The Magic of Mud Island
In the thick, humid ,Tennessee air lies a venue like no other: Mud Island. The city of Memphis has a tremendous wealth of musical history, housing not only Graceland, but Sun Records. Some of Widespread Panic's most revered shows have taken place in this swamp soul of a city. In peeling through the archives, July, 18th and 19th 1997 were the first releases from the band's Porch Songs Project. The below poster features the band's original line-up, with JB and JoJo peering behind the fence like the curious cats we know and love.
Original promotional poster from Mud Island 1997
On June 18th, 1999 the band returned to Mud Island to rock Memphis once again. For those who've been to this venue and sat in the rafters, you could literally feel the entire venue shaking due to the impact of everyone dancing so hard! During this show the P.A. system went out during Arleen. The band did not miss a beat and continued to play with the intensity and focus of a six headed beast! They returned for a 2nd night and proceeded to tear it up with their good friends, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band.
“In a way” nods JB, “the name Widespread Panic seems to accurately reflect what we’ve always done. When we’re playing, it’s a moment of chaos and communication—it’s the challenge of carrying on a six-way musical conversation.”
