Widespread Panic in the Streets of Athens, Georgia

Music of the American South

by Gordon Lamb

In April 1998, legendary southern jam band Widespread Panic held a free open-air record release show in downtown Athens, Georgia, its homebase. No one involved could have known that the predicted crowd of twenty thousand would prove to be nearly five times that size. The ultimately successful show, now known as “Panic in the Streets,” went on to become a cult favorite of Panic fans and a decisive moment in Athens music history. This event still holds the record for the world’s largest record release party, but the full story of how the event came to be has not been told until now.

Widespread Panic in the Streets of Athens, Georgia places readers at the historic event, using in-depth investigation and interviews with the band, city officials, and “Spread Heads” who were there. Told as much as possible in real time, music journalist Gordon Lamb’s narrative takes the reader from conception to aftermath and uncovers the local controversies and efforts that nearly stopped the show from happening altogether.

This deeply researched and richly sourced book follows every stage of the concert’s development from the spark of an idea to approximately one hundred thousand people from all over the world packing the streets of a legendary music town. Taking us back to 1990s Athens through vibrant, on-the-scene writing, Lamb gives us the story of a band on the verge of greatness and a town reckoning with its significant place in music history.

Genres: Music

136 pages, Paperback

Published April 15, 2018

Reviews

[Jon Jurgovan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author makes it abundantly clear that this book is not intended to be a comprehensive history of the Athens music scene nor Widespread Panic. However, this book is a solid primer for both of those things. I did not grow up listening to WSP and was not familiar with the culture that surrounded it until I came to UGA. Lamb provides just enough background to contextualize PITS and give you an appreciation for the small town political/bureaucratic miracle that PITS really was. Many like to remember that day as an impromptu display of awesome music in gratitude for the city and fans that made WSP what it now is. While the latter is true, the former is certainly not, and the story behind the immense effort to put this show on is well worth the read. If you are looking for a 30,000 foot view of the history that led to PITS, a detailed description of the day itself, and a brief look at how Athens changed after April 18, 1998 this book is for you.

[Fraser Perrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quick, interesting read about the biggest concert put on by the best band in the world. I was only 8 years old when Panic In The Streets happened, and wasn’t listening to Panic just yet, but a few years later once I finally came to my senses, I came to love the record that came from this party. Lamb does a good job to keep the book about the concert, not a bio of the band or a full on history of Athens, GA, and tells the story from conception to culmination.