Grateful Dead Back Together for Obama

DENVER – Grateful Dead Back Together for Obama | Obama's Celeb Ranks: A-List at the Invesco | Jacko Turns 50

Grateful Dead Back Together for Obama

Barack Obama’s run for the presidency has launched many different grassroots campaigns. The most interesting may be the revival of the Grateful Dead.

I am told that on Oct. 13, possibly either in Philadelphia or Pittsburgh, the Dead will get back together for at least one show to raise money for and awareness about Obama.

All four living original members will play together — Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, Phil Lesh and Bill Kreutzmann. The band's leader, Jerry Garcia, died in 1995 from a heart attack.

Substituting for Garcia will be Allman Brothers and Gov't Mule master musician Warren Haynes.

If all goes well, my sources say, the band will then set out on a major tour in summer 2009.

The Dead, you know, were always ahead of their time. Long before Napster or iTunes or Limewire, the Dead let their fans tape shows for free and trade them back and forth.

Early in the game, the group decided its money would come from live shows and not record sales. They were probably the least disappointed of many modern acts when the bottom dropped out of CD sales because of downloading.

Obama's Celeb Ranks: A-List At the Invesco

Barack Obama’s wildly successful rock concert-slash-nominating celebration was unprecedented, hip and a signal of a new generation. You didn’t have to be a Democrat to enjoy the performances by Jennifer Hudson, Sheryl Crow, Michael McDonald or the new song by Stevie Wonder and Take 6.

Sitting right up front in the audience: Jessica Alba, Fergie and Will.i.am from the Black Eyed Peas, Matthew Modine, Kerry Washington and Lawrence O'Donnell, Wilder Valderrama. That wasn't all, since most of the A-list names were scattered about the Invesco stadium, a cavernous building that seats 75,000. Every seat was taken.

The pull on celebs was so strong that Emmy-winner Dana Delany stayed an extra day rather than shoot “Desperate Housewives.”

Backstage, Will.i.am visited Stevie Wonder, who was fretting over a sore throat from a viral infection. Originally he told me he was only going to play his new song, written for Obama. But when he got on stage, Stevie couldn’t stop himself from playing “Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours.”

The selection was perfect, and in stark contrast to Kanye West’s dedication the other night of “Gold Digger” to Obama with guest star Jamie Foxx at the RIAA/One Campaign party. People are still trying to figure that one out!

As for Jamie Foxx, he made the rounds Thursday night post-convention, holding hands with Ashley Judd and happily announcing plans to make a second CD soul album with his former talented executive producer Breyon Prescott. Maybe Foxx will get back to keyboards and good vocals and stop “hoarsing” around.

Meantime, up in the luxury suites, Oprah hosted Forest Whitaker, Angela Bassett and a few other A-list actors to help celebrate Obama’s big night.

Over at restaurant Tamayo, Hill Harper, Obama’s college-era pal from Harvard days and “CSI” actor, hosted yet another private dinner for the candidate and friends.

Stevie Wonder stayed down on the stadium floor after his own performance, hanging with wife Kai and assorted other relatives out in the open. This could have caused a commotion among the loitering paparazzi, but Stevie would not pose for pictures while Obama was speaking.

This, friends, is called integrity. And restraint.

But where was Bruce Springsteen in all this? After a couple of weeks of speculation that the Boss was coming and performing solo, the answer was finally made clear. He simply was not part of the show, whether it was his decision or the campaign’s.

However, Springsteen must have agreed to let Obama use his 1984 anthem “Born in the USA” instead. It was just about the theme song for the night. This is a far cry from the years when Springsteen wouldn’t let anyone claim that song for political purposes.

Other sightings: Daniel Dae Kim, from “Lost,” turned up at the DNC after-party at Invesco Field. Daniel is Jin, one half of the sexy couple on the show with Yunjin Kim (who plays his wife, Sun).

Daniel is bound and gagged not to reveal anything about what happens to his character on “Lost,” but I inferred from our conversation that Jin may not be as dead as his headstone made it seem.

“You know that on 'Lost' nothing is what it appears to be,” Daniel advised me.

A little like politics.

Jacko Turns 50

Michael Jackson turns 50 on Friday. “Good Morning America” managed to get him on the phone for a couple of minutes, only to hear his Howard Hughes-meets-Marilyn Monroe voice.

Click here to listen.

What is Jacko up to? Absolutely nothing. The former King of Pop has no record label, no new album, no tour plans and is always desperate for cash.

He has a home — Neverland — now leveraged up to its golden gates, in which he doesn’t live, that sits empty and rusting. Jackson and his three children remain in Las Vegas, inhabiting a strange world of self-exile that includes home schooling and rare appearances at toy stores.

Next Thursday, Jackson is invited to join his family in Los Angeles for a tribute to the Jackson 5 at BMI’s honoree dinner. It’s unlikely he’ll attend, which is too bad: It’s not like BMI can really count on Jermaine, Marlon, Tito, Randy and Jackie as big draws. But people will turn out to see if Michael makes a rare appearance.

The brothers will give countless interviews saying that Michael is fine, healthy and ready to tour or record with them. But the reality is Michael hates the family, and is too whacked out to work. He wants nothing to do with his brothers or his father, for that matter, and rarely sees any of them. Even so, watch for explosive headlines next Friday morning that will simply turn to piffle within 12 hours.

It’s a sad end for Jackson, who should have been on top of his game at 50. Both Madonna and Prince were born the same year, and each is front and center career-wise, making money and headlines and keeping current to audiences.

Jackson, by sitting out in his own weird world, has already let several generations of fans come and go. He may have made his own worst calculation, by not capitalizing on the “Thriller” nostalgia of last winter with new work or appearances.