Widespread Panic held the fifth and final show of their 2020 residency at the Beacon Theatre in New York City on Monday night. The band once again pulled out a rarely played cover, this time taking on the New York punk rock icons Ramones.

Following Sunday’s encore bust out of Lou Reed’s “Vicious,” WSP began their concert on Monday (which would have been Reed’s birthday) by opening with the Ramones’ classic “I Wanna Be Sedated.” The punk anthem’s fifth performance by Panic since Halloween 2003 was its first time being played since October 30, 2016, a span of 121 shows. After the opener came well-worn favorites “Travelin’ Light,” “Old Neighborhood,” “Imitation Leather Shoes,” “The Last Straw,” “Pleas,” “Rock,” “Jack” and the first half-closer “Love Tractor.”

Set two of lighting director Paul Hoffman’s 800th gig working for the band opened with their fourth performance of “The Waker” since the 2002 death of the song’s writer, co-founding guitarist Michael Houser. Sticking to their older material, Panic moved the set along with “Pigeons” and “Hatfield,” before building a seamless sequence of “Impossible” into “Saint Ex” into “Tie Your Shoes,” which developed into a jam before landing on “Nobody’s Loss.” The last song of the set was “North.” The encore consisted of a nod to another band associated with late-1970s New York as Panic offered covers of Talking Heads’ “City Of Dreams” and “Life During Wartime.”


Next up for Widespread Panic is a three-night stand in Chicago starting on April 2. Watch audience-shot video highlights of Widespread Panics finale at the Beacon below:

I Wanna Be Sedated Captured by Fred Ramadan

Life During Wartime Captured by MrTopdogger


The Waker Captured by Fred Ramadan

Set One: I Wanna Be Sedated, Travelin’ Light, Old Neighborhood, Imitation Leather Shoes, The Last Straw > Pleas, Rock, Jack > Love Tractor (60 mins)

Set Two: The Waker, Pigeons, Hatfield > Impossible > Saint Ex > Tie Your Shoes > Jam, Nobody’s Loss, North (82 mins)

Encore: City of Dreams, Life During Wartime (14 mins)

Notes:

I Wanna Be Sedated LTP 10/30/16 Broomfield (121 shows)

The Other One tease after Impossible

Won’t Get Fooled Again tease after Saint Ex

I Trusted You teases before encore

Paul Hoffman’s 800th show as Lighting Director

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