Hangout Festival Artist Video Spotlight – Widespread Panic

Schools at Bonnaroo 2007

For many, festival season is synonymous with Widespread Panic and their massive, cross-country summer tours. In the last 10 years they have headlined almost every major festival in America (many forget Bonnaroo served as a two night Panic run in 2002 and 2005 – WP has headlined Roo considerably more than any other artist) and are consistently invited back to play our own Jazz Fest nearly every other year. This spring they add The Hangout to that impressive resume – the second year gulf coast festival will feature Panic on opening night. WSP has been no stranger to the Alabama gulf coast, they have been playing Mobile since the 80’s and their more recent stands at Orange Beach have been perfect excuses for fans to slip down to the beach and celebrate the Gulf Coast’s beautiful Spring weather.

Fortunately for us, Widespread Panic will also forever be linked to the town of New Orleans (their Lakefront Arena Halloween runs are annual barn-burners of legendary proportions). JoJo briefly lived here in town before going on the road full time with Panic in the early 90s – he actually shared a house with trumpeter Michael Ray (who some may know from his band The Kosmic Krewe, as well as his musical relationship with Phish frontman Trey Anastasio) and his “Down On The Bayou” charity concert series has been a huge success for The New Orleans Musicians Clinic. Plus, John Bell met his wife Laura outside of Tipitina’s after one of the band’s early gigs, and they even spent their honeymoon in the Big Easy. The band and their fans (in conjunction with the Make It Right Foundation) also funded the construction of a house in the lower 9 dubbed “The House That Widespread Panic Fans Built.” To date, Panic has played in New Orleans nearly 50 times – including 7 stops at Jazz Fest, Voodoo Fest, The McAlister Auditorium on Tulane’s campus, the now defunct Municipal Auditorium, Tipitina’s, The House Of Blues, and The State Palace to name a few.

Widespread Panic recently celebrated their 25th anniversary with two landmark shows at Athens’ Classic Center and one at The Fabulous Fox Theatre in Atlanta. The simulcast shows also served as the first gigs of 2011 for the band, who are widely rumored be on the brink of a hiatus at year’s end, but that remains to be confirmed. The impending break, anniversary, coupled with the fact that it’s Panic in Alabama on the beach – pretty much ensures that Friday night at The Hangout will be something worthy of a 3 hour drive.

JoJo at Tipitinas – “Tipitina”

Red Rocks 2008 – “Stir It Up”

New Orleans 2010 – “Bring It On Home”

Rothbury 2008 – “Love Tractor”

Make It Right NOLA / WSP

For What It’s Worth (Buffalo Springfield cover – Live 2.10.2011 in Athens, GA)