Georgia’s own Widespread Panic concluded a three-night run at the House of Blues Saturday night.

Perpetual Groove played an early set each night on the back deck as Panic fans were arriving. New Orleans’ Dirty Dozen Brass Band opened up for Panic and played some songs with them the first two nights.

Corey Smith, a veteran Panic fan, said, “I had no idea how easy it would be to get in. Some guy in the lot just gave me a ticket.”

By Saturday night, however, many hopeful concert-goers searched for extra tickets outside, but none were to be found. The House of Blues was packed from the floor to the upper balcony on Saturday.

The upper floor shook and bounced as blissful fans did the same. One Panic fan, Jeremy Stipel, ventured from the bottom floor to the upper balcony “just to feel the trampoline effect of the floor.”

People were excited to see the band, which typically plays coliseum-sized venues, in such an intimate setting. Tara Singleton, a resident of Oak Island, has seen Widespread Panic about 15 times.

“It’s one thing to see them at an outdoor pavilion or inside a big coliseum, but to see them in a place that only holds about 2,000 people–you realize how close you are to the band and the music,” Singleton said.

Thursday night, it was not difficult to get on the floor, and those who did could look up at the band room window on the left side of the stage and see lead guitarist/vocalist Jon Bell and bassist Dave Schools watching the Dirty Dozen Brass Band and having a beer.

Panic opened up with an acoustic set the first night, which included favorites such as “Pilgrims,” “Driving Song,” “Mercy” and “Imitation Leather Shoes.” To the disappointment of some, Panic repeated a few of these during an opening acoustic set Saturday night.

Fans were particularly excited about the funky “Arleen,” played second set the first night. An encore of the James Taylor original, “Knocking ‘Round the Zoo,” ended the night with an explosion of sassy energy.

Kevin Martin said, “They blew it up Friday, with ‘Makes Sense to Me,’ ‘Thin Air (Smells Like Mississippi)’–with the Dirty Dozen Brass Band and ‘Love Tractor.'”

Saturday night included a beautiful, melodic “City of Dreams,” a Talking Heads original, played by Panic and accompanied by John Keane on pedal steel; an “Ain’t Life Grand” that could have blown the roof away, or more likely, collapsed the balcony; and a “Chilly Water” encore (complete with chilly water tossed to and fro) that sent Panic fans home satisfied.