Bob Weir & Wolf Bros spent the weekend in America’s heartland, including a Saturday stop in Omaha, NE that saw the ensemble debut the classic Grateful Dead pairing “Help On The Way” > “Slipknot!”. Following Saturday’s affair at the Orpheum Theatre in Nebraska, Bobby and his boys kept on truckin’ up to Kansas City, MO for a classic Sunday show.
After honoring late saxophonist Wayne Shorter on Thursday in Iowa, Weir, Wolf Bros, and The Wolf Pack arrived in Omaha to begin a two-night, two-state weekend run. Saturday started as a loose, easygoing evening with “New Speedway Boogie”, “She Says”, and “Loose Lucy” easing audiences into the show. The Jerry Garcia classic “Mission In The Rain” turned the Orpheum into a place of worship before Bobby hiked up his trousers for the ’80s/’90s stadium Dead classic “Little Red Rooster” by Howlin’ Wolf. Capping off the first set, Bobby and his extended ensemble stitched together “Cassidy” and “Bird Song”.
Weir threw his cards down with “Deal” to start the second set, next hitting the road for his traveling saga “Black Throated Wind”. Another dip into the RatDog catalog came next with “Two Djinn” before the climactic F minor that kicks off “Help On The Way” shot out of the speakers like lightning bolts as Bob Weir & Wolf Bros tore open the Grateful Dead songbook to perform the Blues For Allah classic for the first time. Naturally, “Help”‘s instrumental partner-in-crime followed with “Slipknot!” as The Wolf Pack string/horn section augmented the rhythmic breakdown and uplifted the song to a fresh interpretation before the series completed with “Franklin’s Tower”.
From there, the rest of the show was gravy, with Bobby taking the momentum into the finger-wagging “Throwing Stones”. The Beatles‘ “Dear Prudence” helped wind things down before the obligatory “One More Saturday Night” capped the second set. Returning for the encore, Weir laid out the Bob Dylan sermon “It’s All Over Now Baby Blue” to send the crowd home.
The next night in Kansas City, Weir pulled out the Sunday staples beginning with the opening “Samson and Delilah”. The Biblical theme continued with “My Brother Esau” and on into “Friend Of The Devil”. Following a pairing of RatDog’s “Even So” and “October Queen”, the band returned to the Good Book with “Greatest Story Ever Told” before the eternal grouping of “Lost Sailor” and “Saint of Circumstance” closed the first set.
Bob Weir & Wolf Bros kept things pretty secular for the second set, sticking to Dead classics like “Jack Straw” and “Shakedown Street”. Though they were at the indoor Arvest Bank Theatre at The Midland, Weir must have felt a few drops as he started up “Looks Like Rain”. “Eyes Of The World” would ignite the improvisational powder keg of set two, winding through Marvin Gaye‘s “What’s Going On”, “Wharf Rat”, and lastly Chuck Berry‘s “Around And Around”.
Finally, Bob Weir & Wolf Bros finished their weekend with the Dead’s anthem of patriotism “U.S. Blues”.
Listen to full-show audio from Bob Weir & Wolf Bros in Omaha—featuring the “Help” > “Slip” debut—and Kansas City.
Bob Weir & Wolf Bros ft. The Wolf Pack – Orpheum Theatre – Omaha, NE – 3/4/23 – Full Audio
Bob Weir & Wolf Bros ft. The Wolf Pack – Arvest Bank Theatre At The Midland – Kansas City, MO – 3/5/23 – Full Audio
Setlist: Bob Weir & Wolf Bros ft. The Wolf Pack | Orpheum Theatre | Omaha, NE | 3/4/23
Set One: New Speedway Boogie, She Says, Loose Lucy, Mission In The Rain, Little Red Rooster (Howlin’ Wolf), Cassidy > Bird Song
Set Two: Deal, Black Throated Wind, Two Djinn, Help On The Way [1] > Slipknot! [1] > Franklin’s Tower, Throwing Stones, Dear Prudence (The Beatles), One More Saturday Night
Encore: It’s All Over Now Baby Blue (Bob Dylan)
Setlist: Bob Weir & Wolf Bros ft. The Wolf Pack | Arvest Bank Theatre At The Midland | Kansas City, MO | 3/5/23
Set One: Samson and Delilah (Traditional), My Brother Esau, Friend Of The Devil, Even So > October Queen, Greatest Story Ever Told, Lost Sailor > Saint Of Circumstance
Set Two: Jack Straw, Shakedown Street, Looks Like Rain, Eyes Of The World > What’s Going On (Marvin Gaye) > Eyes Of The World > Wharf Rat, Around And Around (Chuck Berry)
Encore: U.S. Blues
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