Tuesday, March 19, 2024

The hippies were right!

Bob Weir might be 66 years old, but you wouldn't know it from listening to the recording of his performance in Detroit earlier this March. Backed by his band Ratdog,Weir sounded youthful, energetic and inspired as he lead the group through two sets of psychedelic rock and roll.

The former member of the Grateful Dead is currently experiencing a miniature resurgence in the music world. The legendary guitarist just wrapped up North American tour with Ratdog and is set to perform all across the country this summer, including a performance at Red Rocks with the Avett Brothers and headlining spots at multiple music festivals. His new state-­of-­the-­art TRI Studio was recently highlighted on an episode of CBS Sunday Morning for its live-streaming concerts. A movie, titled The Other One: The Long, Strange Trip of BobWeir will premier at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City this April.

Since the untimely death of Jerry Garcia and the subsequent break­up of the Grateful Dead in 1995, Weir has kept busy with both his solo band Ratdog and a slew of post­-Grateful Dead revival projects, from the Dead to the Other Ones and more recently, Furthur. Weir reformed Ratdog this year after a 4-year hiatus, featuring himself, long­time bassist Rob Wasserman, drummer Jay Lane, bassist Robin Sylvester,keyboardist/organist Jeff Chimenti and Steve Kimock on lead guitar. The current incarnation of the group is loose, funky and able to improvise in a near-telepathic way.

For a Wednesday night concert in Detroit, Michigan, the Fillmore was packed with Dead Heads. The band took the stage and started the show with a solid 5 minutes of jamming before dropping into classic set opener, "Feels Like a Stranger."

Weir is the clear ring­leader of the band—his angular rhythm guitar playing is the backdrop from which all the other members of the band build their parts. But it was Kimock who stole the show with his buttery lead guitar lines, perfectly emulating the late Jerry Garcia without playing his exact licks.

Stranger dropped into two separate segments of improvisation, with the band slowly building up to a crescendo while Kimock raised the intensity of his soloing. This set the tone for the rest of the show as virtually every single song featured an improv jam.

Sliding into the laid-­back groove of  "Easy Answers," Weir's voice and guitar playing continued to sound unbelievably youthful. The Garcia ­penned tale of "Althea" came next, again showcasing the soloing skill of Kimock. "Silvio" dropped into a surprise cover of "Tequila" by the Champs that had the whole crowd singing along. "Even So" segued into the lilting psychedelic dirge of "October Queen," which closed the set.

The second set began with Weir and Kimock on acoustic guitars, working their way through "Walking Blues," "Me and My Uncle," and "Friend of the Devil." The acoustic segment was fantastic, again showcasing Weir's powerful voice.

Weir and Kimock picked up their electrics to start the opening riffs of "Help on the Way." The song featured some excellent soloing by Kimock before segueing into the instrumental "Slipknot!" Wasserman's upright bass playing was light and funky, complimenting Sylvester's electric bass playing perfectly as the band snaked its way through the song's jam.

"St. Stephen" was up next as the band continued the high energy jamming with an excellent rendition of the one the Dead's oldest songs. "Morning Dew" segued into "Franklin's Tower" as Kimock switched over to the lap steel guitar. His slide playing was uplifting, intense and complex, sending the music into a frenzied major key peak for both of the song's climaxes.

The band returned to the stage to encore with The Beatles "Revolution," a fitting end to a night of rock and roll. Although it is not even close to my favorite Beatles song, Weir and band played a fantastic version.

Age is truly just a number for Bob Weir. Although the senior rock star might not sound as good as his prime, his ability to put on an entertaining, high energy show is still astounding. For fans of the Grateful Dead who are too young to have seen the real deal, like myself, concerts like these are the best chance that we've got to experience one of America's greatest songbooks. And for older fans who have seen the Grateful Dead back in the day, Weir and Ratdog's music still manages to captivate them to this day—a testament to the longevity of the good ole' Grateful Dead.

Set List:

Set 1:

Feel Like a Stranger

Easy Answers

Althea

Silvio > Tequila > Silvio

Even So >

October Queen

Set 2:

Walking Blues (acoustic)

Me and My Uncle (acoustic)

Friend of the Devil (acoustic)

Help on the Way >

Slipknot

St. Stephen >

Morning Dew

Franklins Tower

Encore:

Revolution

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