Fall
Tour 2002
Mid-South
Coliseum, Memphis, TN
11/15-16/02
Hey
everybody, I just wanted to give you my .02 review of the "new"
Panic band that we got to experience this past weekend. Freekin'
WOW! I had a blast at these shows. Everything from the chosen
setlist to the undersold arena to the Gateway table was just
excellent. God knows I love an undersold arena and I needed
it for the boogying the boys put me through on Friday and Saturday.
The highlights for me included....well.....heck the whole trip.
It was all worth it.
I haven't seen
WSP since this summer in Indy just after Mike left the band
and was really not too interested in seeing them unless they
came to me. However, after reading all the post-UNO reports
and talking to some Panic veterans whose opinions I respect,
I thought I better open my mind to once again being sent by
the boys from Athens. They were indeed correct. This new band
has gotten tighter and I realized how much I missed JB's voice
and Dave's bombs. Sonny's noices and Jojo's piano. I missed
all the Panic family I've come to know over the years too and
it was great to see all the freaks once again. George and Randall
ADD and new twist to a familiar tune and I, for one loved it
and realize how much I missed it. Long live the man in the moon!
Thanks to Eddie,
Britton and Ralph the table was manned at all times, and along
with Jimmy and an occasional drunk from the crowd we had two
great meetings two nights in a row. The table was up all night
until after the encore and was positioned such that even in
the lobby at our location the sound was great.
The first night
before the band came on, some dude approached us with his girlfriend
in one hand and his beer in the other. Placing his fresh, frosty
brew on our table he announced that he was "down with the
Gateway and really appreciated what we were trying to do."
Then as he took off his hoody he wanted to know if we would
keep his jacket behind the table during the show. I think we
stunned him by asking him to take his beer off our table and
informing him that we were NOT the coat check. A stunned young
man thus began his long walk to his seats with his beer in one
hand and his hoody now stuck in the other.
Thanks for
your time. I love you all.
Love and Dance
-Widespread
Patrick
Bi-Lo
Center, Greenville, SC
11/12/02
LAST
NIGHT I ATTENDED MY 21RST WSP SHOW. IT WAS MY FIRST SHOW SOBER
AND IT WAS AN UPLIFTING EXPERIENCE TO SAY THE LEAST. BIG UP
TO JASON, MELANIE, ROBERT, DAVE AND ALL THE OTHER PEOPLE WHO
WERE AT THE TABLE. THE GATEWAY HAS GIVING ME HOPE AND THAT IS
SOMETHING I NEVER HAD MUCH OF WHEN I WAS DRINKING AND USING.
THE SHOW ROCKED AS ALWAYS AND THE COOL THING IS THAT I REMEMBER
THE SET LIST HAD MONEY IN MY POCKET THIS MORNING AND FOR ONCE
FELT LIKE PART OF THE SOLUTION RATHER THAN PART OF THE PROBLEM!
THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO CAME BEFORE ME TO MAKE THIS NEW FOUND
HOPE I HAVE POSSIBLE!!!
J K.
Greenville
Review 2
hello
everyone:
greenville
was a smokin' show ,particularly the 2nd set. first song of
the nite was "little lilly". first set also include
"pickin up the pieces" during which i came up with
a new sticker idea --"JUST ANOTHER DAY--at a time".
the second set included incinderary versions of "get in-get
out", "stop and go". encores were "let's
get the show on the road" and "ain't life grand".
both of these brought a tear to the eye. I think this band is
going to be o.k. this was my first without mikey. george ain't
mikey, but he is good, he rocks, they all rocked and seemed
to be having a fine time as well. man, give him a year on the
road with these guys, playing, bonding and writing new songs
and they are going to be more than fine. thanks to Jason and
Melanie for being there at the table, for all of us "around
the table". a good meeting was held at set break. 7 were
in attendance , maybe 8. much grattitude was expressed, as well
as wonderment at being sober . hope to see you all in memphis
this weekend.
later, ralph
m.
Van
Braun Civic Center, Huntsville, AL
11/8/02 - 11/9/02
What
an incredible experience. Be prepared, as I write like I think;
Disorganized, stream-of-consciousness, and out of order. Im not
sure if you would call this weekend a psychadelic experience,
a spiritual experience, or some indefinable WSP mental rollercoaster.
First day they came out, and there were probably 10 or so of us
hanging out together on the floor. Two songs into the first set
I started feeling weird, so I went to sit with Jennifer and some
other friends sidestage, right over the band. Once there I steadily
became overwhelmed with sorrow. I could see all the boys up there,
and Randall, and George; And they were all trying so hard. But
it was so weird. I began hearing Michael Houser in the background.
It sounds crazy, but for a while I think Mike was there or something.
At some point I was balling like a child finally feeling or understanding
the loss that had taken place here. I have only met MH on a few
occasions, but through his music I think I knew him well. For
the duration of the first set, I remained in this state of despair
that I can only compare to when my uncle died and I watched his
young children standing over his grave. I went out to the table
and people couldn't figure out what was wrong, and I couldn't
speak, but it felt so good to have all of you there when it got
pretty weird.
