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Widespread Panic is a southern rock outfit that hasnt had incredible commercial success, prides itself on intense touring schedules and a number of sellout records at popular venues across the country, making them the premiere jam bands in the country.
The band was formed as a duo in 1984 when Michael Houser and John Bell met at the University of Georgia at Athens. The band eventually got bigger, including eclectic instrumentalists, and started to tour the area with a few original songs. The group continued to find support at small venues and was signed to Landslide Records in 1987. They released "Space Wrangler" that same year.
Widespread Panic released its first major-label debut, a self-titled collection, in 1991, and they headlined the first Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival that year. Many up-and-coming bands tour relentlessly in the beginning and eventually focus on recording, but that transition never occurred for this band.
The group plays as many as 250 shows per years, and currently hold sellout records at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre near Denver, selling out 23 shows, the Oak Mountain Amphitheatre near Birmingham, Ala., selling out 17 shows, Philips Arena in Atlanta, boasting 17 consecutive sold-out New Years Eve shows and the UNO Lakefront Arena in New Orleans, selling out 18 shows. The group is known to never, ever play the same show twice
Over the following years, the band released seven more albums with an eighth on the way. True to their jamming form, they also put out seven live albums, most recently "Live at Myrtle Beach" in 2005. All told, the rockers have sold more than three million albums worldwide. Since the live show is such an integral part of Widespread Panics appeal, they have also released five video/DVD efforts.
The group is expected to release "Free Somehow" in 2008 and clearly has touring plans!
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