Happy 70th to my Dad!

Clout: Grateful Dead & Allmans to rock for Obama


By Daily News Staff
Philadelphia Daily News
THIS FIRST item is for our readers with gray hair, ponytails, tie-dyed T-shirts and VW minivans: The Dead are getting back together, man! Here in PA! For Obama, man!
And they'll be playing on a bill with the Allman Brothers Band!

Call it "Rock for Barack."

Because this involves both Democratic politics and band politics, it is all very fluid at the moment.

Here is what we know: Grateful Dead members Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart are scheduled to perform together for the first time since 2004 on Oct. 13 at Penn State's Bryce Jordan Center.

Guitarist Warren Haynes of the Allman Brothers (and Government Mule) will fill in for Jerry Garcia with the Dead since Garcia is, well, dead.

However, at the instigation of Democratic activist Donna Gentile O'Donnell and Obama's Philly rainmakers Chris Lewis of Blank Rome and Mark Alderman of Wolf Block, the Allman band has agreed to sign on for the mega-fundraiser.

O'Donnell is on the board of the Big House Foundation, which is the Allman Brothers' charity and got the ball rolling when she broached the subject of an Obama event with Haynes.

"The music industry has always played an important role in every presidential campaign . . . .Frank Sinatra and John Kennedy; the Allman Brothers and Jimmy Carter; and anyone who hears Warren's "Unring the Bell" understands his commitment," O'Donnell said. "The Pennsylvania Obama campaign is thrilled to have such great, heartfelt support by so many talented musicians. We just want to make sure we do it right."

The local folks are worried the Penn State venue may be too small with inadequate highway access. They hope the event can be moved here or to Pittsburgh.

Bob Weir & Ratdog will play at the
following performances:

Monday, November 3 at The National Theatre
in Richmond, VA. All ages are welcome.
Doors open at 7:00 PM. Showtime is 8:00 PM.
This is a general admission show. Mail order
tickets are available at $34.00 per ticket.

Wednesday & Thursday, November 5 & 6
at the Warner Theatre in Washington, DC.
All ages are welcome. Doors open at 7:00 PM.
Showtime is 8:00 PM. Reserved seats are
available at $47.50 per ticket.

Tuesday, November 11 at the Kirby Center
For The Performing Arts in Wilkes-Barre, PA.
All ages are welcome. Showtime is 7:30 PM.
Reserved seats are available at $43.50 per
ticket.

Wednesday, November 12 at the New Jersey
Performing Arts Center in Newark, NJ.
All ages are welcome. Showtime is 7:30 PM.
Reserved seats are available at $53.50 &
$43.50 per ticket.

The first mail in dates for these performances
are Friday, September 5, through Wednesday,
September 10, 2008.

Have a great weekend!
The crew of GDTS TOO
9.5.08

"Now is the time past believing
The child has relinquished the reign
Now is the test of the boomerang
Tossed in the night of redeeming"

Robert Hunter