A side note, the setlist told me a story. I swear it was just
like the acid days when the band literally talked to me. Let me
lay it out for you right now dear reader:
1: Surprise Valley (The spirit it moves through all things)>
Climb To Safety (After all that Ive been through, your the only
one that matters),
Give (I can hear you laughing in the closet),
Me And The Devil Blues (Duh),
Pleas, (Dont let it get too sad, no not this time) - AT this point
I went out to the table because I am a total freak.
Weight Of The World (Duh),
Bayou Lena, Uhhhh
Conrad (Oh brother I just need a little room to fly) A caterpillar
must die for the moth to be born.
If you followed this, congratulations, you are either legally
insane, or you took as much lsd as I did.
Setbreak meeting was big, maybe 25 people or so. Lots of new folks.
One guy who's X must have been so good that he thought a meeting
sounded beautiful. I told him to shut up at one point and he drank
over it. Whoops. Another side note, The lovely and talented Kimberly
raised almost $150 friday. Girl, you need to be in marketing.
We all went back to the floor where we had been before, and awaited
the second set. I was feeling far better about things as a result
of the setbreak meeting. When the band came back out, I realized
that I had never seen this band before. This was totally new.
My friends, the first song they played, which nobody knows anything
about, is powerful. "I was slippin into darkness when they
took my friend away." It was at this point that I realized
that tere was hope for the wsp community. As I looked around at
many friends feeling the almost reggae-style grooves panic was
laying down, I understood that I was watching a rebirth and not
a funeral. "They just need a little room to fly."
2: Slippin' Into Darkness, Barstools
and Dreamers, Low Rider, Tall Boy > Blight > Drums >
Papa Legba, And It Stoned Me, One Arm Steve
E: Chunk Of Coal, Sometimes
Barstools put me back in 93-94 WSP time frame. I could feel the
young energy being created as they once again tried to figure
out who they were. There was something young, and new abnout the
whole thing and it was wonderful. Then they busted into Thank
you...Awesome...
"Racing with the Devil, devil's got a gun, bullets start
chasing, I began to run, bullets getting closer, they began to
stop, we began to wrestle, but the angels left me on top, I want
to Thank you for letting me be myself again."
Encore was chunk of coal>sometimes. Very appropriate in keeping
with my setlist story theme. Im just an old chunk of coal, but
Im going to be a diamond someday>>>Sometimes, maybe always,
Ill be there. They were saying just hang in there folks, we'll
be here, and we're going to get better.
Anyway, I wont continue on this rediculous diatribe of my mental
state, but let me say that I knew this stuff wasnt over. The band
is growing into something new, and the Panic family is intact.
Everybody is wearing these "Good Job George" stickers,
and everybody is more like a family than ever. It is truly a beautiful
thing. Exit night one and my intense experience.
11/09/02 Von Braun Civic Center, Huntsville, AL
1: Action Man > Pigeons, Clinic Cynic, Stop Breakin Down >
Hatfield God Was in the Water, Wonderin > Porch
2: Proving > Love Tractor > Proving,
Pilgrims, Arlene > Drums > Use Me, Big Wooly Mammoth >
Sense to Me
E: Sharon > Fishwater
['Tie Your Shoes' tease during
Arlene
Let me just say that second night was the bomb. This new band
can actually take you places the old could not, if you let it.
The energy and intensity I have not fealt since 1997 like I did
last night. It is a wonderful thing. I won't go through the entire
setlist with you dear reader, as it is not threaded in like the
one from the previous night, but it was incredible as you might
imagine. Congratulations, if you have made it this far, you are
officially very patient. They kicked our monkey asses last night.
The setbreak meeting was crazy. TJ the Yankee showed up and told
us Panic sucked, and cussed out a bunch of people for smoking
in the meeting, then went on to tell us what an experienced showgoer
he was. More intoxicated people came and disrupted us. One guy
wanted me to sign his court slip. Funny huh. It was a great meeting
though. People were everything from crying like I had trhe previous
night, to states of bliss (me for one), to anger, to serenity.
We met alot of new faces last night, and were able to help a few
good folks as they struggled through their first sober shows.
Roger & Celeste, we love you and were so glad to see you dancing
by the end. You cant know how happy that makes us.. It was also
so great to get to know Rodney, cant wait for new years. BTW,
we need a NYE roll call. Also great to see Steve, Russel, and
so many others. I would venture to say that there were 40 or so
of us running around the arena at different points.
The funniest part of the evening is when Casie and I were taking
the box backstage, and JB walks by and says hello to Casie. You
thought she had seen her hero. She squealed and was so happy,
and was just talking. It was quite funny. Casie is so sweet, and
is a great aasset to our group. Thanks!!
Anyway, that is about all I have. In summary, I am hopeful, and
feel confident that if we support this new band, they can and
will grow into something wonderful, and it is already a great
show. I am so happy this group is here. We helped alot of people
this weekend, and the band was thanking us graciously. There were
at least 10 hospitalizations for drugs. And whether we like it
or not, we are, in part, a PR solution for this band. I'm glad
we are here to help.
Peace,
Clay
Rivergy, Inc.
