Burning Down the Couch — Widespread Panic Fans

The following article was submitted by Shannon Kiss during the dawn of Couch Tour many moons ago. We dusted it off from the archives for those to enjoy and rejoice!

By Shannon Kiss

Social Media … One of the great phenomena of the 21st Century; a vehicle for connecting people, exchanging thoughts, sharing photographs and bridging the gap to unite Experience.

Another huge development of this era is the advent and widespread availability of live music streaming. I’d call it life changing, quite honestly. For those wholly invested in a band & their live shows, the good fortune of having artists willing to allow dedicated tapers to work to maintain a solid live stream for those stuck on their couches & be brought into the evening’s experience, is one of the greatest leaps in progress since the invention of the wheel. This statement is no exaggeration for those of us consumed with a passion so strong for Widespread Panic that we’ve discarded all sense of reason at times to be at as many shows as humanly possible with as many friends as possible.

So, when 2 fans were listening to a show one night, unable to curtail their comments & excitement on their regular Facebook newsfeed, yet knowing they were confusing & potentially offending some Friends from other facets of life, Don & Shannon decided it was time to establish a separate group that would allow for free reign on thoughts & comments, all of which would be readily understood, welcomed & shared by like-minded souls.

Enter Widespread Panic Couch Tour.

WP Couch Tour isn’t the only “couch tour” group, nor was it the first, I’m sure. However, this collection of Panic Freaks has grown to over 750 members in a matter of months, and the banter and experience while shows are streaming (sometimes live, sometimes pre-recorded) further cements the friendships & love we all have of each other and the band. It is a forum for commentary on the shows, photographs, artwork, memories, introductions, reunions and …. well, the occasional raucous debauchery. I, personally, have laughed as hard and had about as much fun during some Couch Tour shows as I have at the venues themselves. You can speak freely without having to scream at each other to be heard….and risk some uptight fan telling you to “Shut Up & Dance”. ;PThere are no lines for the bathroom, and beer & cocktails are as plentiful, cheap & readily available as your own refrigerator provides. And, let’s not forget the food. As Jayne said once, “I’ve eaten more during setbreak tonight than I usually do over an entire 3 night run.”

Providing these shows for home listeners is no easy feat. There are a limited number of tapers left on the scene, and even fewer who have the knowledge and willingness to make it available to Couch Tour. Steven “Z-Man” Ziegler, Bennett Schwartz & Team Dirty South are arguably the 3 most dedicated streamers, but others are out there & very much appreciated. I often wonder if they’re fully present & enjoying the shows because they can get so preoccupied with listener feedback to ensure that a solid & high quality stream is available. But, I remind myself that (at least with Z-Man whom I know well) taping, streaming & archiving is as much of his show experience as dancing is for others. And, those of us who reap the benefits of a virtual live show experience are grateful for it.

Photographs & artwork have been a huge part of Couch Tour nights, and there are some rare, beautiful & hilariously funny gems in the mix of over 1,100 images posted so far. Original playbills from the 80’s & 90’s, old promotional photos, fan pics, band shots, posters, stickers, cartoons & merchandise all grace the wall & albums that take us back down the long, strange road we’ve traveled. People attending shows are generous with their efforts to post pics during special moments, so those at home can get a sense of what’s happening while they’re listening & dancing in their living rooms.

The nights are generally dominated by the same loud-mouthed, sarcastic & very entertaining core crew. Big Tom Svender is an ornery bastard who generally fuels the charge in banter most nights. He has a regular partner in crime who spars with lightning speed while the rest of us quickly follow suit. Others come from all corners of the country with a dense collection from the south & CO. Big Tom has even taken charge of Friday Night Panic, giving us a forum for ridiculous fun when Panic isn’t even playing. Members settle on a show that went down in history as one of the greats, usually from Mikey’s years. We cue up and the show goes on as if they’re on stage right then. No peeking at setlists allowed. One night after the Vegas show closed the summer ‘11 tour, a CA & a GA couch tourer decided the night was not over. So, they cued up the epic 6/26/11 and raged, just the 2 of them, with several hundred comments & an excess of eggnog in July, until 7:00 am ET. It’s a freaky bunch, we are.

In the same manner Panic tour can take life and condense it into a deeply intense journey that introduces best friends and fortifies lifelong relationships over a matter of months; generates moments of greatest laughter, craziest adventure and even some tragic loss; takes us on travels over weeks or months that many people don’t allow themselves over the course of an entire lifetime and introduces the groundwork for self-exploration, self-discovery and clarity of what’s truly important in this time & space of Being, Couch Tour can be a microcosmic reflection of the same. It seems like an altruistic & unrealistic statement, but I stand by my claim. While we’re clearly not going anywhere geographically, and we’re not going thru the adventures that life on the road provides, we are sharing those past adventures and memories. We’re laughing and connecting, befriending each other and leaving most of these encounters with a sincere Gratitude for being a part of something special….a part of each other’s crazy lives & love for all things Widespread Panic. And, through that process, we grow…we grow closer and we grow stronger and we grow more grateful and better than we were the day before. Maybe just a little bit, but that counts, too. I’m convinced of it.

It’s not a therapy session, by any means. It’s a party with great music, great friends, a lot of cocktails and some serious smartass humor. But, there’s something else there that always seems to surface at the end of the night that further reminds me why Widespread Panic is so great beyond the music & the band.