Change Rocks: The Dead play in support of Barack Obama

In the hotly contested, (although recently leaning towards Obama) state of Pennsylvania, the remaining members of the Grateful Dead reunited to support and raise money for Barack Obama. This was the second time in this election year that Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Bill Kreutzmann, and Mickey Hart got together to paly a show to benefit Obama's campaign. Back in February they did a show in San Fransico, spawning what might be the coolest fucking logo ever, Deadheads for Obama, shown above.

Joining the Dead for the duration of Monday night's show at Penn State were Jeff Chimenti of Ratdog on keyboards and one of my favorite musicians in the world, Warren Haynes on guitar.





Here's the full setlist:

Truckin'>
U.S. Blues
Help On The Way>
Slipknot!>
Franklin's Tower
Playing In The Band>
Dark Star
St. Stephen>
Unbroken Chain>
The Other One>
Throwin' Stones>
Playing Reprise

Encore:
Touch of Grey>
Not Fade Away

I once decribed "Throwin' Stones" as the most overtly political song the Grateful Dead ever performed. Written in 1982, these lyrics couldn't be more relevant today:

Picture a bright blue ball
Just spinning, spinning free
Dizzy with eternity
Paint it with a skin of sky
Brush in some clouds and sea
Call it home for you and me
A peaceful place or so it looks from space
A closer look reveals the human race
Full of hope, full of grace, is the human face
But afraid, we may lay our home to waste

There's a fear down here we can't forget
Hasn't got a name just yet
Always awake, always around
Singing ashes to ashes all fall down
Ashes to ashes all fall down

Now watch as the ball revolves and the nighttime falls
And again the hunt begins and again the bloodwind calls
By and by again, the morning sun will rise
But the darkness never goes from some men's eyes

It strolls the sidewalks and it rolls the streets
Staking turf, dividing up meat
Nightmare spook, piece of heat
It's you and me, you and me

Click, flashblade in ghetto night
Rudie's looking for a fight
Rat cat alley roll them bones
Need that cash to feed that jones
And the politician's throwing stones
Singing ashes to ashes all fall down
Ashes to ashes all fall down

Commissars and pin-striped bosses role the dice
Any way they fall guess who gets to pay the price
Money green or proletarian gray
Selling guns instead of food today

So the kids they dance, and shake their bones
And the politician's throwing stones
Singing ashes to ashes all fall down
Ashes to ashes all fall down

Heartless powers try to tell us what to think
If the spirit's sleeping, then the flesh is ink, yeah
History's page, it is thusly carved in stone
The future's here, we are it, we are on our own
On our own. On our own. On our own.


If the game is lost then we're all the same
No one left to place or take the blame
We will leave this place an empty stone
Or that shinning ball of blue we can call our home

So the kids they dance, they shake their bones
And the politicians, throwing stones
Singing ashes to ashes all fall down
Ashes to ashes, all fall down

Shipping powders back and forth
Singing "black goes south and white comes north"
And the whole world full of petty wars
Singing "I got mine and you got yours"
And the current fashions set the pace
Lose your step, fall out of grace
And the radical he rant and rage
Singing "someone's got to turn the page"
And the rich man in his summer home,
Singing "Just leave well enough alone"
But his pants are down, his cover's blown

And the politicians throwing stones
So the kids they dance they shake their bones
Cause its all too clear we're on our own
Sing ashes to ashes, all fall down
Ashes to ashes, all fall down

Picture a bright blue ball just spinning, spinning free
It's dizzying, the possibilities

Ashes to Ashes, all fall down (Ashes to Ashes, all fall down)

Someone's got to turn the page indeed.

The Allman Bros. Band also performed, and they were joined by Susan Tedeschi on a cover of Bob Dylan's "Dont Think Twice". Here's their full setlist:

Revival
Statesboro Blues
Who’s Been Talking
Midnight Rider
One Way Out
And It Stoned Me
Dreams
Don’t Think Twice
Anyday
Melissa
Trouble No More
Ain’t Wasting Time No More
Jessica

E: Whipping Post

What an incredible show, I wish I could have been there.