Houser and Bell ("JB") met at the University of Georgia at Athens between 1982 and 1984, and began playing music together around town as a duet. JB played solo shows as well. In the Fall of 1984, David Schools saw JB play a solo show at Abbots in Athens. Dave and JB were introduced by a mutual friend. Shortly thereafter, JB & Mike recruited Dave to play bass with them, and from Mike's nickname ("Panic"), the band name Widespread Panic was chosen. On February 24, 1985 the band played their first performance as Widespread Panic at the A-Frame house on Weymanda Court in Athens. Mike, JB, & Dave performed around Athens as a trio, occasionally utilizing local drummers. While their shows consisted primarily of cover tunes (by the likes of The Grateful Dead, Van Morrison, Bob Marley, and Traffic, among others), their repertoire did include a handful of original songs: Sleepy Monkey (the band's first original composition), Chilly Water, Space Wrangler, and Coconut (written by JB before joining the band). During this time, the trio also met vocalist Kelly Jo Davis (who is later married to blues guitarist and friend of WP, Tinsley Ellis). Kelly Jo performed frequently with the band throughout 1985 and 1986.
February 6, 1986, Mike recruited high school friend/band mate Todd Nance for a WP gig (an Aid For Africa benefit) at the Mad Hatter Ballroom in Athens, opening for Strawberry Flats (featuring John Keane). This is considered the first "official" Widespread Panic show. Todd evidently had a good time, and accepted their offer to join the band. On February 9, 1985, Mike, Dave, and JB, with Joel Morris on drums and Kelly Jo Davis on backing vocals, recorded Monkey Image (Sleepy Monkey) and Coconut Image (Coconut) at Panoramic Recording Studio in Arnoldsville GA, to be released as their first single. The 45rpm vinyl was released (in a pressing of only 500) shortly thereafter on the band's Space Baby label.
During the rest of 1986, WP played mainly in Athens, though they did branch out to venues in Macon, GA and South Carolina. Early on, they began playing every Monday night at the Uptown Lounge in Athens, a tradition that would last well into 1988. Along the way, they developed a solid batch of original tunes (in addition to the four originals that they played in 1985), including Stop-Go, C. Brown, Tie Your Shoes, Porch Song, Driving Song, Conrad, Vacation, Postcard, the instrumental Machine, and another instrumental jam that JB later adds lyrics to, titled Cardboard Box. On October 6, 1986, Texan percussionist Domingo S. Ortiz ("Sunny"), sat in with the band at the Uptown Lounge for the first time. Sunny continued to perform with the band on numerous occasions in Athens, Macon, and Atlanta, and eventually (late 1988 or early 1989) accepted the band's request for him to join as a full-time member.
During 1987, WP continued to play primarily in Georgia, while steadily spreading out to SC, NC, AL, TN, and as far north as Richmond, VA (Dave Schools' hometown). They developed a few more originals along the way, including Barstools & Dreamers, Contentment Blues, I'm Not Alone, and instrumentals L.a. (aka "Liza's Apartment"), and The Take Out. JB added lyrics to Cardboard Box, and to another instrumental titled "Puppet Song", subsequently renamed Pigeons. Cardboard Box was only played a handful of times before being dropped from the repertoire. In the Fall, the band signed with Landslide Records and recorded their first album, Space Wrangler, at John Keane's Studio in Athens. Guests on the album included Sunny on percussion, David Blackmon on fiddle, Tim White on keyboards, and Alberto Salazarte (of Athens band White Buffalo) on percussion.
In June of 1988, the first known guest appearance of producer John Keane on stage with the band occurred. Usually playing pedal steel, Keane became another regular guest at special Panic shows.
Their debut LP, Space Wrangler, established a small fan base and inaugurated several years of constant touring before the band signed to Capricorn Records and released their major label debut, Widespread Panic in 1991. After appearing with the H.O.R.D.E. tours for a few years, the band became one of the most popular new jam bands that arose in the mid-1990s. Their popularity peaked in the late 1990s/early 2000s, as their concert draw benefited from Phish's temporary hiatus. They still have a large draw in the South, where they are most popular.
Playing as many as 250 shows a year, Panic built a large fan base. True road warriors, Widespread Panic ranked among the top 50 grossing touring acts for eight years running, even without substantial radio airplay, television exposure, or promotion at retail stores. The band holds sellout records at Red Rocks Amphitheatre near Denver (23 shows), Oak Mountain Amphitheatre near Birmingham, Ala. (17 shows), Philips Arena in Atlanta (11 shows), and UNO Lakefront Arena in New Orleans (18 shows). Not to mention 20 sellouts at San Francisco's Warfield Theatre, seven sellouts across the Bay at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley, nine sellouts at Mud Island in Memphis, seven at Memphis' Mid-South Coliseum, and in October 2003 for the popular Halloween shows sold out two concerts at New York's famed Madison Square Garden. To celebrate the release of their first live album, Light Fuse, Get Away, Widespread Panic offered a free "CD release party" concert in the streets of hometown Athens. An estimated 100,000 fans descended on the town, transforming it into the largest CD release party in history.
