Dead Planning Obama Benefit in PA

Sources confirm that the surviving members of the Grateful Dead -- guitarist Bob Weir, bassist Phil Lesh, and drummers Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann -- are planning to tour in April and May of 2009.

There's no word yet on the band's configuration -- previous configurations of "The Dead" and The Other Ones have included singer-guitar hero Warren Haynes, guitar ace Jimmy Herring, singer-guitarist Susan Tedeschi, singer Joan Osborne, keyboardists Bruce Hornsby, Jeff Chimenti and Rob Baracco, saxophonist Dave Ellis, drummer John Molo and bassist Alphonso Johnson, as well as guitarists Mark Karan and Steve Kimock.

Also in the works, likely for October 13, is a second Deadheads For Obama concert, planned for the swing state of Pennsylvania.

The first Deadheads for Obama concert took place at the Warfield in San Francisco -- with Weir, Hart, Lesh, drummer Molo, keyboardist Steve Molitz, pedal steel player Barry Sless, singer-guitarist Jackie Greene, and Karan -- on the eve of the California Democratic primary.

The Dead allied with Obama after Lesh's son began volunteering for Obama's campaign.

"This is the real deal," Lesh said of Obama then.

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