The music world is mourning founding Grateful Dead member Bob Weir. Don Was, Weir’s bandmate in Wolf Bros since 2018, shared, “Night after night, he taught us how to approach music with fearlessness and unbridled soul – pushing us beyond what we thought was musically possible. Every show was a transcendent adventure into the unknown.”
Bruce Hornsby, who toured with the Dead during the late ’80s and early ’90s, paid tribute to Weir on Facebook. “Always a warm, jovial presence, but with a mischievous look in his eye, he was ready with banter, a quip, a wise-guy crack or bon mot most all the time,” Hornsby wrote. “I love you, Bob, and will always fondly remember our many moments, so often transcendent, throwing chords and notes around in space, through the air, together.”
“Bob Weir wasn’t The Other One, he was That Guy,” Bravo host and noted Deadhead Andy Cohen said on Instagram. “I feel SO BLESSED to have gotten to know Bob and the equally wondrous Weir family through my friendship with John. He came on [Watch What Happens Live] a few times and when he talked about Jerry’s passing he referred to it as “checkin’ out”. That felt so graceful a way to put it, and a testament to the fluidity of all us in this world. Bob checked out but his music is going to live gloriously forever, and so will he. One of the absolute coolest and best to ever do it.”
Phish’s Trey Anastasio penned a lengthy tribute to Weir:
Sad to hear that my friend Bobby has passed on. This one really hurts. I really loved him. He was a sweet, kind, gentle friend, and I never believed this would happen so soon.
I knew Bobby for many years, but it was in the lead-up to Fare Thee Well that we really became close. I went out to his beach house, and we spent three nights there alone, just the two of us: playing guitar, cooking scrambled eggs, listening to records, working out, talking, and walking on the beach. We went out to dinner together, and he let me drive his new car. That was also when I first met Tascha, whom I love so much. Tascha, my heart is with you, Monet and Chloe today.
Bobby told me incredible stories about his life during those days at the beach house. He told me how he was still in high school when the first acid test happened. When it was over, the sun came out, and he had to do his math homework as he raced back to school on the train. He said after the second or third acid test, he looked down at his homework and said, “Nah.” And that was it. The rest of his life was on the road, in the Grateful Dead and other bands.
He told me stories about working on those classic Dead songs, what music the band was listening to as the songs were coming together. He said that when they were learning “Uncle John’s Band,” they were listening to the first CSN album and trying to harmonize like them. When they were learning “Help on the Way,” they were trying to sound like the Mahavishnu Orchestra. I found all of that endlessly fascinating.
Bobby was completely allergic to compliments in the most endearing way. I’d say, “Man, that guitar riff you were doing on that song sounded really killer” and he’d respond, “Well, I’m sure I’ll fuck it up next time.” I loved that about him. (continued in comments)
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