January 6, 1962 - August 10, 2002
It's hard to believe Michael Houser and his lingering lead have been gone for seven years. As we remember the original lead guitarist for Widespread Panic we thought there was no better way to honor the man than to see him in action. Enjoy the burn...
New Orleans 2001 (10/27/01): We start with what just might be Panic's finest moment ever. Impossible to quantify and completely ridiculous to even try, perhaps it's better to say that this is my favorite Panic moment of all time. From October 27, 2001 (my favorite Panic year as a whole) at the UNO Lakefront Arena in New Orleans, LA, this is the dirty-dirty. Mikey just lets it cry while JB and Schools push “Bowlegged Woman" into P-Funk's “Tear The Roof Off The Sucker (Give Up The Funk)," The Who's “Eminence Front," Jackson 5's “I'll Be There" and Marvin Gaye's “Let's Get It On." At this point in music's history, Widespread Panic was as good as any band anywhere. If Houser hadn't lost his battle to pancreatic cancer there's no limit to what they could have achieved. And that is absolutely no crack at the current, very impressive incarnation of the band. But just check this out...
Bonnaroo 2002 (6/22/02): We all knew Houser was dying. It was just the sad fucking truth, but what do you do with that knowledge? Houser kept playing and so did the fans. We danced and cried and tried to live in the moment. In less than two months he would no longer be with us. During their headlining Bonnaroo blowout out comes Dottie Peoples and The People's Choice Choir for “Tall Boy" > “Testify" > “Tall Boy." It was a special, emotional moment. Speaking to bassist Dave Schools years later he says he couldn't believe how well Houser was playing, and during the church tent gospel rave-up of “Testify" he remembers looking out over the crowd and they were “levitating." It was a night I'll never forget and it brings tears to my eyes to this day. (Check out full coverage of this show here.)
Red Rocks 2002 (6/28/02): Epic Emotional Shows. A thin, frail Mikey just over a month before his death plays inspired guitar at the legendary venue for a crowd of crying, celebrating faithful. Here they are laying out “The Waker," a song Houser wrote for his son Waker. At this point Mikey has barely enough strength to sing, but his guitar work is still overpowering and the context of this show matched by the way Houser looks is enough to break the strongest of men.
Halloween 2001 (10/31/01): For this clip we head to Halloween 2001 in Austin for “Surprise Valley." A peak period for Panic as they were extremely tight and adventurous, Houser was slowly getting sick but no one had any idea at this point.
Continue reading for more of our look back at Michael Houser...
6/21/97: We drop back to 1997, another incredibly potent time for the band. Check this nasty ass funk where they turn JJ Cale's “Ride Me High" on its ear (the video isn't the best, but the audio is solid).
Atlanta 1990: We go all the way back to the days when Houser stood! This track was filmed on July, 27 1990 at Atlanta's Cotton Club and features the very rare Mikey instrumental “Sun Keep."
10/30/93 - Athens, GA: Still in the Houser Standing Period, this 1993 version of the Mikey-heavy “Pilgrims" (check that classic Mikey chord progression) from the Georgia Theatre doesn't have the best video quality, but the audio is obviously where it's at anyway.
Athens 1998: Here's a taste of “Love Tractor" from 1998. Hmmm... '98 was a fun time to see Widespread Panic, they hadn't reached the stadiums yet, but their sound had and fans got to see them play intimate theaters.
Continue reading for more of our look back at Michael Houser...
9/29/89 - UGA: Now we go WAY back to the infant stages of WSP with a 1989 version of “Worry" from the Chi Phi House at the University of Georgia in Athens, GA.
Red Rocks 2000 (6/24/00): Always epic shows, here we jump back to summer 2000 for Panic on the Rocks with a filthy “Arleen."
New Orleans 2001 (10/27/01): We head back to NOLA for that insane October 27, 2001 show (same as the “Bowlegged" that we began with). Here, we witness Jimmy Cliff's “The Harder They Come." Just one thought of Mikey and you know it's true - the harder they come, the harder they fall...
Finally, we have Mikey and JB sitting on the porch playing part of the Panic classic “Driving Song." Dig the vibe and just think about what it was like 15 years earlier when Mikey and JB met at the University of Georgia and sat on a different porch writing these songs and dreaming this dream.
If you'd like to read more about Houser check this review May We Live Long and Lucky.
