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."
Flicker
Widespread Panic Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Cups are running over, voices out of breath
Time time time, time has come again
Part another red-eye sea
Talking it to death
Just because you mean it
Doesn't mean we've seen it
Call call call, ringing through the night
When we finally answer, will they get it right
Run run, run it up the pole
Hard to say you hate 'em
Just doing what they're told
Just because you feel it
Doesn't mean its real
Not it's clear the air in here
Is dragging down the shine
As it grows thicker
Others say the magic's gone away
Look closer maybe you might see
The flicker
Talk talk talk, wagging of your tongue
Wishin' it was over, doesn't make it done
Cry baby cry, smash up all the chairs
Just because we're laughing, doesn't mean that we don't care
Just because you feel it
Doesn't mean we feel it
Now it's clear the air in here
Is dragging down the shine
As it grows thicker
Others say the magic's gone away
Look closer baby you will see
The flicker
The olden ways have had their day
The shine escapes the shadows
Moving quicker
Now it's clear the air in here
Shining from the light
Of a thousand flickers
Bye bye bye, thought you lost a friend
Maybe found the love you seek
Leaving in the end
The song "Flicker" by Widespread Panic opens with the lines "Rise rise, fly above your head/Cups are running over, voices out of breath". Here, the lyrics is using imagery to suggest that something is reaching its peak or overflowing, and also that it is perhaps coming to an end. The song is about the feelings of disillusionment that accompany the realization that something you once believed in does not live up to your expectations. The lyrics "Talking it to death/Just because you mean it/Doesn't mean we've seen it" refers to the way that people can talk about something so much that it loses its meaning and impact, and that just because someone believes in something, it doesn't mean that others will see it the same way.
The chorus of the song "Flicker" repeats the lines "Now it's clear the air in here/Is dragging down the shine/As it grows thicker/Others say the magic's gone away/Look closer baby you will see/The flicker". Here, the "shine" and "magic" are references to the spark or excitement that is often associated with a new idea or belief, and the "flicker" appears to represent what remains after the shine has faded. The song is suggesting that while the initial excitement may have been lost, a closer examination can reveal something worthwhile in the remnants.
The lyrics of the song "Flicker" also touches on themes of authority, communication, and perspective. The lines "Run run, run it up the pole/Hard to say you hate 'em/Just doing what they're told" suggests that people in positions of power may not always be acting in our best interests, but are instead following orders from others. The lyrics "Talk talk talk, wagging of your tongue/Wishin' it was over, doesn't make it done/Cry baby cry, smash up all the chairs/Just because we're laughing, doesn't mean that we don't care" highlights the importance of meaningful action and the danger of talking with no action.
Line by Line Meaning
Rise rise, fly above your head
It's time to elevate yourself and leave behind anything that is holding you down.
Cups are running over, voices out of breath
Things are chaotic and hectic, and people are struggling to keep up with the fast pace.
Time time time, time has come again
Change is on the horizon, and it's time to prepare for it.
Part another red-eye sea
It's time to move on and leave the past behind, no matter how difficult it may be.
Talking it to death
There comes a point where talking about something will no longer solve the issues at hand.
Just because you mean it
Doesn't mean we've seen it
Words and intentions are not enough to bring about change - actions speak louder than words.
Call call call, ringing through the night
When we finally answer, will they get it right
There are many voices calling out for change, and it's important to listen to them and take action so that the right changes can be made.
Run run, run it up the pole
Hard to say you hate 'em
Just doing what they're told
Those in power are not always acting in their own best interest, but rather the interest of the system that has put them in power.
Just because you feel it
Doesn't mean its real
Not it's clear the air in here
Is dragging down the shine
As it grows thicker
Emotions can cloud judgment and perception, leading to a diminished sense of clarity and positivity in the air.
Others say the magic's gone away
Look closer maybe you might see
The flicker
Some people believe that the beauty and wonder of the world have been extinguished, but it's possible to find glimmers of hope and inspiration if you keep your eyes open.
Talk talk talk, wagging of your tongue
Wishin' it was over, doesn't make it done
Talking about something and wishing it to be over will not make it go away - action is required to achieve that.
Cry baby cry, smash up all the chairs
Just because we're laughing, doesn't mean that we don't care
It's important to express emotions, even if it means getting angry or upset, and to not judge others based on their outward demeanor.
Now it's clear the air in here
Is dragging down the shine
As it grows thicker
Negativity and pessimism can weigh down the atmosphere, dulling the sparkle of life.
Others say the magic's gone away
Look closer baby you will see
The flicker
Despite the prevailing notion that magic and wonder no longer exist, there are still small moments of joy and beauty that can be found if one looks hard enough.
The olden ways have had their day
The shine escapes the shadows
Moving quicker
The old ways of doing things are no longer effective, and it's time to move forward in search of new solutions that will bring light and hope back into the world.
Now it's clear the air in here
Shining from the light
Of a thousand flickers
A multitude of small, positive moments and actions can collectively create a brighter and more optimistic future.
Bye bye bye, thought you lost a friend
Maybe found the love you seek
Leaving in the end
Sometimes it takes losing something to realize what you truly want, and the end of one chapter is simply the beginning of another.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: DAVID SCHOOLS, DOMINGO ORTIZ, JIMMY EDDIE HERRING JR., JOHN BELL, JOHN ROBERT HERMANN, JOSEPH WAYNE, TODD NANCE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind