Jam Central Station 07.04.09: Widespread Panic
Posted by Jeff Modzelewski on 07.04.2009
Kick back and enjoy your Fourth of July with a little Southern jam rock from Athens Georgia!
Thank you for making back for week 2 of Jam Central Station, and happy Fourth of July to you all. I hope you're enjoying it with good beer, good food, and good music. In case you're interested, I am currently at the Rothbury Music Festival in Michigan. If you're there, why the hell are you reading this column when you could be hanging out in Sherwood? Seriously! If you're not here, I feel sorry for you and I hope that this column will make your life just a little better.
The Headliners
Athens, Georgia has launched a number of prominent bands. REM and the B-52's are probably the most well-known bands to surface from Athens, but the city has also launched the careers of artists ranging from Danger Mouse to Neutral Milk Hotel to the Indigo Girls. Athens was also the starting point to one of most prominent jam-bands over the past 20 years, Widespread Panic.
Widespread Panic was formed in the mid-80's in Athens by college friends John Bell and Michael Houser. Early versions of the band played a handful of college shows in '84 and '85 before joining with drummer (and childhood friend of Houser) Todd Nance in '86 as the first official incarnation of Widespread Panic. They began touring regionally, making a name for themselves as a live act. They released their first album in 1987 on a small label, which allowed them to expand their touring base and begin to gain more exposure. They began touring cross country for the next few years, building a fan base through energetic live shows and a very liberal taping policy.
All of this hard work got the band noticed by Capricorn Records, who signed the band to their first major label contract. Widespread Panic was released in July of 1991, and the band's first concert video Widespread Panic: Live from Georgia was released later that year.
The video was directed by Billie Bob Thorton. The band continued to record in studio and tour relentlessly, both by themselves and as part of the H.O.R.D.E. tour.
In 1998, the band held a free CD release party in Athens to celebrate the release of their first live album. An estimated 100,000 fans descended on Athens for the free show, proving beyond a doubt how popular the band had become. By this time they had truly arrived as major headliners in their own right, playing to sold out audiences throughout the country. They also headlined two nights of the first Bonnaroo Music Festival, and continued to release well-received live and studio albums.
The band suffered a huge blow in 2002, however, when founding member Michael Houser was diagnosed with cancer. He continued to tour with the band until about a month before his death in August of that year. However, prior to his death, Houser had been insistent that the band continue after his death, and he whole-heartedly gave his blessing to George McConnell to take his place in the band.
The George McConnell era would only last 4 years and two albums, however. McConnell left the band during the 2006 summer tour, leaving the band to use two replacements to finish the tour. Jimmy Herring has since taken over as guitarist and lead singer for the band, and performed on their 2008 release Free Somehow.
Throughout the years, Widespread Panic has proven themselves to be a champion of the jam band scene. They plan each shows set to assure maximum variety from show to show. The go so far as to revisit the setlist between sets on nights when they're playing multi-set shows. Their reputation as a spectacular live band have allowed them to set records for the most sold-out shows at Atlanta's Phillips Arena (17) and the legendary Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado (32). They're headlining festivals in July before going out on tour with the Allman Brothers Band in August. Despite a few lineup changes, the band shows no signs of slowing down.
From The Road
First off we have Bob Weir from The Dead joining Widespread Panic from Bonnaroo 2005
And Widespread Panic with a Pink Floyd cover
I found a good version of Umphrey's McGee doing "Don't Stop Till You Get Enough"
And finally we've got some Robert Randolf and the Family Band covering "Billie Jean"
Groove In The News
Halloween Phish Phestival
In some pretty big news, it looks like we're in store for a 3-day Phish festival. Phish has placed a "save the date" message on their website for Halloween weekend. There are 3 states highlighted on the message on their site (Idaho, Oklahoma, and West Virginia), but no clue if that means anything. More news to follow
Widespread Panic at Voodoo Experience
Widespread Panic will be at the Voodoo Experience in New Orleans again this year. The event runs over Halloween Weekend (October 31-November 1), and will include over 100 bands. Panic will join fellow headliners Kiss, Eminem, and Jane's Addiciton, along with bands such as The Flaming Lips, The Black Keys, George Clinton, Wolfmother, and The Meat Puppets. Tickets are on sale now!
Late Night Lollapalooza Shows Confirmed
Plenty of bands will be playing official "after shows" at various venues to coincide with this year's Lollapalooza. The late night shows will start the day before the festival opens, with The Beastie Boys, The Decemberists, and Thievery Corporation (among others) all scheduled for shows on August 6. Other bands scheduled for late night performances include STS9, Fleet Foxes, and MSTRKRFT. So just because Lollapalooza "officially" ends at 10:00 each night, there is plenty of late-night entertainment to go around.
The Encore
Well I hoped you enjoyed Week 2 of Jam Central Station. With any luck, while you're reading this I'm preparing for the first of two late-night Umphrey's McGee shows at Rothbury. I'll have a rundown of this weekend at Rothbury right here in this space next week, and a full review of the four-day festival up sometime next week. Until then, enjoy the holiday and Jam On!
