Grateful Dead to Rock for Obama Again? Pennsylvania Gig Reportedly in the Works

Hoping to win votes for Obama in perennial swing state Pennsylvania, the surviving members of the Grateful Dead will reportedly stage a concert in the Keystone State on October 13th. No city has been named for the event, but the frontrunners appear to be Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. If the show does go on, it would mark the second Deadheads for Obama concert, as the reunited Dead previously played a San Francisco benefit concert in February (sans drummer Bill Kreutzmann). Bassist Phil Lesh first got involved with Obama's campaign when his son worked as a volunteer for the Democratic presidential candidate. According to Relix, "sources confirm" a full Dead tour in the Spring of '09, but there has been no official announcement or confirmation of that report.

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Song Stories

“Smells Like Teen Spirit”

Nirvana | 1991

"Smells Like Teen Spirit," named after a brand of deodorant marketed to girls, was Kurt Cobain's attempt to "write the ultimate pop song," he said, using the soft-loud dynamic of his favorite band, the Pixies. Cobain "had that dichotomy of punk rage and alienation," the song’s producer, Butch Vig, told Rolling Stone, "but also this vulnerable pop sensibility. In 'Teen Spirit,' a lot of that vulnerability is in the tone of his voice." Sadly, by the time of Nirvana's last U.S. tour, in late '93, Cobain was tortured by the obligation to play "Teen Spirit" every night. "There are many other songs that I have written that are as good, if not better," he claimed.

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