[media-credit name=’LUKAS KEAPPROTH/Herald photo’ align=’alignnone’ width=’648′][/media-credit]

Members of the Chicago-based rock band Wilco played a concert, dubbed the “Concert for Change,” for Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama’s campaign Saturday at Memorial Union.

Wilco was introduced by Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Middleton, who stressed that despite Obama’s recent surge in statewide polls, the Illinois senator’s base still needs to show up and vote.

“Please don’t take anything for granted,” Feingold asked of the audience.

Sean Grady, field organizer for the Obama Campaign for Change in Madison, brought up how close the last two presidential races have been in Wisconsin.

“In 2000, Al Gore won by a mere 5,000 votes — less than half a percentage point. In 2004, John Kerry won by 11,000,” Grady said. “We need to double, triple, beat that number tenfold to make sure we win this state.”

During the 37 minute, all-acoustic set, Wilco played songs such as “Christ for President,” “What Light,” “Passenger Side” and “Wilco the Song,” which the band premiered on Thursday night’s episode of Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report.”

Lead singer Jeff Tweedy acknowledged his band’s music isn’t always fitting for campaign events, but they tried to “tie this into the political scene” as much as possible.

“We realize when we come up here to do this — and we’ve done other campaign events — we don’t have many songs that are appropriate for hope-filled auditoriums,” Tweedy said. “There’s a hope gap.”

Following the concert, Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, took the stage to discuss what she called an “incredibly important moment in our nation’s history.”

“Our country faces challenges of really epic proportions,” Baldwin said. “But we’re here, and Wilco came here, because we also have an incredible amount of hope that we have felt from this man, this leader, this senator who will soon be our president.”

Baldwin then led a small crowd of attendees from Memorial Union up to the City-County Building on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to vote early.

After the event, Baldwin said people should take advantage of early voting not only to avoid lines but to better fit their schedules as campaign volunteers.

“Campaign workers are notoriously some of the worst voters because they’re so engaged on Election Day,” Baldwin said. “But everybody should do it while it’s convenient, do it while you have the day off or have a spare moment for it.”

University of Wisconsin College Republicans spent the weekend campaigning for Republican presidential candidate John McCain as well as several key GOP Assembly races.

College Republicans Chair Sara Mikolajczak said many members have been working all weekend for McCain. Some members went to Evansville Saturday to do literature drops for state Rep. Brett Davis, R-Oregon.

“Mostly we’ve been concentrating on the 72-hour campaign at the Victory Center in Fitchburg,” Mikolajczak said. “We’re working on making phone calls, door knocking for the campaign, anything we can do to help.”

Early voting continues today at the City-County Building for Madison residents until 5 p.m. Polls are open Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.