Bob Weir and Wolf Bros pulled into South Carolina for a tour-ending show at the North Charleston Performing Arts Center. The three-piece act put a cap on the run by debuting takes on Bob Dylan’s “Desolation Row” and the Grateful Dead’s “Black Muddy River.”
Weir along with bassist Don Was and drummer Jay Lane kicked off their finale with a jazz-tinged arrangement of “Bertha.” The “Winners” and Marty Robbins cowboy classic “El Paso” followed. The trio then looked to Dylan’s songbook for their debut take on “Desolation Row.” Weir had last attempted the long and wordy cut from Highway 61 Revisited, which was a setlist staple during his days in both the Grateful Dead and Ratdog, back in 2014. Blue Mountain’s “Lay My Lilly Down” followed with Weir briefly introducing one of the handful of Grateful Dead songs not written by either Robert Hunter or John Perry Barlow, “Passenger.” Before launching into a chugging version of the song, the rhythm guitarist mentioned it written by Peter Zimel aka Monk, sharing that he had written “some amazing tunes.” An impassioned “Wharf Rat” and a knotty, blues-based take on “Deal” brought the opening frame to a close.
The threesome looked to “The Music Never Stopped” to open up their second stanza of the night dropping “Easy Answers” in its midst before returning to a reprise of the song. The fan-favorite pairing of “Lost Sailor” and “Saint Of Circumstance” followed. “He’s Gone,” a galloping “The Other One” and a tender “Days Between” occupied the middle portion of the set. “China Cat Sunflower” and a rousing and rowdy “I Know You Rider” put an exclamation point on the final set of the tour. Weir, Was and Lane offered up a gorgeous version of the Grateful Dead late-era chestnut “Black Muddy River” as their lone encore in South Carolina.
Listen to full show audio taped by Team Dirty South Recording below:
