Widespread Panic Revive Curtis Mayfield’s “Pusherman” During Night Two of Panic en la Playa

Photo Credit: Marc Millman

On Wednesday evening, Widespread Panic put on the second in a series of four live engagements as part of its annual destination concert event Panic en la Playa, held at the Hard Rock Hotel in Riviera Maya, Mexico. After opening the oceanside festival on Tuesday with Nick Johnson subbing for Jimmy Herring, they maintained the chemistry they had established the night before and pushed the limits by reviving Curtis Mayfield’s “Pusherman” for the first time since 2021. 

Last night’s engagement took shape with JoJo Hermann leading the opening number and live staple “Greta.” The aforementioned move set off a chain reaction of players stepping up and fronting pieces of what would eventually become a three-piece sequence played without pause: Dave Schools’ steer of “Blight,” and John Bell’s clutch of “Wondering.” While they took a beat before starting up the next number, Bell remained in the driver’s seat during the band’s newer number, “Little By Little.” 

A piece of the ensemble’s Ain’t Life Grand repertoire, “Airplane,” birthed the evening’s bust out, Curtis Mayfield’s “Pusherman.” The track has been part of the group’s live shows since October 31, 1990, during their Halloween concert at the Georgia Theatre in Athens, and has been performed 135 times since its debut. Prior to last night’s arrival, Widespread Panic’s last delivery of the track occurred on Oct. 30, 2021, in New Orleans. 

Electively, the band tacked on “We Walk Each Other Home” and “Conrad” as the final pieces of set one. The second half of the concert began with a take on J.J. Cale’s “Travelin’ Light.” They added “Barstools and Dreamers” before amalgamating songs into a nonstop sequence, which was composed of “Bear’s Gone Fishin’” > “Surprise Valley” > “Drums” > “Me and the Devil Blues” > “Surprise Valley.” After the train of songs pulled into the station, the group added “Blue Indian,” “Henry Parsons Died,” and a finishing “Blackout Blues.”

For the night’s encore, Widespread Panic covered Buffalo Springfield’s ever-relevant “For What It’s Worth” and Jerry Joseph’s “Climb to Safety.” Tonight, the host band will return to the stage for another concert experience scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m., with Circles Around the Sun holding down the late-night slot. 

View Panic en la Playa’s Thursday schedule here.

Widespread Panic 

Panic en la Playa 

Hard Rock Hotel – Riviera Maya, Mexico 

Jan. 21, 2026 

Set I: Greta > Blight > Wondering, Little By Little, Airplane > Pusherman+, We Walk Each Other Home, Conrad (69 mins)

Set II: Travelin’ Light > Barstools and Dreamers, Bear’s Gone Fishin’ > Surprise Valley > Drums > Me and the Devil Blues > Surprise Valley, Blue Indian, Henry Parsons Died > Blackout Blues (88 mins)

Enc.: For What It’s Worth, Climb To Safety (14 mins)

Notes:

+ Last played on Oct. 30, 2021