Very few bands can weather a lifetime on the road, but with 20 years under its belt, Widespread Panic makes it look easy.

Unlike many other major jambands, including the Grateful Dead and Phish, Panic has swerved around many potential roadblocks and is still cruising today.

Where the Grateful Dead lost Jerry Garcia to drugs and the pressures of deification, Widespread Panic lost its lead guitarist Mikey Houser to cancer in 2002.

But it regrouped and kept trucking.

Where Phish succumbed to stardom and waning creativity, and disbanded last year, Widespread has stayed grounded and continues to produce music.

Keyboardist John “JoJo” Hermann says the band kept things fresh by keeping each concert fresh.

“We try not to repeat shows and always try to change it up,” Hermann says.

“We try to keep it unpredictable. What you’re going for on stage is a conversation, using your instrument like a voice to carry on a conversation.

“It’s kind of like a jazz ethic.”

Like jazz, Panic’s music involves plenty of improvisation, which is what earned the band the “jamband” label.

Like any conversation, Hermann says his band’s musical conversation is all about listening.

“You really have to listen to each other,” Hermann says.

“If one instrument hits something, you kind of answer it or mimic it.

“Once everybody’s answering and mimicking each other, it kind of gets going that way.”

The conversation changed a little with the passing of Houser in 2002.

The band quickly chose longtime friend and collaborator George McConnell to fill the space in the music left by Houser.

Since then, the band has released one studio album and three live albums featuring McConnell on guitar, and will release another new studio album next year.

Hermann says things have obviously changed in the band since changing guitarists, but its nothing that the band hasn’t been able to deal with.

“It’s definitely changed with the addition of George and everything,” he says.

“It’s a different dynamic. No matter who’s up there, no matter who you’re having that conversation with, it’s just a little bit different.”

One thing that has changed is the number of their own songs the band can play on tour.

McConnell knew several Widespread Panic songs when he joined the band and has spent the last two years furiously educating himself on the band’s repertoire.

This includes close to 500 original songs.

What’s more, Widespread Panic is a band that insists on playing different songs and altering the set list every night.

“If we played a song last night, we probably wouldn’t hear it the next night,” Hermann says.

“That just keeps it fresh, and over the long run just helps us keep things not so predictable.”

Thus, McConnell has had a difficult task, as the band attempts to bring back old songs that have been out of rotation since McConnell joined.

“We’re actually not done bringing back the old catalog,” Hermann says.

“We’ve still got a lot of work to do, and we’ll get it done before we die, hopefully.”

And from the sound of things, the band might be playing until the members die.

“I think we can go on a long time,” Hermann says.

“I think we have many more years ahead of us.”