Widespread Panic - Live From Austin Tx 2xLP (Reissue)

Vinyl LP pressing. f you're among the legions of Widespread Panic fans, you already know that the band is legendary for never playing the same show twice - or the same song the same way twice. What makes this performance that much more special is the inspiring presence of founding member Michael Houser (whose nickname Panic inspired the band's name), who died of pancreatic cancer less than two years later. As much as anything, this is a celebration of Houser's life and the sheer joy he brought to a band that became one of the biggest draws on the international concert circuit and created a vibe that makes the Panic experience unique in the pop rock world. But anybody who knows anything about them knows that Widespread Panic is so much more than just a jam-happy rock band. From the time Houser and John Bell (JB) began playing duets around Athens, Georgia, in the early 80's, their repertoire ranged from early covers of the Grateful Dead and Bob Marley to a host of original songs (among them Space Wrangler, included here) that demonstrate, as The Village Voice wrote, a willingness to dip their collective toe into just about any genre. This is classic Widespread Panic, including David Schools on bass, John Hermann on keys, Todd Nance on drums and Domingo Ortiz on percussion. One look at this show and it'll quickly become obvious there was something strange going on in the house that night. Yes, it was Halloween, 2000, and the rabid fans went beyond even their usual hard-core delirium. This was one time the audience almost threatened to steal the show! - Terry Lickona (Producer Austin City Limits®)

2-CD set. On Halloween night, October 31, 2000, Widespread Panic took the Austin City Limits stage for one of the most cherished performances in the band's history. It's the classic lineup - John Bell, Dave Schools, John JoJo Hermann, Todd Nance, and Domingo Sunny Ortiz - anchored by founding guitarist Michael Houser, whose playing that night ranks among the great documents of his career. Houser passed away less than two years later, and this set has only grown more essential with time: a rare, fully-captured glimpse of the guitarist and songwriter whose nickname gave the band it's name.The show opens with Vic Chesnutt's Let's Get Down to Business before tearing into Ain't Life Grand, Space Wrangler, and Blue Indian. The centerpiece is the sprawling Driving Song Surprise Valley Driving Song, a fourteen-plus-minute jam critics have called the show's tour de force. Eleven tracks in all, capturing Panic at the peak of it's improvisational powers in front of a Halloween crowd that matched the band's energy note for note.This reissue brings the legendary set back with all-new artwork from longtime Panic poster artist JT Lucchesi, pressed on Rainbow Color Splatter vinyl, and available for the first time ever on CD - putting this milestone performance in physical formats for both longtime collectors and fans discovering it for the first time.Whether you were there in 2000 or you're catching up decades later, this is Widespread Panic doing what they do best: turning a single night into something that keeps unfolding every time you drop the needle.