It’s only fitting that a musician who has never rested on his laurels will celebrate his 71st birthday by kicking off a tour with a new project. Guitarist Bob Weir was born in San Francisco on this date in 1947 and has been breaking boundaries ever since. Weir was just 17-years-old when he co-founded the Grateful Dead in 1965. Bobby was a crucial part of the band’s 30-year career with his songwriting, unparalleled rhythm guitar skills and distinctive vocals. While Jerry Garcia’s tragic death in 1995 marked the end of the Grateful Dead, the music never stopped for Weir who took the stage the night Garcia died and has taken few breaks from the road since. Tonight, the new trio Bob Weir and Wolf Bros make their official debut at Grand Sierra Resort & Casino in Reno.
Over the past few decades, Weir has collaborated with musicians spanning multiple genres and always seems game to try new things. An example took place on September 28 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna in Monterey, California. Bobby teamed up with a house band led by Dhani Harrison for four songs to bring a concert at the Rennsport Reunion event held in celebration of Porsche’s 70th anniversary to a close. The house band also featured keyboardist Benmont Tench and drummer Steve Ferrone of The Heartbreakers, bassist Nikolai Fraiture of The Strokes, guitarist Brian Bell of Weezer, bassist Noah Harmon of The Airborne Toxic Event and keyboardist Josh Giroux. Weir fronted the varied ensemble on “Touch Of Grey,” “Friend Of The Devil,” “It’s All Over Now Baby Blue” and “Not Fade Away.” Fan-shot video of all four songs shot by William Kuykendall recently surfaced. Celebrate Bobby’s birthday by watching how it went down:
