Set on the third floor of Albuquerque’s Convention Center exists an unassuming site of great delights. From the outside, devoid of marquee or even a sign, the Kiva Auditorium would be missed by most, sans for the security checkpoints and ancillary bar, but after passing through the pat-down, fans are greeted with wall-to-wall carpeting, padded, comfortable chairs, and aisles wide enough to accommodate four shoulder-to-shoulder. At a capacity of 2300, this intimate space has been the site of revelry for many artists for more than three decades. Saturday night, this venue once again played host to greatness, welcoming Bob Weir and Wolf Bros on their inaugural two-month tour.
Wasting no time, Bob Weir and The Brothers Lobo got the evening started with a slow-paced version of “Jack Straw”, which contained the first location reference of the set. It was clear from the resounding applause at its start, and the uninhibited audience sing-along, that the faithful were in attendance and they were ready for Weir’s latest incarnation. The band continued with the classic Weir cover of “Walkin’ Blues”. This selection kept the audience engaged in familiarity, as Weir showcased his slide work, receiving noticeable acceptance. Pulling from his latest catalog, Weir brought out “Gonesville” in the third slot, which surprisingly saw very little change in audience contribution from the classic openers, as many in attendance seemed to be well versed in the lyrics and supported Bobby through the stanzas.
The second spatial reference of the night came in the form of “El Paso”, as Bobby strapped on the acoustic, before taking the room on a romp through the Southwest. “Corrina” was warmly welcomed to the setlist, as the crowd lit up with its opening percussive roles from skin master Jay Lane. This version came in at over 8-minutes and got the place moving with the first improvisational exploration of the night. Over the summer when Dead & Company made a stop in Albuquerque, a huge dust storm settled in over the Isleta Amphitheater, delaying the show. As many stood in line for that event, a handful of songs were in speculation to reflect the weather, and one in particular which was not played, finally found its way into the setlist last night. “Black-Throated Wind” blew its way through the room and was warmly welcomed with noticeable excitement, as the front row lit up with smiles and bouncing bodies.
Before proceeding, Bobby started with a story, narrating a day when he went for a run, ended up on top of a mountain, and turned, finally noticing the colossal storm that had been trailing him to the apex. As the weather began to distress the athletic bard, instead of panic, he found inspiration, and the songs that were born out of the day, became the closer of the set. The standard pairing of “Lost Sailor” into “Saint of Circumstance” once again proved that Bobby still has the vocal chops to bring the house down, with a resounding climax that finished these tunes. Laying out the final crescendo, smiles all around, Bobby informed the audience, “We’ll be back in just a little bit.”
As the lights came up, conversations between friends and strangers were being had across the room, and every face was lit with a grin. Patrons were given close to a half-hour to recharge for the second set. Most were in their seats not wanting to miss a note when the lights finally dropped, and the trio returned to the stage. Bobby opened the second set with another of one of his cowboy campfire songs, kicking off the second set with “Only A River”, as he strummed the acoustic strings along with his 1000 backupk-up singers. Enjoying the fire light of the intimate surroundings, Weir continued on in that old familiar way and delivered on Merle Haggard’s “Mama Tried”.
At the double acoustic take, Weir stepped to the mic and stated that it really wouldn’t be a great show unless the band tried something live for the first time, and proceeded to deliver on a ten-minute “Eyes of The World”. The lilting sonic space that the band produced resulted in many closed eyes, as the tiny room danced. The softness of the piece was well executed without flaw, sans Weir’s singular lyrical debacle, producing laughter from both sides of the stage. The tail end built upward into a calypso-styled theme, which presented with strong work by Lane, as well as heavy lifting by Don Was on the upright bass. The theme was built off of a progressive rift, as the rhythm section delivered the thunderous climatic end, and sat there smiling at each other and the audience. Weir started the “Eyes” riff up again, unaccompanied for a few measures, before Lane and Was joined back in, looking sort of puzzled as to where the band was going.
Keeping the faith in the unknown, the riff finally morphed into “Throwing Stones”, with fevered excitement from the crowd. With the political climate and the voting season upon us, Weir took to opportunity to express his explicative feelings about our modern government, the love of money, and how political office can be bought. New Mexico is a fairly liberal state, and with the strong lyrics and Weir’s charge, it was no wonder that this tune brought the greatest reaction of the night. As the tune slowly wound down, without even a hint or a tease, the triad dropped into “The Music Never Stopped”. This trio continued to deliver on the brilliance of their second set, eventually seguing into “Goin’ Down The Road Feeling Bad”, the appropriate parting song.
With a short walk off stage, the band came returned and delivered a great closer for what had been an all-night-long sing-along. Weir strapped on the acoustic one last time for a great rendition of “Ripple”. Of course, everyone thought that was the end, but these merry pranksters had one more trick up their sleeves, as they delivered the Grateful Dead anthem “Touch of Grey”, to send the heads off into the night with a moment of mental and emotional brilliance, as we’re all reminded that we are more alike and together than not.
Bob Weir and Wolf Bros tour continues tomorrow night, Monday, October 29th, with a performance at Denver’s Paramount Theatre. For a full list of upcoming dates, see below. For more information on the Bob Weir and Wolf Bros tour, head to Weir’s website.
Check out a gallery of photos from last night’s show courtesy of photographer Jake Sudek below.
Setlist: Bob Weir and Wolf Bros | Kiva Auditorium | Albuquerque, NM | 10/27/2018
Set One: Jack Straw, Walkin’ Blues, Gonesville, El Paso, Black-Throated Wind, Corrina, Lost Sailor > Saint of Circumstance
Set Two: Only A River, Mama Tried, Eyes Of The World, Throwing Stones, The Music Never Stopped, Going Down The Road Feelin’ Bad
Encore: Ripple, Touch of Grey
The post Bob Weir And Wolf Bros Continue Maiden Voyage With Stop At Albuquerque’s Kiva Auditorium [Photo/Video] appeared first on L4LM.
