Change Rocks Brings Together Dead, Allmans One Mo' Time

 The Dead reunited last night (Monday, October 13) for the first time in four years, thrilling a sold-out crowd of devoted fans when they performed in State College, PA.  The “Change Rocks” concert, which also featured the Allman Brothers Band, was held at the 15,000-capacity Bryce Jordan Center on the campus of Penn State University to raise awareness for Senator Barack Obama and the upcoming November 4 election. 

 Original Dead members Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart were joined throughout the whole show by RatDog's Jeff Chimenti on keyboards and Allman Brothers Band/Gov’t Mule/ex-Phil & Friends and The Dead guitarist Warren Haynes.  They tore through a 15-song, two-hour set that included such Dead classics as “U.S. Blues,” “Franklin's Tower,” “Playin' In The Band,” “Dark Star,” “St. Stephen” and “Touch of Grey.”  The crowd--a mix of college students, longtime Deadheads and Barack Obama supporters--were on their feet from the first notes of show opener “Truckin,’” through the psychedelic explorations of “Dark Star,” to the end of “Not Fade Away,” the night’s closer.

 In a video-taped message shown between sets, Senator Obama told the audience:

 “For twenty months, I’ve been traveling this country from town to town-even developing a ‘Touch of Grey’ of my own.  And on that journey, I’ve seen Americans who are hurting under the politics and policies of Washington.  They need change, and I am running for President to bring about that change.

“On November 4^th, you’ll get to make a choice between two different candidates with two dramatically different visions for our future.  You’ll get to choose which direction you want to take our country.  I believe that now is the time to put Americans back to work and rebuild our middle class; to live up to the promise of affordable health care for everyone; to guarantee a quality education for all our children; to end our dependence on Middle East oil; and to bring this war in Iraq to a responsible end.  We can do all that.  And on November 5^th, I hope to announce that we ‘Ain’t Wasting Time No More.’”

The Dead last performed in 2004 on their “Wave That Flag” tour.  In February of this year, Hart, Lesh and Weir played a “Deadheads For Obama” show at the Warfield in San Francisco, and last year Weir, Kreutzmann and Hart performed at a post-inauguration for Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.

CHANGE ROCKS SETLIST
Bryce Jordan Center
Pennsylvania State University
State College, PA
October 13, 2008

Filmed greeting by Senator Barack Obama

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

Bob Weir, Warren Haynes, gtr; Phil Lesh, bs; Bill Kreutzmann, Mickey Hart, dms; Jeff Chimenti, kbds.