Few groups have as rabid a base of diehard fans as Widespread Panic, and few love playing here as much as the legendary Southern rock band from Athens, Georgia. On Monday, the Pabst Theater Group announced that Widespread Panic would return to Milwaukee for three assuredly unforgettable nights in October.
The three live shows will be at the Riverside Theater on Friday, Oct. 19, Saturday, Oct. 20 and Sunday, Oct. 21, all at 8 p.m., with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. Those dates were added to a fall tour that also includes Nashville, St. Augustine, Florida, and Las Vegas.
Tickets for the Riverside shows, which are part of a food drive event, will go on sale Friday, July 20 at 12 p.m. Widespread Panic’s Milwaukee concerts are famous for fans tailgating – sometimes even camping out – and for impossibly long lines stretching far down the Riverwalk.
Formed in 1986 by original members John "JB" Bell, vocalist/guitarist, bassist Dave Schools and late guitarist Michael Houser, with drummer Todd Nance joining later, Widespread Panic has been jamming out together for 30 years. The band's lineup was set with the additions of percussionist Domingo "Sunny" Ortiz, keyboard player John "JoJo" Hermann and drummer Duane Trucks.
Beloved by its loyal supporters for improvisational talent and high-energy live performances, Widespread Panic has released 12 studio albums and 43 live albums, selling more than 3 million copies as one of the most successful touring acts in the world.
The band has broken attendance records at major venues across the country, including 48 sold-out shows at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado. They’ve headlined most major U.S. festivals, such as Bonnaroo (eight times), Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits and others.
"We acknowledge this is a milestone few groups get to achieve," said Bell about the band’s impressive longevity. "It's like Hemingway's "Old Man and the Sea." Every time we go out there, we learn more tricks, bring that knowledge with us and then apply it. We're way more experienced, focused and to the point, but still willing to stretch out without wandering too much."
For more information on the Riverside shows and tickets, click here.
Born in Milwaukee but a product of Shorewood High School (go ‘Hounds!) and Northwestern University (go ‘Cats!), Jimmy never knew the schoolboy bliss of cheering for a winning football, basketball or baseball team. So he ditched being a fan in order to cover sports professionally - occasionally objectively, always passionately. He's lived in Chicago, New York and Dallas, but now resides again in his beloved Brew City and is an ardent attacker of the notorious Milwaukee Inferiority Complex.
After interning at print publications like Birds and Blooms (official motto: "America's #1 backyard birding and gardening magazine!"), Sports Illustrated (unofficial motto: "Subscribe and save up to 90% off the cover price!") and The Dallas Morning News (a newspaper!), Jimmy worked for web outlets like CBSSports.com, where he was a Packers beat reporter, and FOX Sports Wisconsin, where he managed digital content. He's a proponent and frequent user of em dashes, parenthetical asides, descriptive appositives and, really, anything that makes his sentences longer and more needlessly complex.
Jimmy appreciates references to late '90s Brewers and Bucks players and is the curator of the unofficial John Jaha Hall of Fame. He also enjoys running, biking and soccer, but isn't too annoying about them. He writes about sports - both mainstream and unconventional - and non-sports, including history, music, food, art and even golf (just kidding!), and welcomes reader suggestions for off-the-beaten-path story ideas.
