Grateful Dead's Surviving Members Rock Out For Obama

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Tie-dyed T-shirts and political slogans made for a heady mixture as the four surviving members of the rock band Grateful Dead put on a concert in support of Barack Obama.

Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart hit a Penn State University stage Monday night to play for about 15,000 people.

It was the quartet's first show together since a 2004 reunion tour. Hart, Weir and Lesh had already jammed together in support of Obama in February in California.

Before his set Monday, Hart said in an interview backstage with The Associated Press that he was most impressed with Obama's views on climate change.

"I believe him enough to be able to get up in front of my constituency, these people out there," Hart said, pointing out the door to his dressing room, "and tell them 'I believe.' That's really important. The Grateful Dead does not take this lightly. We've never really done something quite like this."

Andrea Mead, spokeswoman for the Obama campaign in Pennsylvania, said Monday night the main goal was to stir up voter outreach efforts in a critical battleground state.

After Gregg Allman and Butch Trucks of the Allman Brothers Band opened the show, Obama supporters including Penn State assistant football coach Jay Paterno and cornerback Lydell Sargeant took to the stage to endorse him. A taped video message from Obama himself also was projected on a scoreboard.

Then it was on to the main attraction as the lights dimmed and the Dead opened with their classic, "Truckin.'" Minutes later, fans were tipping balloons in the air and the arena floor filled with an earthy aroma.

The Dead officially dropped "Grateful" from its name to honor the memory of its lead singer, Jerry Garcia, who died in 1995. Mead said the Dead approached the campaign earlier this year offering help in a battleground state with a large fan base.

Brian Cohen, 32, of Wolcott, Vt., drove 10 hours to catch the show. Cohen said he supports Obama but would have attended regardless.

"Obama is really trying to be a good person, which is what Deadheads try to do," said Wolcott, coining the phrase used to describe the Dead's legion of fans. "We try to change the world and be good people, change the world by being good people."

A few people weren't sold on Obama, though, including 38-year-old Jodi Frasier, of Saratoga Springs, N.Y. A registered independent, Frasier said she was concerned about Obama's experience and John McCain's lack of charisma in campaign speeches.

"Right now, I'm still up in the air."

Comments

[gleng1]

All of the articles missed one of the key points of the show (most likely because the reporters left before the very end!)

The Dead in its various incarnations are known for saying very little to its audience from the stage (let the music do the talking!) You'll NEVER hear them say, "It's great to be back in Cleveland!"

At the very end of the show we hear a couple comments from the band, including this from Bob Weir (to the best of my memory):

"Here's something I read that caught my eye. Hunter Thompson -- you remember Hunter Thompson right? Well, before he checked out he said, 'If all of the Deadheads in Florida had voted in 2000, this would be a very different country now'. Think about it."

[aescamp]

I was at the show it was amazing! Jay Paterno really surprised me. His father Joe is a HUGE republican, so I was rather surprised that he was so involved with the Obama campaign. The other thing that struck me that I think a lot of people took home was Bob Weir quoting Hunter S. Thompson. I am not sure of the exact quote but it was something like, Had all the Deadheads in Fla. voted in 2000 the world would be a very different place. That was the last thing that was said before the band left the stage. It gave me chills.

[darthdarcy]

A cool title for this article would have been:

The Dead, for Obama..!

[bwaynester]

there will never be another grateful dead. their music is still the most original out there, 15 years after jerry died. if you saw them '69-74, you know.

[seachild]

yeah!!!

[xazxaz]

Butch Trucks died in the early 70's. Motorcycle accident I believe. Derek trucks, Butch's nephew,
performed with Greg Allman.

[alcapone3]

Butch Trucks did not die in the 70's in a motorcycle accident! You are either thinking of Duane Allman or Berry Oakley. Both crashed in the early 70's on motorcycles.

[Ron1951]

In Charlotte recently, Derek Trucks AND Warren Haynes played leads for the Allmans. Incredibly fantastic show. If the Allmans are coming to your town, go see them!

[highburygoon]

Had a blast last night. I was really surprised not to see more people from both campaigns.

[Ron1951]

DEADHEADS FOR OBAMA '08

Got to love that "earthy aroma". Shame the government won't legalize it and tax it. Could make a major dent in the deficit!

[Dystopic]

deadheads are one of the primary reason it has not been legalized. Wearing tye dies t shirts, and bathing infrequently are not a good image to put forth for legalization.

Most people hold a negative view of hippes and rightfully so... Timothy Leary killed it for the rest of us .. that tune in drop out crap is still dogging the movement.

Clean up and fly right alredy.

The hippies did NOTHING but create the Nixon Machine, they are to blame for the right wing politicians in power. The vietnam war was horrible, but spitting on the troops was uncalled for

I consider hippie an insult.

It's not always the message, it's often the messenger.

[blp58]

Thanks for all the right-wing talking points! There is no proof of anyone spitting on the troops. Stop propagating the myths. Hippies created Nixon? You are obviously a McCain low/no-information voter!

[Ron1951]

I wear freshly laundered tie dyed T-shirts to concerts, and I can assure you that I bathe daily (more if I work out that day).

Timothy Leary was a Harvard professor who got involved with LSD through government trials. That's the U.S. government. His mantra was to tune in and drop out. Hippies were, by nature, apolitical. So to say that they created the Nixon machine and putting right wing politicians in power is incredibly naive and just plain wrong. Nixon would have embarassed the country by finding another group as bait for his criminality.

As for clean up and fly right, I graduated second in my class with an MBA, and have been involved with international marketing doing business in 5 Asian countries for about 20 years now. The person sitting next to me at the recent Phil Lesh/Allman brothers concert was a banking executive smoking some stinky cigars.

Legalizing marijuana while controlling and taxing it would add a huge amount of income to the government. The effect is doubled when you consider that all of this money would no longer be part of an illegal economy. It would give the small, independent tobacco farmers in NC a cash crop so they could earn a good living again.

So, messenger, know what you are talking about before you post to this blog..

[Ron1951]

And, by the way, this makes TWO concerts that the Dead have played to raise money for Obama's campaign. What have you done to contribute?

[wembakoy]

McCain-Palin said: drill baby drill and the lioness of senate said jobs baby jobs.

Please share this video to 20 people until election day to remind everyone not to be fooled again.

Below is the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6X2kjgdF1Xk

Thanks.

[Mattyhorn]

Can't help but wonder if perhaps The Dead are preaching to the choir, as every Deadhead I know is already voting for Obama, but no matter...

...one more for the good guys!


(Now, can you please tour again next summer? Please?)

[hartkid]

Wonder if Ann Coulter made it to the show?

[ElPerro]

LOL. Classic. She and Al Franken could have shared a VW bug and a few balloons of brain-bubble gas.

[lurkmode]

I would love to have accidentally dosed Mann Coulter ... maybe then she would be able to reflect on her wicked ways.

[special muppet]

I just can't understand these 'undecided voters'. The reasons they give for their indecision tend to imply that they haven't watched the news or read a newspaper in the last 2 years. I'm thinking more and more that what they are really undecided about is whether they want a non-white president in the WH.

[1099]

Undecided voters = pretentious, attention starved, jackasses.

[Pistolopera]

This Obama song/video is the "TRUCKIN" of the 21st century!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WN_UsOHpKjM

[editorjuno]

Clever, entertaining stuff, but "Truckin'" it ain't. :-)

[castlerider]

Dude, that link is SO BAD ASS!!!!!!!!
I sointantly hope you don't mind I sent it to everyone I know that I like!!!

I'll have that damn song in my head for weeks, and ya know what? I dig it!!