DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Everything Else... Bob Weir passed away.

I was never a fan of theirs to say but I certainly hate to hear of his passing. I feel badly for all of his fans, friends and family.

It would take my lifetime to thank him and the rest of the GD for all they gave me.
RIP Bobby.
Fare the well.

They certainly had a rabid fan base. I once met a guy who told me he spent a few years in the 70s following them around, making money to support himself by selling small stone carvings outside their shows. He grew up a rock hound.

That story rocks!

I sold grilled cheese, beer and soda, and various ‘other’ things to stay on tour. It often required leaving before the encore so I could get set up for the waves of folks leaving the show. I missed a few songs over the years but doing so made it so I could make it to the next show… and the next show… and the next show.
I was at my poorest, but I was never without a smile.

I heard it said he played rhythm guitar like a piano. Most rhythm players play strummed chords to add texture. Because of Jerry’s meandering style Bobby couldn’t just strum. It’d muddy up whatever Jerry progressed to within that moment. So Bobby had to play sharp, choppy, flicks of the strings. Much like a pianist striking keys. This enabled him to quickly fit himself within Jerry’s meanderings and to change up quickly as Jerry moved.
When I go back and listen to Bobby isolated, you can find such videos on YouTube, you can really get an appreciation for how tricky he had to be as a player to not just stay in the pocket but to also play as a second lead at times with a improvisational madman of a lead on stage with him.
Bobby essentially had to invent a new way to play rhythm guitar. When he was briefly kicked out of the band in ‘68 he worked hard at studying jazz players to help him win his way back into the band. It worked. Listen to him pre ‘68 and post. It’s like two different guys.

What a life. A teenager Bobby wandering the back alleys of San Fran on New Years Eve, too young to find a club to go watch music, hears a banjo being played through the open back door of a music store. There Jerry Garcia sat waiting for a banjo instruction student that never showed up. Instead Bobby entered. They jammed for the first time that night. Started the Warlocks just a month or so later. At just 16 years old Bobby went on to have a magical life from that happenstance meeting on NYE 1963/64.

This is a tribute cover done the day Bobby died.
One of my favorites of his songs. A song about heartbreak and loss. Of letting go no matter how much it hurts.

Might have already been posted.

Bon-Jovi - It's My Life

Many years post Jerry, Bobby said, “if I do this right this music will be played for 300 years”.
Well, 60 down.


As to your grandson’s question… all things considered I hit a pretty good musical sweet spot too. I managed to catch the end of the Dead, I got a Warren Haynes fronted Allman Brothers, Widespread Panic in their early years, all of grunge and what came after. Etc.

If pushed to move timelines I’d maybe slide back about 15 years though. Shifting from being born in ‘72 to being born in ‘57 would have given me more opportunity to see some of the music that really inspires me while it was being produced. Catching the Dead the mid to late 70’s would have been epic. Add all the other acts that were crushing it back then.
If nothing else I wish I had been exposed to the Dead earlier. For all the incredible music in my father’s record collection, not one Dead album. Then the next trick would have been getting my parents to let me see a concert while in my mid teens. I didn’t see my first until I was 18. If I had been exposed to, and then allowed to see the Dead at 16, 1988, I would have caught Brent for a few years.

No regrets. I’m so grateful for what time I had with the Dead. They changed me forever. I know I’ll be listening until my end.
Tomorrow I have a highschool intern with me in my studio helping with a big project. They have no idea they’re getting a full day of the Dead. I have a playlist. Going to start them in easy with short catchy songs like Bertha, Althea, Deal, Jack Straw… by the end of the day I hope to have them intrigued enough to digest a Winterlands ‘74 Morning Dew, and a full album side of drums>Other Ones, with a final crescendo of Live Dead’s Darkstar.
Maybe I can influence the next wave in Bobby’s 300 year plan.

If you’ve not seen any of Bob Weir and the Wolfpack from the Radio City Music Hall it’s really worth looking up. He kept the music alive and evolving right up until the end.