Widespread Panic has released one of the most iconic shows in the band’s history—April 18th, 1998 in Athens, GA—as the latest installment of its live multi-track series.
The legendary free performance took place in the streets of Athens following the release of Light Fuse, Get Away, the band’s first-ever live album. An estimated 100,000 fans gathered to celebrate with the band, surpassing Metallica’s for “largest album release party.” The performance also saw the debut of new songs, including “All Time Low”, “Christmas Katie”, and “One Arm Steve”—tracks that would later appear on the band’s 1999 album, Til The Medicine Takes.
The show was originally filmed and featured in parts on the 2002 DVD Panic in the Streets and later documented in Gordon Lamb‘s book Widespread Panic In The Streets Of Athens, Georgia, but Athens 1998 marks the first official release of the entire performance. The release comes with a newly mixed version by the band’s longtime producer, John Keane, capturing the energy and essence of this iconic moment in WSP history like never before.
Widespread Panic has also commissioned a commemorative show poster and t-shirt to mark the release of this momentous show, both of which are available now in the band’s online store.
Listen to Athens 1998 below or on your preferred streaming platform.
Widespread Panic has a hefty tour schedule ahead, with multiple-night stints in Nashville, Charleston, Chicago, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, and Asheville throughout the spring and summer. Find tickets and a full list of tour dates here.
Widespread Panic – Athens 1998
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Setlist: Widespread Panic | Washington St. | Athens, GA | 4/18/98
Set One: Disco > Tall Boy > Love Tractor, Aunt Avis > Diner > Walkin’ (For Your Love), Henry Parsons Died, All Time Low, The Take Out > Porch Song > Blackout Blues
Set Two: One Arm Steve, Chilly Water, Greta > Christmas Katie > Radio Child, Arleen > Papa’s Home > Drums > Papa’s Home, Pilgrims, Fishwater
Encore: West Virginia > Space Wrangler, Ain’t Life Grand