Grateful Dead survivors, Allmans play in support of Obama
LiveDaily * October 14, 2008
by John Voket

It was hard to tell the Deadheads from the Democrats as the highly anticipated, one-off concert in support of presidential candidate Barack Obama, brought the surviving members of the Grateful Dead to the heart of Pennsylvania Monday (10/13).

Much of the country was taking Columbus Day off, but The Dead -- drummers Mickey Hart and Bill Kruetzman, guitarist Bob Weir and bassist Phil Lesh -- were on a mission: to unite a couple of decidedly more socially conscious demographics that will likely be supporting the Democrat come November.

Mashing up those bookends of freshly registered young college voters with a mature wave of former or surviving hippies and veteran Deadheads was an idea that paid off to the tune of nearly 15,000 filled seats at the Bryce Jordan Arena on the campus of Penn State University.

It was the second half of a pair of bookend shows for The Dead as well, with Weir, Hart and Lesh having already reunited for a February Obama benefit at San Francisco's historic Warfield Theater. But reeling Kreutzmann in from his Hawaiian paradise was just the thing to make this show even more nostalgic, and the message of change the band was supporting that much more authentic.

The marathon five-and-a-half hour show (counting nearly 50 minutes in-between bands) was supported by another vintage jam act: The Allman Brothers. Early birds got to catch the entire set with Greg Allman's gravely voice and sultry Hammond B3 dueling it out against two of the most viciously understated guitar maestros around today: Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks.

Actually, the Allman's set was like a session in the bullpen for Haynes, who came back and wailed for another two-and-a-half hours with The Dead.

Trumping the headliners by one drummer, the Allmans' three rhythm pistons -- Jaimoe Johanson, Marc Quinones, and Butch Trucks -- kept the machine humming as the band burned through a virtual greatest-hits set, with "Statesboro Blues," "Midnight Rider," "Melissa," and "Whipping Post" among the numbers covered.

Mrs. Derek Trucks, a.k.a. Susan Tedeschi, brightened up this boys night out for a couple of turns -- a soulful take on Dylan's "Don't Think Twice (It's Alright)," and a cool duet with bassist Oteil Burbridge taking the lead on Derek and the Dominos' "Anyday."

Haynes threw in a curveball with an upbeat take on Van Morrison's "And It Stoned Me," and adding a wailing sax helped "Dreams" wash over the crowd like a cool blue breeze.

After about a 20-minute intermission, video screens played a short political promotion before a cavalcade of speakers that included half the top-ranked Penn State football team came to the stage reminding people to register and vote. Then, the lights went down for the candidate's pre-taped message thanking The Dead and all the fans for coming out to the show.

The signature bass-and-drums intro signaled The Dead's dutiful return, and the group got started by blowing out one of their classic rock radio staples, "Truckin." With Weir tapping his feet in his well-worn Birkenstocks and waving his hand to signal a change in direction, the band slid seamlessly into the 12-bar anthem "US Blues."

Kreutzmann and Hart were in top form, flinging their hands around a mountain of drums and percussion gear, seemingly out of synch, but never failing to nail the beat with deadly accuracy. RatDog alum Jeff Chimenti was spectacular, manipulating a rack of keyboards, his own Hammond B3, and a grand piano, all mixed tastefully into each number.

Weir handled the lion's share of the vocal chores, but Lesh filled in nicely, particularly with one of his signature tunes, "Unbroken Chain," late in the set. Early on, however, Lesh demonstrated his chops were still in top form, weaving a complicated bass line into a jazzy tapestry for an extended "Help On the Way/Slipknot/Franklin's Tower" jam.

Then the hits kept on coming, with The Dead doling out three aces: "Playing In The Band," "Dark Star" and "St Stephen." Although Haynes served in place of The Grateful Dead's late founder and lead guitar player, this complex trilogy proved he could handle the mountainous responsibility with just the right balance of Jerry Garcia's noodling triplets and his own tasty brand of axemanship.

Moving on, "The Other One" exploded into thunderous drumbeats, with Haynes continuing to keep pace, navigating the tune's frenetic melody with style and ease.

After heading off into the wings for a few moments, the band returned with one more obligatory "get out the vote," rallying cry, followed by Lesh's nightly pitch for organ donors.

Then The Dead headed out under a full moon, closing the show with arguably their biggest hit, "Touch of Gray," coincidentally the only Dead reference Obama used to poke a little fun at himself earlier in the evening.