The Armory, Valdosta, GA
4/8/1989
“I’d like to thank y’all for coming down. And if anybody knows what that thing on the wall back there is…..the kidney with the bow around it? We’d be happy to know. You ready Gome?”
On a spring night in Valdosta in 1989, Mikey starts it all off with a welcome, a couple of questions and a song. His welcome was to the fifty or so people in attendance….most of them having been included on the guest list. His questions have been answered almost 20 years later and as his song references…..it was time to live it up.
A quick look back through the years shows Widespread Panic in 1989 ready to truly earn the road warrior label. Until that time, other responsibilities and non-stop practicing kept them closer to home…..annually averaging about 80 dates in seven states. For the next five years, those averages would double in dates and quintuple in states. Anyone who has traveled for a living, a passion or a combination of both appreciates both the opportunities and difficulties provided by that type of schedule and commitment.
1989 certainly shows the band moving forward while still trying to overcome some growing pains….and Valdosta captures both facets. With Sunny still partially attending his day job since joining up with the band in 1986 and Jojo not completing the lineup until early 1992, we are left with the early 1986 version of Widespread Panic…..but the only similarity is really just the four people on stage. What makes Valdosta unique is we get that early 1986 lineup playing a whole show with mostly original songs….and with only original songs comprising the entire second set. Songs that were to become the cornerstones of their musical foundation for years to come…….all recorded in atypical fashion.
Doug Oade and his two brothers, Jim and Carlos, have long shared an iconic existence among taper circles and that night Doug lent his expertise to record the performance. Working off of a Y-split connection from the main stage cables, Doug captured the same signal that made its way to the house PA, and also ran his cables to the back parking lot and into his car. That’s right, his car. Doug had not only taken out the seats but had completely reengineered his car to accommodate his assortment of recording decks and related equipment. So while Gomer was mixing the sound inside the venue and having to take The Armory’s acoustics…or lack thereof…into account, Doug was out back in his car mixing the sound real-time on a clean canvas. After adding a little dash of John Keane in 2008, we get a 1989 show professionally mixed for our ears and not for the night’s 50 attendees. To answer one of Mikey’s questions that night….Gome was ready and, luckily, so was Doug.
Mikey’s other question had to do with that kidney shaped artwork on the back wall of the venue. A little research and a recent visit to The Armory give us our answer…..it’s a military bonnet…..similar to a beret, but worn by civil war soldiers’ wives until their husbands returned from the war. So, while not a body part, at least it’s worn on a body part. With recordings of this show having passed through tape traders over the years, it’s a safe bet most listeners have always wondered what the hell Mikey was talking about and probably felt they would never know for sure. Now we know and are happier as a result.
Valdosta 1989. The holy grail of music improvisation? Certainly not in terms of what Widespread Panic would become musically. But, in a certain sense, as the 1989 version of the band was improvising their musical career, they took that night in Valdosta to somewhat define both where they had been and where they were going….and thankfully took the time to capture it. Given the time and the circumstances, many bands might have passed on taking that night in Valdosta….but not Panic as they wanted to become more Widespread. Mission accomplished that night…… and for many, many more nights to come.
Valdosta 1989
The Armory, Valdosta GA 4/08/89
Disc 1:
Porch Song 3:42
Space Wrangler 7:49
Travelin’ Light 4:45
Heaven 5:37
Machine 3:43
Conrad 7:39
Holden Oversoul 3:47
Stop-Go 6:51
Cream Puff War 4:06
Pigeons 5:55
C. Brown 6:51
Coconut 7:00
Disc 2:
Jam 2:26
LA 3:46
A of D 3:04
B of D 5:08
Impossible 5:50
I’m Not Alone 4:26
Barstools and Dreamers 10:32
Driving Song 4:20
Disco 5:52
Driving Song 7:28
The Last Straw 5:40
Jack 6:36
Chilly Water 9:51
Can’t Find My Way Home 4:33
John Bell – Vocals, Guitar
Michael Houser – Guitar, Vocals
Todd Nance – Drums
Dave Schools – Bass, Vocals
All songs written by Widespread Panic, published by Widespread Music/BMI except: Travelin’ Light written by J.J. Cale/Audigram Songs/BMI. Heaven written by David Byrne and Jerry Harrison/Bleu Disque Music/ASCAP. Cream Puff War written by Jerome J Garcia/Ice Nine Publishing/ASCAP. Can’t Find My Way Home written by Steve Winwood/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing/BMI.
Live 2 Track Recording and Mix by Bill “Gomer” Jordan and Doug Oade
Mastered by John Keane/Keane Recording, Ltd, Athens, GA
great read. keep the stories commin!!
I rode down from Athens to Valdosta that night in the back seat of a suburban. Corky and Mike from allgood, David Parker, Jeff Rosenthal, Genevieve Routon, Julie someone, and maybe a few more of us were packed into that car. Someone stepped into a pile of fire ants as soon as we got out of the car. I can’t really claim that I remember too much about the show, but that should help prove that I was actually there. I think I listened to most of the show in the parking lot laying on the ground looking at the sky (which certainly looked a bit stranger than normal). It was really loud! I miss the four piece days…
I was at this show. There were about 40 people there. Everyone there was “highly charged” and there was an atmosphere that absolutely could not be replicated. The band was on fire and the crowd blown away…. I still have my ticket stub… I believe it was $7. A really cool guy named Ramsey funded and promoted the show and didn’t come close to making his money back.
I remember there were people out back dancing on tanks -remember it was in the gym at the Natl. Guard Armory. The commanding officer showed up and hit the ceiling -he almost shut it down! What a tragedy that would have been. This was an absolutely electric night and we’re all very lucky the Oades made the trip to document this night….
I wasn’t at this show (by a long shot) but I’ve had a CD of it for the longest. It’s my earliest Widespread show I own.
My first show was this one:
http://www.everydaycompanion.com/setlists/19930225a.ASP
2/25/93 in Lexington, KY. Wish I could help with the set list but those golden Colorado mushrooms fogged my mind.
I caught my first WSP show a couple years later at the first Super Jam in Athens (the one at the Polo Grounds), but certainly this was the bootleg that got me hooked. Thanks for the memories and also for the explanation of the “kidney with a bow around it”. See y’all in a few nights in Philips Arena!