Why Widespread Panic?

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|>R()|)!G/-\|_

Bluelighter
Joined
Jun 13, 2007
Messages
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I can appreciate some of the music in the jam band genre. I can appreciate the Dead as innovators and pioneers. I enjoy Phish's tight but improvisational style. I can appreciate Gov Mule/Warren Haynes for impeccable musicianship and soul. I can appreciate Ozric for combining electronic, psychedelic, and jam band sensibilities well. I can even appreciate P-Groove and to a lesser extent, Lotus, but I'm yet to find anything special about Widespread Panic. What is/was all the hype about?
 
thread should be renamed attn: chickenscratch

not huge into panic, i would say they have more miss than hit to my ears

i think their style is unique, and they put on a good show

i'm not exactly sure what kinda answer you are looking for
 
Im just curious why people who like Panic like Panic. I saw people in the "best shows" thread and have heard elsewhre things like "I've seen 13,062 Widespread Panic shows" or "I limped like Tobie over a trail of blacked out Shane McGowan's to see them play 154 times in the summer of 1894. It changed my life." That requires some real dedication.

I can understand that type of dedication to something as groundbreaking as The Gratefull Dead, inventive as Phish, or zany as The Flaming Lips but am just curious what motivates one to be so committed to a band that, to me, sounds like an average roots/classic rock band.
 
the people who go to tons and tons of shows tend to be more into the lifestyle than the actual music
 
MrGrunge said:
^Why does anybody like any band? They just do. No mystery there.
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You don't know what drew you to some of your favorite bands?

China Rider said:
the people who go to tons and tons of shows tend to be more into the lifestyle than the actual music
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I understand that. So why follow Panic instead of OAR, MOE, Tea Leaf Green, Lumpy Gravey's Schweddy Cosmic Railroad String Band, etc...? I mean we had a million pages defending Bisco kids and their beloved Biscuits. Can't anyone who likes Panic explain what's so good about them?

If not, no biggie. We can close this. I was just hoping there was something more than acid drawing the crowds to Widespread Panic; even then, is their music really any better on acid?
 
China Rider said:
it's all the south really has, consistently
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lulz.

jesus, i don't even really know how to respond to this. panic died on 8/10/2002 with mikey. that is a fact.

you can't compare panic to any of the bands you just mentioned because the only thing they really have in common is a dedicated following. i started seeing panic in 1995. i was far from a hippie. what drew me to them was the dark underbelly of the music and the cohesiveness that gained them the moniker "6 Headed Monster".

the only really outstanding musician in the band is dave schools, their bassist. aside from him, they are a mediocre bunch of musicians that just happened to gel together. george mconnell was just horrible, then they hired jimmy herring, who is a fucking prodigy, but in my opinion and most others as well, does not fit the band.

if you're looking for good panic shows, look around from 1997 and 1998. that was the peak, IMO.

in those years i saw a lot of phish and panic...on phish's best nights, panic could not come close to touching what they created. the problem was consistancy, panic brought it night after night after night, and phish didn't. you'd be hard pressed to find any mistakes, other than jb flubbing the occassional lyric in those days.

they did the segue jam better than anyone in the business. they didn't need fancy lights or any sort of circus show, they were just a bunch of normal dudes cooking on all cylinders night after night. take a look at some 98 shows, they rarely took a break between songs. every show was fluid. the dudes were all about business when they took the stage and didn't matter if it was a wednesday night in omaha, ne or a sunday show at red rocks. dem boys did not fuck around.

but it goes back to the dark underbelly. don't listen to the surface, listen to the layers. that's what panic did best and that's why jimmy sucks for this band, he doesn't play with the music, he plays over it like a lot of lead guitarists.

their lyrics are genius as well. they tell stories, and don't stray far from their southern roots. the jams never lose you, like a band like phish does at times. you're not going to see panic play a 30 minute song, 15 or so minutes tops. and it's tight. or it was tight.

the bottom line is, panic is done. they know it and have known it for a number of years, the fans know it, and i'm sorry if you missed it. it was a hell of a ride.
 
god, this thread got me thinking about some old times.

some of my greatest psychadelic experiences ever were seeing this band. not that you needed drugs to understand it, but your comment about their music being any better on acid just got me reminiscing.

it goes back to that dark, evil underbelly. this was not hippie jamband fluffy shit. this was hardcore, in your face, rock your fucking skull off music that would scare your children.

the peaks and valleys were ever present. i almost walked out of this show because it was pure evil.

12/31/98 Fox Theater, Atlanta, GA
1: Pleas > Who Do You Belong To?, Genesis > Weak Brain, Narrow Mind, Pickin' Up The Pieces, I'm Not Alone, Knocking 'Round The Zoo

2: Chilly Water > Jack > Chilly Water, Aunt Avis > Impossible > Let It Rock, All Time Low, Wondering > Coconut

3: Ain't Life Grand, Fishwater > Climb To Safety, Diner > Rebirtha > Drums > Over The Hills And Far Away, Porch Song

E: Contentment Blues > City of Dreams > Red Beans


i sound like such a faggot right now. sorry for partyin.
 
find this show and listen to it. especially what i bolded. that's about as good as it gets.

04/03/96 Von Braun Civic Center, Huntsville, AL
1: Better Off > Pigeons, Let's Get Down To Business > Radio Child > Pilgrims > Solace, 1 x 1, Maggot Brain > Can't Get High, Sandbox, Papa's Home

2: Diner > Porch Song > Pleas, I'm Not Alone > Tie Your Shoes > Arleen > Vacation > Drums > I Walk On Guilded Splinters > Blackout Blues > Contentment Blues > Love Tractor

E: Can't Find My Way Home


more nastiness.....

bang your fucking head.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=O9DFmLp2Q8A

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zm0QcUuIebs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uikteHQ3yGM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_8OYn5GSz8
 
|>R()|)!G/-\|_ said:
I can understand that type of dedication to something as groundbreaking as The Gratefull Dead, inventive as Phish, or zany as The Flaming Lips but am just curious what motivates one to be so committed to a band that, to me, sounds like an average roots/classic rock band.
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you answered your own question.

to you, that's what they sound like. to others, they sound like something else. i find phish to be thoroughly uninteresting - their music does nothing for me at all. how on earth can you possible like them? :\

:)

alasdair
 
it's all about the laaayyyyyyyeeeeeerrrrrsssss brah!

let's fucking go on tour and talk about how much better it was back in the day.
 
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