If you had to pin down one band on which to carry the collective torch of jambands across the U.S. of A right now, Widespread Panic would be an easy target. The Athens-bred band, which for a good sum of the '80s and '90s was sort of in the exploratory, jamband shadow of their Northern counterparts, Phish, and to an extent the Grateful Dead (until Jerry Garcia's passing in '95 gave both bands a jolt of new, if not aging, fans), is perhaps the biggest of jamband brethren still touring the country relentlessly, season after season. Their recent stop at D.C.'s Warner Theatre on 13th and E Streets kicked off a spring tour in heavy support of the band's newest effort, Free Somehow. The two sold-out concerts saw the band shake little, if any, dust from the time off between New Year's and now, charging right out of the gates with passionate playing that seemed to peak at the right times throughout the night, give pause to a few new tunes in between, and gently sway the crowd when it needed a breather.

This reviewer enjoyed night one on April 1st. All along E Street leading to 13th and the venue, was a mix of barhopping happy concertgoers enjoying perhaps the first real spring weather the region has felt this season. By 7:30 p.m. the energy outside the theatre rose as helpless souls without tickets begged and pleaded for any- and everyone's extra. The band hit the stage promptly at 7:45 p.m., a bit of a surprise, and  launched into a seamless set wasting no time playing tunes from the new album. Newbies "Walk on the Flood," "Angels on High," and "Three Candles" started the night, which were fun rockers still in their infancy.  Highlight(s) of the first set saw the band weave in and out of the hard hitting fan fave "Driving Song" (from their first album Space Wrangler in 1988) three times with other chestnuts, "A of D" and "Barstools," thrown in the mix. It was excellent juxtaposition of old songs after the new. A fast paced "All Time Low" nailed the set closed with John Bell's raspy vocals and guitarist Jimmy Herring ripping leads like a wildcat from the south.

Considered the "meat and potatoes" of any concert among "jamband fans" (a label used all-to-often, but appropriately enough), the second set was the most enjoyable portion of the evening. Again kicking off the set with a new tune, and perhaps the catchiest of them all, was "Boom Boom Boom," with an echoing and encouraging chorus the served to unite fans in the house with an explosion of feel-good music. But it was really Curtis Mayfield's "Pusherman" that did just that--everyone in the house knew the tune instantly from it's recognizable afro-laden, pimp groove, which the band, indeed, pushed to the limits. This one clocked in at about 12 minutes, building into some peaking jams before dropping out into the percussive portion of the concert, a staple of Widespread Panic, in which drum mates Todd Nance and Domingo Ortiz dueled it out on the skins. This led to a softly sung, gentle ballad, "Her Dance Needs Nobody." John Bell was under a solo spotlight with the band providing subtle backdrop. It was sweet relief from the intense playing prior. Other notable songs of the night included "Pigeons" and the stirring rocker "Greta." The band closed with a two song encore, wrapping up with "Ain't Life Grand," the title track from the 1994 album.

All in all it was Widespread's coming out party for spring tour. The crowd was pumped and the band fed to them. They showed enough grit and personality on the new tunes so that hopefully they'll stick around long enough in the repertoire to earn second set status in the coming years. Harking back to some older tunes also gave longtime fans their fair share of stake in the band. It somehow all made us feel free in the nation's capitol.

--James Houck