I'm heartbroken over the loss of Bobby Weir over the weekend.
His music has been a part of my life ever since I was 16 or 17. I'm not sure how old I was, but it was after I had a drivers license. I started a habit of going down to the local record store in my home town once a week to browse and sometimes pick up something new.
I'll never forget bringing home a copy of Live/Dead and hearing the band transition from St Stephen's 4/4 time signature into The Eleven's 11/8 time signature. Phil's bass going first, and everyone gradually following--that was magical to my young ears. I was hooked from then on.
I listened to so much Grateful Dead in the following years, I became an avid collector of live recordings and loved being on the forums where people would argue about the best live version / recording of any given song. It was so fun to track down a soundboard recording to a show I had never heard before and experience each song as a new song.
Eventually I went to college and gradually my interests changed. I still listened to the Dead occasionally, but it wasn't as obsessive as maybe it was when I was younger
And then one day many years later--in 2019(?)--or so an acquaintance on Twitter shared the Day of the Dead cover album. There's something I really love about how the way a new artist covering a song lets you appreciate it in completely new ways. I always favored the late sixties to 1978 period of the band, and never much cared for the later music. But hearing If I Had the World to Give, Black Muddy River, Standing on the Moon and Ruben and Cherise on that album exposed me to the beauty of the Dead's songwriting in a way I hadn't experienced before.
And just like that I was hooked again. It wasn't long after that when I stumbled upon Dead & Company and was shocked to find that they had all been touring with John Mayer(!) for years. It was a bittersweet realization for me. I was thrilled that I would have the opportunity to experience the music live. And I was sad to realize that there were years of tours I had totally missed.
When I saw ticket prices for the 2020 summer tour I realized that I probably wouldn't have gone to many shows in those in-between years. We were living pretty frugally at the time. But I had a new job at Gatsby, with a nice new raise, and I felt good about buying some nice tickets for the Atlanta show in July 2020.
Of course, then Covid happened, and the show was canceled, along with other exciting travel plans for the year. I still have a very cool holographic special edition ticket for the tour that never was.
But 2021 rolled around and Dead and Company toured and my sister and I went to see them in Charlotte in October 2021:
I will never forget the sense of homecoming I felt singing every word along with thousands of strangers to all of our favorite songs at that first show. It was a cathartic experience--my first concert in years and first huge gathering since Covid. And for me there was just an incredible sense of belonging and homecoming. The feeling of experiencing the music live, in person, and not knowing what was coming next but feeling the anticipation and excitement in every jam and transition was so thrilling.
Since they didn't do any stops in the South east in 2022, I missed them, but did have a lot of fun staying up late to see what each set opener would be on the nugs live streams, and then streaming each show over the next week. I did get to see Bob in Asheville with Wolf Brothers, which was quite fun. I loved his solo acoustic Dark Star opener. It was super inspiring to me that he would just do a new rendition of a song after 50 odd years.
But then 2023 rolled around and I was committed to seeing as many shows as I could. I took off a week and hit three shows on the south east tour--Atlanta with my wife, Charlotte with a friend, and Raleigh (oof that was a tough drive) with another friend. It had been a stressful year at work with Netlify acquiring Gatsby and all that entailed for me. I had so much fun that week traveling, enjoying the music, and experiencing that feeling of homecoming at each show.
And I was hoping that would be enough to help me unwind, destress, and feel re-energized for my job. But I remember laying in bed after that week, and knowing I had to work the next day, and the sense of dread that I had. And I sat with that feeling the following week, read The Pathless Path, and knew that it was time to go out on my own. And so that was a pivotal moment for me.
I have more to say on my sadness and what I feel l've lost. But I'll pause here because I have work to do.
These are some of my favorite recordings of the band and Bobby
When I'm not too sad, these are what I'll be listening to to celebrate Bobby's life.
Live/Dead
I mentioned this above--this is the album that started it all for me. Come for the jams, stay for the beautiful And I Bid You Goodnight to send you off at the end.
Rise for the River
Bobby joined John Mayer for a full acoustic set of Dead songs in Montana in 2022. It's so cool to hear these songs (Terrapin Station! among others) stripped down, and to be able to really hear how Bobby plays like no other guitar player.
Video
Audience recording on the internet archive
There is a soundboard version available for purchase on nugs.net. I lost my copy on an old device and I may need to purchase it again. It's so good.
Bobby Weir and Wolf Brothers
I don't remember how I came across this recording, but it is a favorite of mine. This was livestreamed on St Patrick's Day 2021, and the sound quality is very good.
I love the horn and string section--they do a beautiful rendition of Weather Report Suite.
I also quite like Ashes and Glass > Don't Let Go > Ashes and Glass. I love a good apocalyptic song, and Ashes and Glass hits all the marks.
Liberty is quite good as well too, although the opinions are mixed on the colab with rapper Berner. I think it's endearing, and only a little cringe. Gotta love the willingness to try new things.
Bobby Weir and Wolf Brothers Tiny Desk Concert, March 2020
This is a new discovery to me, but very welcome. I really enjoy hearing stripped down versions of songs where you can hear Bobby's guitar clearly. It's so fascinating to hear him play.
I also quite love "When I Paint My Masterpiece", which they play in this set as well.