diff --git a/js/controllers.js b/js/controllers.js
index ade2895d1a2..42936fdc877 100644
--- a/js/controllers.js
+++ b/js/controllers.js
@@ -76,7 +76,8 @@ angular.module('kibana.controllers', [])
 
   // This is whoafully incomplete, but will do for now 
   $scope.parse_error = function(data) {
-    return data.match("nested: (.*?);")[1]
+    var _error = data.match("nested: (.*?);")
+    return _.isNull(_error) ? data : _error[1];
   }
 
   $scope.init();
diff --git a/panels/dashcontrol/module.js b/panels/dashcontrol/module.js
index fdcd28dab31..7fb38f71ef0 100644
--- a/panels/dashcontrol/module.js
+++ b/panels/dashcontrol/module.js
@@ -187,8 +187,9 @@ angular.module('kibana.dashcontrol', [])
       var results = request.query(
         $scope.ejs.QueryStringQuery(query || '*')
         ).size($scope.panel.elasticsearch_size).doSearch();
+      
       results.then(function(results) {
-        if(_.isUndefined(results)) {
+        if(_.isUndefined(results.hits)) {
           return;
         }
         $scope.panel.error =  false;
diff --git a/panels/histogram/module.html b/panels/histogram/module.html
index 9a52e1be939..3e646faad12 100644
--- a/panels/histogram/module.html
+++ b/panels/histogram/module.html
@@ -12,5 +12,6 @@
     <div class='small' style='display:inline-block'>{{series.label}} ({{series.hits}})</div>
   </span><span class="small"> per <strong>{{panel.interval}}</strong> | (<strong>{{hits}}</strong> total)</span>
   </div>
+  <center><img ng-show='panel.loading && _.isUndefined(data)' src="common/img/load_big.gif"></center>
   <div histogram params="{{panel}}" style="height:{{panel.height || row.height}};position:relative"></div>
 </kibana-panel>         
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/panels/histogram/module.js b/panels/histogram/module.js
index 68209063f2b..1bc9d5b34b3 100644
--- a/panels/histogram/module.js
+++ b/panels/histogram/module.js
@@ -48,6 +48,7 @@ angular.module('kibana.histogram', [])
   }
 
   $scope.get_data = function(segment,query_id) {
+    delete $scope.panel.error
     // Make sure we have everything for the request to complete
     if(_.isUndefined($scope.panel.index) || _.isUndefined($scope.time))
       return
@@ -92,6 +93,13 @@ angular.module('kibana.histogram', [])
         query_id = $scope.query_id = new Date().getTime();
       }
       
+      // Check for error and abort if found
+      if(!(_.isUndefined(results.error))) {
+        $scope.panel.error = $scope.parse_error(results.error);
+        return;
+      }
+
+
       if($scope.query_id === query_id) {
 
         var i = 0;
@@ -183,8 +191,6 @@ angular.module('kibana.histogram', [])
 
       var height = scope.panel.height || scope.row.height;
 
-      elem.html('<center><img src="common/img/load_big.gif"></center>')
-
       // Receive render events
       scope.$on('render',function(){
         render_panel();
diff --git a/panels/table/module.js b/panels/table/module.js
index 81ba829ce5e..7a880b68c66 100644
--- a/panels/table/module.js
+++ b/panels/table/module.js
@@ -76,6 +76,8 @@ angular.module('kibana.table', [])
   }
 
   $scope.get_data = function(segment,query_id) {
+    $scope.panel.error =  false;
+
     // Make sure we have everything for the request to complete
     if(_.isUndefined($scope.panel.index) || _.isUndefined($scope.time))
       return
@@ -110,11 +112,11 @@ angular.module('kibana.table', [])
         query_id = $scope.query_id = new Date().getTime()
       }
 
+      // Check for error and abort if found
       if(!(_.isUndefined(results.error))) {
         $scope.panel.error = $scope.parse_error(results.error);
         return;
       }
-      $scope.panel.error =  false;
 
       // Check that we're still on the same query, if not stop
       if($scope.query_id === query_id) {