Widespread: Where to start???

[mschro]

For someone like me, who has enjoyed the rare occasion that I've actually heard Panic, where would be a good jumpoff point? Help please ???

[areyoukind]

"light fuse, get away" -- live album
"space wrangler" -- debut studio effort... amazing all the way thru
"til the medicine takes" -- later album, still badass

www.panicstream.com
listen to asheville and dallas

good songs = chilly water, surprise valley, driving song

[mschro]

thank you, kind sir!!

[wilson]

Live in the classic city. Three disk live show from Athens. Great show but remeber that it is Mikey playing guitar and not Jimmy Herring.

[sugaroo]

Disc III from the Classic City shows is perfect for someone new to WSP... Climb to Safety, All Time Low, Blue Indian...

[ziggyandthemonkeys]

Start off with some new shows, with Jimmy Herring, hardly even the same band.

[suitcasemurphy]

Check out past roo shows from them available on torrents (etree) and what not!

[nola]

'Til the Medicine Takes
and
Live in the Classic City

Both great cd's really accessible Panic music. Haven't seen, or even heard them for that matter, with Herring, but Live in the Classic City is a great way to hear them live.

[illyb]

Go out to a park with a lake before the sunrise with your i-pod and sit down on the banks of the lake or whatever and press play on Widespread's Panic - 'Til The Medicine Takes and life will make perfect sense to you for the rest of the day. It's like a magic spell. Oh yeah and definitely listen to the new panic with Herring. He shreds like no other!

[areyoukind]

^^speaks the troof

[BRCHLD LFNT]

I've heard it's kind of disparaged by some WSP fans but I was introduced to them through Jackassolantern. Their version of Sympathy for the Devil is fantastic.

[GOUGEaway]

w/o a doubt, Light Fuse, Get Away.

It's quintessential Panic recorded from one of their stomping grounds, Red Rocks. The first disc is sooooooo good.

[samjaco]

I started off with Jackassolantern as well. Good stuff.

[oatmealschnappz]

With all due respect to you all:

I've heard a few discs ("Light Fuse" and "Classic City"), I saw them at Roo in '05, I've seen an ex-roommate's (bootleg?)dvd (can't rember the name)MANY times and I watched a live show on OnDemand.
I just don't get why everyone loves them so much. They're a really good group of musicians but, as a band, I find them kinda boring and cliche. It just seems a little "blah" to me.
(I'm not insulting any of your tastes, i'm just letting you know my opinion. Peace?)
I keep trying but, it's just not working.

My question:
What would you guys suggest for me? I feel like I'm missing out or something. Suggestions?

[poopzilla33]

i felt the same way as you untill i heard the new stuff with herring. nuff said

[oatmealschnappz]

^ Fair enough. I guess that i'll get another shot this year at Roo. Hope it works this time.

[areyoukind]

go to www.panicstream.com

you can listen to any of the shows from their tour within a day or two of the performance.

they are up to 4/14 now...

check out some encores, some 2nd set closers...
panic is all about the energy of the show

[ziggyandthemonkeys]

Oats, i felt the same, until i heard a Herring show. While i dont love them now, im definatly gonna be catching their set, unlike 05', when i saw probably 2 hours combined max of their two night stand.

[wilson]

Okay if Live in the Classic City dosen't do it for you try Another Joyious Occasion. This show was taped right before Panic's first gutiarist Mikey died of Cancer. They have the Dirty Dozen Brass sitting in with them. Great again Great cover of Superstition.

[Deleted]

Do yourself a favor and get the Vegoose 06 show with Herring...I f'n jams!!

Space Wrangler is good, and the new CD Earth to America is really good!

[GOUGEaway]

oatmealschnappz said:

I just don't get why everyone loves them so much. They're a really good group of musicians but, as a band, I find them kinda boring and cliche. It just seems a little "blah" to me.

I've seen Panic over 30 times over the course of the past 11 years. I am by no means a big panic fan, but when they play the roo as much as they do, and when they play 2-nights in your home city every year, you rack up the shows pretty quick.

I would tend to agree with you that they are a little "blah" at times. They just do not do it for me on the level of bands like The Grateful Dead, Phish, and Radiohead.

However, that being said, Panic is a great southern-rock band, who really can put on a stellar live show. They don't always do this, and it definitely helps to know the material first, so you can recognize a good show when you see one. If you don't know the material, you'll fall into the trap that I fell into my first few years of seeing them, believing that every song sounds the same. Alot of the songs do sound similar, and if you don't know them, in concert, you will have trouble distinguishing one song from the next. Once you are familiar with the material enough to recognize a Driving Song>Pleas>Driving Song, you will begin to see what drives people to love them like they do, even if you don't.

So what I'm saying is basically keep your mind open, keep trying, and keep listening. Of those 30+ times I've seen Panic, I have never been blown away, but I have had a great time at their shows. They are not for everyone, and just b/c they are at Bonnaroo, doesn't necessarily mean that you have to like them. But they have earned their place in the scene and as a headliner on the lineup with years of perseverence and dedication to their live performance. With Herring in the band, they have entered a new era in their careers. Although I didn't think their performance at Vegoose in October (the festival set) was very special, I am excited for this year's Bonnaroo set, especially after their last marathon set at Bonnaroo 2005.

Also, Dave Schools rocks the f*ck out on bass guitar.

[alex001]

I love live at myrtle beach.....
Its a good price on itunes if you use itunes, and the music is great, If you are a drummer the live recording of "drums" on this album will blow you away

[pat5507]

til the medicine takes
light fuse, get away
self titled album Widespread Panic

[herbalicious]

My personal favorite show is 10/30/06 at the mgm grand, jimmy herrings playing guitar. But they could rip it up prior to jimmy herring, other shows I recommend are 7/18/06 in McCall Idaho and 10/30/05 at vegoose.

[nola]

gougeaway said:

Also, Dave Schools rocks the f*ck out on bass guitar.

I've always thought that Dave was a great bassist. He is also really fun to watch during the show. I often times find myself watching Dave tear up the bass. He has a few side projects as well, one of them including his band called Stockholm Syndrome, they aren't too shabby.

[areyoukind]

FYI, don't bother listening to anything between 2003 and fall 2006.

they had George McConnel as a guitarist, and he falls waaaay short of the panic sound...

in 2002, mikey houser (original lead guitar) died
in 2006, they fired GMAC and hired Jimmy Herring

[oatmealschnappz]

Thanks for your help, guys.
I'm really happy that everyone actually made helpful suggestions.
You never know what kind of response you'll get after telling people that you don't like a certain band. Thanks for being cool about it.
I'm going to keep trying. Wish me luck.

[areyoukind]

n00b

j/k

[joga]

I'm not a huge Widespread Panic fan. My ex-boyfriend is a total Spreadneck, though, having been to 100 shows or something. These are the songs I like best:

Chilly Water
Bust it Big
Second Skin
Time Zones

For what it's worth...

[mojoworks]

I've seen Widespread three times(2 in Bonnaroo '05) I wasn't that impressed. It felt kinda like being on the outside of an inside joke.

I remember thinking, when GMAC was kicked out, that they should get Jimmy Herring. I thought he would be the perfect pick. They must have read my mind. So I am looking forward to giving them another chance this year.

Props to Dave Schools for his part in keeping Gov't Mule going when Allen Woody died.