-aide days, simple pleasures, simple times, stepping on cracks, and breaking our nonchalance. Mmmmmm hmmmmmm. Tears welled up in our eyes as we thought about our besties from childhood. If they’re still alive, call them, folks! And tell them you love them!
Finally - the bass notes we’ve been waiting for all weekend - it’s Blight! Being in Schools’s hometown, it wasn’t a matter of if but when we’d get a Blight, but man - it was a buzzer beater!! The writing credits for Blight are Dave, Mikey, Todd, and Vic Chesnutt - LFG! It was first released by Brute on Nine High A Pallet (1995) and then again on two live albums, Live in the Classic City (2002) and Wood (2012). You can tell DAS loves to play and sing this one. It’s always fun to see what he “raps” and we got a good one… “Just gotta love one another, it’s so easy! So easy… So fucking easy!” He was feeling it, with his “oooohs” and “ahhhhhs” and breathy vocals. Dave also treated us to a “b-b-b-b-blight of youuuuu” a few times - completely delectable! Jimmy goes absolutely off with Schools fully throwing it DOWN - a match made in Blight heaven! With a Riders on the Storm tease at the very end, Jojo’s organ led us into Climb to Safety!
We love ending a run with this song! It’s such a great message and takeaway, and they fully sent it! Jerry Joseph released this epic track on The Welcome Hunters (1993), Panic started playing it on 1/20/96 and this was the 418th time played. Shoutout to the amazing Facebook group, “Climb to Safety” which is a safe place for people to seek and provide mental and emotional support for each other. JB substituted a line, which is always so appreciated! Rather than "things under your bed" he said “monsters ‘neath your bed” - oh, yeah! Truly, nothing is better than looking around at all your favorite people promising that they’ll be dry! The last cymbals clattered, and the three in the front hung up their guitars. The audience gave an audible “SCHOOOOOOOOOLS” one last time, and without a word from our band they were gone.
See ya at Mempho! Tickets are still for sale! No Deals!