ROBERT PLANT AND PEARL JAM
LOS ANGELES (Reuters)

Robert Plant has joined the lineup of Pearl Jam's $1,000-per-ticket Hurricane Katrina benefit at the House of Blues in Chicago on October 5, a spokeswoman for the club said on Monday. The former Led Zeppelin frontman is currently touring North America with his band the Strange Sensation, and will squeeze the show in between an October 4 stop in New Mexico and an October 6 date in Texas. For Pearl Jam, the gig at the 1,300-capacity venue will mark the final show of its North American tour before it begins a Latin American leg in Santiago, Chile on November 22.

The spokeswoman said four luxury boxes priced at $25,000 each have already been sold. Net proceeds from the show will go to such organizations as the Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, the Jazz Foundation of America and the New Orleans Musicians' Clinic. Pearl Jam is not unfamiliar with the club. The band, apart from guitarist Stone Gossard, opened for the Who at a charity show in 2003, while Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder did the honors when the Who headlined in 1999.

QUOTE OF THE DAY ... While you are proclaiming peace with your lips, be careful to have it even more fully in your heart. St. Francis of Assisi

MESSAGE FROM CARE2 HUMAN RIGHTS ON MEDICAID & HURRICANE KATRINA SURVIVORS

As the hurricane victims struggle to rebuild their lives, one of their most immediate needs is access to medical care. Send a letter urging Congress to act! ttp://go.care2.com/e/FVF/bE/BhwO

News reports indicate that New Orleans' health care facilities have been shattered to such a large extent, that it's going to take a herculean effort by the U.S. government if the affected population is to receive even basic care while the city rebuilds. And with Hurricane Katrina visiting disproportionate hardship on the region's poorest and least priviledged residents, the compassionate thing to do is to implement a program that assures comprehensive coverage without red tape.

Congress is now considering ways to provide temporary coverage to the storm's survivors under the federal Medicaid program. In the Senate, a bill has been introduced that would cover Katrina survivors with incomes below the federal poverty line through a temporary five-month program with a possible extension. And while the Senate bill assures comprehensive coverage without red tape, the House version may limit access to>the program for hundreds of thousands of needy people.

That’s why we need your help today! Congress is expected to vote this week on critical health-care legislation for survivors of Hurricane Katrina. Don't let Congress water down this desperately needed relief! Urge your legislators to support temporary enrollment of hurricane victims in Medicaid: http://go.care2.com/e/FVF/bE/BhwO