The String Cheese Incident might have planned its “Bob Weir Incident” at Suwannee Hulaween months before the untimely passing of Weir’s Grateful Dead bandmate Phil Lesh, but for heartbroken music lovers, it couldn’t have been more perfectly timed. With news of the loss breaking just as Hulaween began, fans attending the four-day event at the iconic Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park were left devastated and in dire need of both comfort and an outlet for their collective grief.
With twin hurricanes ripping through northern Florida just weeks before the festival, resulting in massive damage to cities up the eastern coast including longtime park-connected Asheville, North Carolina, the regular attendees of Hulaween have faced some very personal trials and tribulations as of late. Add to that an incredibly divisive election on the horizon and it’s no surprise they welcomed Suwannee Hulaween as a break from the stress and strife of life outside the hallowed park.
The members of the String Cheese Incident and their Hulaween production partners couldn’t possibly have foreseen the devastating effects of the storms or the tragic loss of Lesh, but they were well aware of the collective need for a positive note to sound before closing down their annual gathering. Booking The Bob Weir Incident for the Sunday closing guest spot must have seemed, those many months prior, like a perfect final message with which to send the crowd back out into the world in the best frame of mind possible. Little did they realize how apropos their selection would turn out to be.
This isn’t to say that the rest of the weekend’s Cheese sets were anything to shake a stick at, mind you. Friday’s three-plus-hour opener was filled to the brim with some of String Cheese’s most energetic and uplifting songs. Following that up with a whimsical and wondrous edition of Cheese’s legendary Hulaween Saturday night Shebang, which featured a truly inventive narrative spectacle that brought one of the band’s most appreciated tunes to life, SCI was two-for-two heading into the Sunday closing stand.
With two sets of Dead staples, inspired jams, and an emotional singalong encore of Lesh’s signature composition “Box of Rain”, The Bob Weir Incident was a perfect example of involving a guest player while recognizing and respecting the music of the iconic forerunners of the modern jam band scene. Weir, to his credit, did a stellar job embodying the spirit of his brothers, whether they be lost to us or just not present on Sunday evening. It would have been entirely understandable if he had chosen not to participate after the death of his longtime bandmate, but he clearly wasn’t about to miss the chance to toast his friend’s name and send him off in an inspiring way with these willing and eager backing players.
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Despite his advance age, Weir showed plenty of spark, even managing to throw a rather wry political jab when introducing “Men Smart, Women Smarter”, clearly indicating his choice in the upcoming election. Thanks to his continual efforts with Dead & Company and his more imaginative and deconstructive take on the Grateful Dead’s catalog with Wolf Bros, Weir has shown himself to be a fierce and devoted keeper of the music he and his brothers created together.
The String Cheese Incident understood the assignment perfectly and, after a weekend of well-executed performances, was ready for this final task of backing its stately guest. The need to honor his fallen friend was clearly on Weir’s mind. Though the spirit of Lesh was infused in every song, it was easily the encore of “Box Of Rain” that had the crowd most closely feeling both the loss and a sense of remembrance.
Weir, having moved so many hearts and souls once again, left the stage as he had so many times in the past, to cheers and cries for more. Who knows how many more years he will be around to bless the world with his music, but one thing that’s certain is his legacy, like that of his brethren, is written in stone already.
The String Cheese Incident has a lot to be proud of following the final notes of Suwannee Hulaween 2024. After 30 years, if the band keeps following in the Dead’s footsteps, then its long strange trip has just begun. Conjectures aside, SCI gave twenty-something thousand fans a weekend to remember, a reprieve from harsh realities, and a collective chance to catch their breath—plus a little light to guide them forth. What more could any fan ask of a band?
The String Cheese Incident With Bob Weir – “Feels Like A Stranger”, “Jack Straw” – 10/27/24
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Setlist: The String Cheese Incident | Hulaween Music Festival | Live Oak, FL | 10/27/24
Set 1: Feels Like A Stranger, Jack Straw, Crazy Fingers > Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain (Willie Nelson), Cassidy, Men Smart Women Smart, Cold Rain And Snow (Traditional)
Set 2: China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider (Traditional), Brown Eyed Women, Estimated Prophet > Eyes of the World > Drums, Standing on the Moon, Fire on the Mountain
Encore: Box of Rain
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