Why Panic?

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I saw some commenters asking about why a Widespread Panic singer would be such a big deal for Saturday…so here’s some added context:

In case the video doesn’t work:


John Bell and Michael Houser met in 1981 in their dorm at the University of Georgia in Athens. Bell had been playing guitar as a solo act and invited his new friend Houser, also a guitarist, to join him. They later performed as a duet under the name “Severe Driving Problems.”  [3] They roomed together and collaborated on music in 1981, writing still-popular songs such as “Driving Song” and “Chilly Water” together.[4] Bassist Dave Schools met Bell and Houser in 1984 and first played with them on February 24, 1985, at an A-Frame house on Weymanda Court in Athens.[5] On February 6, 1986, Houser called Todd Nance, a drummer and his childhood friend, to sit in with Houser, Bell, and Schools for a charity event in Athens. It was their first show as “Widespread Panic.”[4] The band was named for Houser’s once frequent panic attacks.[6]Texan percussionist Domingo S. Ortiz (“Sunny”) began sitting in with the band regularly later that year.[7][8]

The band played in fraternities and bars regularly before Widespread Panic signed a contract with Landslide Records in 1987. In February 1987 the band played the now-legendary series of one dollar Monday night shows at the Uptown Lounge in Athens and the crucial local press began to take notice. Shan Clark, a Flagpole and Athens Observer art columnist emphasized Widespread Panic’s musical virtuosity, songwriting, and professionalism.

Evenin’, ladies and gents! Welcome to Athens, Georgia.

Except for Texas fans. Eff off.

13 thoughts on “Why Panic?”

  1. Had some buddies who lived in that A frame in the early nineties and stayed there once. Woke up with one of the worst hangovers of my life on the floor of that place.

    • I had buddies from my hometown live there my freshman year 2002-2003; then my junior and 4th year (I had 2 senior years haha) l had some fraternity brothers who lived there. Spent many a nights at that A frame. I always take a little drive outside the loop to check in on it whenever I am in Athens to point out to my kids where we used to hang out at the same place Widespread Panic played and hung out, as the kids act more and more annoyed every time while the wife is asking why I am wasting everyone’s time riding down a dead end court. Hey a man’s gotta take a stroll down memory lane every now and then.

  2. LOL. I was in Milledge Hall 81 & 82, graduated in 85, Atlanta after that and still don’t know anything about these guys. As RR would surmise…Gotdam Hippies!

    • Good to see a fellow bicentenial graduate on here. We were definitely there in a “golden age” for music.

    • College students live in some nasty conditions. New owner is gonna need a dumpster delivered.

  5. My daughter and son in law are serious WSP fans. They’ve been to over 100 shows, and he proposed to her at the WSP show at Red Rocks. (He did ask me for permission first). They have 2 labs, a black female named Magnolia after the restaurant, and a yellow one named Houser. He is named appropriately because he loses his fucking mind when the dishwasher is running or there’s a thunderstorm.

  6. I hope ABC shows the National Anthem on their broadcast for those of us not going so we can see the spectacle. I’ll probably pregame with some WSP’s “Up All Night” to get ready!

  7. No offense to those that follow them and, as someone went to UGA from Sep 86 to Mar 91, I KNOW a lot of folks. WSP has never been part of my music wheelhouse. In fact, I saw them at a fraternity house show in early 1987 and I still consider it to be my single worst musical viewing experience ever. I was even at the Dreams So Real show at the Uptown where they walked off the stage like 3 or 4 songs into the set when they getting significant MTV airplay and were tapped as the next big thing from Athens.

    Not a fan of the Dead or Phish either. I also will go on record that as great of a guitarist as John Mayer may be, I find the solo work of his that I have heard to be really lazy.

    All of that being said – I hope he does a great job Saturday night and I love anything that keeps the Athens music scene prominent.

    Thank you for coming to my TedTalk.

  8. It’s not for everyone, but it’s for a lot of people. I tend to feel music (naturally), maybe more so than lyrics, corny I know, so jam appeals to me, along with a lot of other genres, but it can also wear on me if I’m not in the mood. However, work is done for the week, so I think I am in the for….”havin’ a gooood tiiiime!”
    Gooooo Daaaaaaawgs!!

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