ON THE eve of his inauguration, Barack Obama yesterday called Americans to service and optimism, darting through the capital for a blizzard of events marking the 80th birthday of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

On the National Mall, there was already a party atmosphere in anticipation of the inaugura-tion of America's first black president today.

Several of the large-screen televisions were alight with replays of a concert at the Lincoln Memorial a day earlier. At a corner, the Boys Choir of Kenya performed an im-promptu selection for the crowd. On the specially built inaugural stands outside the Capitol, musicians Yo-Yo Ma and Itzhak Perlman rehearsed for their role in today's ceremonies.

Pure excitement

Hundreds of people pressed up against the blocked-off seating area in hopes of getting as close to the inaugural stage as possible.

"Everybody's excited," said Donald Butler, 20, a student at the University of Washington. "There are smiling faces everywhere, and it's a nice, diverse crowd. It's history. I didn't think I would see a black president in my generation. I just had to be here." Butler is black.

If Obama felt nervous about becoming president in a few hours, he didn't show it yesterday, as he cracked jokes and breezed through a series of volunteerism events and bipartisan dinners.

"I don't sweat," said the 47-year-old man about to inherit responsibility for two wars, an economy in crisis and the helm of the world's lone superpower. "You ever see me sweat?"

Obama talked with wounded troops at a military hospital yesterday and then visited an emergency shelter for homeless teens, grabbing a roller to help give the walls a fresh coat of paint. He appealed to the nation to remember King through service to others.