PHOTOS: Sam Holt Band Pays Tribute To Michael Houser & Todd Nance In Chattanooga
Nance #Nance
The Goodpeople of Chattanooga, TN gathered together with Sam Holt Band on Friday to celebrate the lives and music of Michael Houser and Todd Nance. The special concert led by the late Widespread Panic guitarist’s tech comes in the leadup to the 37th anniversary of the Athens, GA band’s first show on February 6th, 1986.
Billed as Sam Holt Band Presents: Remembering Mikey & Todd – A Musical Celebration of Michael Houser and Todd Nance, the concert featured favorites from the WSP catalog, material from Mikey’s posthumous album Sandbox, and Holt’s originals inspired by and written for Houser. Joining Holt on his four-night stint of tribute shows throughout the Southeast are keyboardist Adam Grace (Truth & Salvage Co.), bassist Ross Parker, and drummer Jeremy Ward.
“Mike and Todd passed away way too soon, but they left us with so much great music,” Holt said when he announced this latest round of tribute concerts. “Playing these shows is how I feel close to them. They had a profound impact on myself and countless fans and friends.”
A veteran of Nashville’s Soundcheck studio, Holt went to work for Widespread Panic as Houser’s guitar tech in 2000. Following the lingering lead’s death from pancreatic cancer in 2002, Holt regularly sat in with the band for entire shows. He forged his own path with Atlanta’s Outformation, and eventually the Sam Holt Band. The music played and friendships made with the members of Widespread Panic have left an indelible mark on Holt’s musical identity, with the guitarist and bandleader paying his respects with regular tribute shows to Mikey and Todd.
Check out a gallery of images from Sam Holt Band Presents: Remembering Mikey & Todd – A Musical Celebration of Michael Houser and Todd Nance courtesy of photographer Christian Stewart. The band’s run concludes tonight, February 4th, with a sold-out show in Birmingham, AL.
Sam Holt Band presents Remembering Mikey & Todd – Barrelhouse Ballroom – Chattanooga 2/3/23 Ricky Supan playing his Languedoc gtr through my Soldano amp at Soundcheck pic.twitter.com/0V1WezllWb
— Sam Holt Band (@SamHoltBand) February 4, 2023