In August 2002, founding guitarist Michael Houser lost his battle with pancreatic cancer. George McConnell, a long time friend of the band and former Beanland,a Mississippi roots band, member joined in Houser's wake. After Hermann had joined Panic in 1992, McConnell often sat in whenever Panic played in the south. Friends for the past 15 years, Panic and McConnell had often played on the same bill for nearly as long. That longstanding relationship made him the natural choice to continue on with Panic after Michael Houser's death from pancreatic cancer in August of that year. "It's all about chemistry," Schools said. "We've been friends for 15 years." At the end of the summer tour, Panic went back to the studio to record Ball, a testament that, as Houser wished, they would continue as a band.
On August 2, 2006, the band announced that George McConnell would no longer be playing with the band. John Keane, friend and co-producer of many of the bands albums, provided guitar support for the remainder of the tour, along with Sam Holt. Both had been featured contributors in Widespread Panic concerts since the beginning of the Summer 2006 tour. The following day, the band announced that guitarist Jimmy Herring, who had previously been a member of the 1990s band the Aquarium Rescue Unit and had toured with The Allman Brothers Band and members of The Grateful Dead, would join the band, beginning with the first show of the Fall 2006 tour at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York.
The band has sold over 3 million albums, and released a total of 15 CDs and five DVDs (including Live at Oak Mountain, which is certified Gold).
In June 2006, their 9th and most recent studio album, Earth to America, was released. Earth to America was recorded with Terry Manning in Nassau, Bahamas at the beautiful Compass Point Studios.
In late 2006, Fayetteville, NC native Jimmy Herring took over the reins of the lead guitarist in the band, kicking off their fall tour with three nights at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York.
Panic’s 7th annual New Year’s shows on December 30 and 31 of 2007, marked their 15th and 16th sellout performance at Philips Arena.
The band released their 10th album, Free Somehow, on February 12, 2008. It, too, was recorded with producer Terry Manning at Compass Point Studios.
Following the release of the new studio album, Widespread Panic began to release vintage concert performances from the Widespread Panic Archives. Carbondale 2000 was released on June 10, 2008, followed by Valdosta 1989 released on February 24, 2009, and Huntsville 1996 released on June 23, 2009. The band will continue to dig into their show archives, which encompasses the past 25 years, and release these shows as multi-track recordings.
June 27, 2008, marked the band's 32nd sold-out show at Red Rocks Amphitheater. This was more than any other band in the venue's history. Mayor John Hickenlooper proclaimed Friday, June 27 "Widespread Panic Day" in the City and County of Denver. The same year, Widespread Panic was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame on September 20.
The band continued to tour throughout the rest of 2008 and the spring of 2009. In the summer of 2009, Widespread Panic teamed up with fellow southern rockers, The Allman Brothers to do a summer and fall co-headlining tour.
In March 2010, it was announced that Widespread Panic would be releasing a new album entitled Dirty Side Down on May 25, 2010. The band is also releasing Live in the Classic City II, containing music from its 2000 shows.
On September 29, 2010, Widespread keyboardist Jojo Herman announced that the band would be going on hiatus in 2012. In an interview with the Vanderbilt Hustler, Herman explained, "Next year will be our 25th anniversary. After that, we're probably going to call it (quits) for awhile. So we're looking forward to next year and going out on a high note."
Diner
Widespread Panic Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh, she won't show the bother, even time she gets covered in blues
I sing kind little songs
Trying to bait her soul
And she's like natural music
Anyway she moves
Oh in time, time, time, I just love to watch her hands move
Go ahead, shine, shine, shine, I'll sit real still
And my backbone shivers as she looks this way
And I try not to move
She's beautiful, natural
Hangin in the diner basking in the light of Ms. Lee
Given time, Lord I'd build her a mountain for a room.
Given an hour, an hour, I'd build a rocket to the moon.
Might take at least a week to find the strongest tool
Might take the rest of this lifetime to find the strongest fuel
But she natural, she take the moon and put it in her pocket
She's beautiful, smiling it on me while I build this rocket
Because the tongue tastes so old, can't even load you coffee sweet
When she serves a bowl of lightning, makes sure you get all you need
Sometimes come for a menu, some just come in to breathe
Hanging in the diner sitting in the light of Ms. Lee
She's beautiful, natural
Hanging in the diner, basking in the light, basking in the light
She's beauty, yeah, the girl's cooking in the diner today
No, she won't show the bother, even time she gets covered in blues
I sing comical songs trying to blame myself
She's all-ready music in a booth, man, if she catch you
Hanging in the diner
Sitting in the light of Ms. Lee
Opening up early
Help a poor boy up
Open on Sunday, all day
Little sunshine rising from the park
Cross the street to the path
Keeping my teeth long and longer
And a smile
Hanging in the light
Hanging in the light
Sister
Sister
The Widespread Panic song "Diner" is a love song about a waitress in a diner, referred to as Ms. Lee. The singer sings about her natural beauty and compares her movements to music. He describes how he loves to watch her work, even as she gets covered in the blues of the surroundings. The singer is attracted to her and feels protective of her. He sings about how he would do anything for her, even build her a mountain for a room or a rocket ship to the moon, as she is worth it. The song is full of affection and admiration for this woman, making the diner a magical place. The song ends with the singer smiling at her and feeling lucky for seeing her.
The song "Diner" is one of the earliest tracks that Widespread Panic wrote together in the mid-1980s. It first appeared on their debut album "Space Wrangler" in 1988. The song has remained a staple in their setlists and a fan favorite ever since. "Diner" has been played more than 600 times in concert over the years. The song was produced by Johnny Sandlin, who was well known for working with the Allman Brothers Band. The song has been covered by several artists, including Jimmy Herring, who played guitar for Widespread Panic.
Line by Line Meaning
Beautiful, the girl's cooking in the diner today
The singer admires the beauty of the girl who is cooking in the diner.
Oh, she won't show the bother, even time she gets covered in blues
The girl in the diner seems to be hiding her feelings despite being sad sometimes.
I sing kind little songs
The singer tries to cheer up the girl with his songs.
Trying to bait her soul
The artist wants to connect with the girl's soul and understand her.
And she's like natural music
The girl in the diner is like a natural music that is soothing to the artist.
Anyway she moves
The singer is mesmerized by the girl's every move.
Oh in time, time, time, I just love to watch her hands move
The singer loves watching the girl's hands move as she cooks.
A little sugar, pepper, little brother wants to shine my shoes
A young boy in the diner seems to be trying to impress the artist by shining his shoes.
Go ahead, shine, shine, shine, I'll sit real still
The artist allows the boy to shine his shoes without any objection.
And my backbone shivers as she looks this way
The artist feels nervous and excited when the girl looks at him.
And I try not to move
The singer tries not to give away his feelings by not moving.
She's beautiful, natural
The artist thinks the girl is beautiful and has an easygoing personality.
Hangin in the diner basking in the light of Ms. Lee
The girl is hanging out in the diner and enjoying the company of Ms. Lee.
Given time, Lord I'd build her a mountain for a room.
The singer is so smitten with the girl that he would do anything for her, even build her a room in a mountain.
Given an hour, an hour, I'd build a rocket to the moon.
The singer would try to impress her by building a rocket to the moon in just an hour.
Might take at least a week to find the strongest tool
The artist understands that building a rocket takes time and the right tools.
Might take the rest of this lifetime to find the strongest fuel
The artist is willing to devote his entire life to finding the right fuel for the rocket if that is what it takes.
But she natural, she take the moon and put it in her pocket
The girl is natural and has a way of doing extraordinary things, like putting the moon in her pocket.
She's beautiful, smiling it on me while I build this rocket
The girl is smiling at the singer while he is building a rocket for her.
Because the tongue tastes so old, can't even load you coffee sweet
The artist thinks that the coffee in the diner is bitter and not sweet at all.
When she serves a bowl of lightning, makes sure you get all you need
Despite the coffee being bitter, the girl makes sure everyone is well-fed and happy.
Sometimes come for a menu, some just come in to breathe
Some people come to the diner just to look at the menu, while others come to relax and breathe in the atmosphere.
Hanging in the diner sitting in the light of Ms. Lee
The singer is hanging out in the diner and enjoying the company of Ms. Lee.
Opening up early
The diner opens early in the morning.
Help a poor boy up
The people in the diner are kind enough to help a poor boy.
Little sunshine rising from the park
The singer sees a little ray of sunshine coming from the park outside.
Cross the street to the path
The singer sees people crossing the street and walking on the path outside.
Keeping my teeth long and longer
The artist is feeling nervous and anxious because of his feelings for the girl.
And a smile
Despite feeling nervous, the artist still has a smile on his face.
Sister
The singer is addressing the girl in the diner as his sister, a term of endearment.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: David Schools, Domingo Ortiz, John Bell, Michael Houser, Todd Nance
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind