Widespread Panic Dips Into Archives To Share ‘Stop-Go’ Video From Michael Houser’s Last Full Tour

Widespread Panic rolled out official video of their “Stop-Go” performance from April 20, 2002. The footage was filmed during the band’s second show of a tour-opening two-night stand at Raleigh, North Carolina’s Walnut Creek Amphitheater.

The four-city Spring Tour 2002 was the band’s last full trek to feature co-founding guitarist Michael Houser. Mikey played his final show with Widespread Panic on July 2, 2002 at the US Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Sadly, Houser died on August 10, 2002 at age 40 from pancreatic cancer.

Widespread Panic’s classic lineup of Houser, fellow guitarist John Bell, bassist Dave Schools, keyboardist JoJo Hermann, drummer Todd Nance and percussionist Domingo “Sunny” Ortiz settled in at Walnut Creek Amphitheater for memorable concerts on April 19 and 20, 2002. The Georgia-based band previously shared footage of opening night during the pandemic as part of their Never Miss A Sunday Show archival video series.

Longtime Widespread Panic collaborator and producer John Keane sat-in with the sextet for portions of both shows. Keane added pedal steel to the extended “Stop-Go” pre-“Drums” on April 20, 2002. The band celebrated 420 by debuting a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35” to start their encore and worked the fitting Van Morrison classic “And It Stoned Me” into the first set.

“Stop-Go,” aka “Bookends,” is one of the oldest original songs in Widespread Panic’s repertoire. The band debuted the tune on April 7, 1986, just two months after their first official show, and its been a staple of WSP live shows ever since.

Watch Widespread Panic performing “Stop-Go” at their 2002 420 concert with John Keane below: