Three members of the rock band Wilco will perform at the Wisconsin Union Theater this Saturday as part of an event focusing on early voting and promoting Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.

The performance by lead vocalist and guitarist Jeff Tweedy, bassist John Stirratt and multi-instrumentalist Pat Sansone of Wilco will precede speeches by Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wisconsin, and Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, said Matt Lehrich, deputy communications director for Wisconsin’s Obama campaign.

Feingold and Baldwin will speak on Obama’s plans to “turn around the economy and lift up the middle class,” Lehrich said.

Baldwin is speaking at the event because she supports Obama but also because of its location at an “activist campus” like the University of Wisconsin, Baldwin’s press secretary Jerilyn Goodman said.

“She has always believed and benefited from the activism of young people,” Goodman said. “They have a voice that needs to be heard.”

Goodman also said Baldwin has taken pride in telling her colleagues how great the students at Madison are, and “she wants to keep those bragging rights.”

The event will end with a march to the early voting polls.

“It’s a good opportunity to bring people to the campaign to get them involved,” Lehrich said. “We’ll be asking people to also get involved in Election Day … and to get their friends to the polls.”

Although the campaign for Republican nominee John McCain does not have major concert events planned on campus in the coming week, Students for McCain Co-chair Katie Nix said she hoped Wilco’s support would not give Obama an advantage.

“I think it’ll be really sad if it does,” Nix said. “I mean, you’re talking about actors and musicians, many of whom haven’t even graduated high school. I really don’t see why people would take their opinions to mean anything more than anyone else that you would pick off the street.”

Nix said Republican groups on campus will be handing out pamphlets about the issues on Library Mall, doing “lit drops” in the dorms and sending out a mass e-mail in the coming days.

“We try to focus more on the issues and on voters and on voter education rather than having, like, musicians and actors come in and, you know, do their little charade,” Nix said.

UW College Republicans will also be focusing on “Get out the Vote,” a voter-contact initiative which focuses on pushing GOP supporters to the polls, which supporters believe helped propel George W. Bush to victory in 2004.

Nix expressed some satisfaction upon hearing Feingold and Baldwin would be speaking after the concert.

“That’s good. I mean, to have political figures out there is always more influential than actors and musicians,” Nix said.

The concert, dubbed the “Concert for Change,” will be free. Ticket distribution will begin Wednesday from 2:30 until 3 p.m. at the Farmer’s Market on the 100 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in front of the Risser Justice Center.

Tickets can also be picked up at the Campaign for Change student office located at 216 N. Henry St. Individuals will be limited to one ticket each.