The road warriors of jam-rock band Widespread Panic [ tickets ] will hit the trail again this spring with dates in the South and Eastern US from mid-March through April.

The outing, which kicks off March 11 in Sunrise, FL, has multiple dates at venues in Kansas City, MO; Washington, DC; Knoxville, TN; Raleigh, NC; Orange Beach, AL; and the band's hometown of Athens, GA. Details are shown below.

Since last fall, Widespread Panic has been touring behind its ninth studio album, "Earth to America," which was released in June. The record was followed in November by the "Earth to Atlanta" double-DVD set, which captures a live show filmed in May at Atlanta's historic Fox Theatre. That concert was also simulcast to 115 movie theaters nationwide, allowing 60,000 fans to partake in the experience.

"Earth to America" is Panic's first studio album since 2003's "Ball." After nearly two decades of non-stop touring, the band took a 15-month hiatus in 2004/2005 to spend time with friends and family. The bandmates were also still reeling from the 2002 cancer death of founding member Michael Houser.

Rabid fans were more than happy to welcome the band back in the spring of 2005, with venues selling out across the country in record time.

The members of Widespread Panic took time to realign their collective vision, recording their latest album in isolation in the Bahamas with producer Terry Manning (Led Zepplin, Lenny Kravitz, ZZ Top, Al Green). Living under the same roof enabled them to "re-learn each others' rhythms off-stage and beyond the stage," lead vocalist John Bell said in a press release on the band's website.

"I feel like the band is more in control of our own destiny than ever before," bassist Dave Schools added. "And I think a new dynamic has developed around the hole that was left by Mikey [Houser]."

Last August, WP was faced with another change. George McConnell, the lead guitarist who joined the band after Houser's passing, decided to move on to other things. He was replaced by Jimmy Herring, who has toured with The Allman Brothers, The Dead and Aquarium Rescue Unit.

Widespread Panic, which is known for playing as many as 250 shows a year, has sold more than 3 million albums without the support of radio, and has spent more than a decade on Pollstar's Top 50 Tours of the Year list, according to a press release.

Photo: Adam George