Bob Weir was a symbol of the Grateful Dead’s unrivaled endurance

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In June 2024, I spoke with Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, and John Mayer behind the scenes at a Dead & Company concert in Las Vegas. They were performing a highly praised series of shows at the Sphere, which would continue for quite some time, lasting until mid-2025.

I was curious about what the musicians did when they weren’t performing, so I asked them. Hart explained that he flew back to California every Saturday night, arriving home around 2:00 AM. Mayer shared a similar routine, saying he tried to return to his life in Los Angeles on Mondays.

But not Weir. It turned out the guitarist had rented an apartment in town and was enjoying his days off, relaxing and enjoying the desert sunshine.

“Thought I’d stick around,” he said with a little shrug.

Music

Bob Weir, one of the original members of the Grateful Dead, has passed away at 78 years old following a battle with lung problems.

I remembered something Weir once said when I heard the news on Saturday that a founding member of the Grateful Dead had passed away at age 78, after a cancer diagnosis in July.

Bob Weir co-founded the Grateful Dead with Jerry Garcia in 1965, after hearing Garcia play banjo in a Palo Alto music store. He performed with the band for three decades until Garcia’s passing in 1995. For another 30 years, Weir continued to celebrate the Dead’s music through various projects like The Other Ones, Furthur, and Dead & Company, all built around their unique mix of rock, country, folk, and blues.

Initially seen as the youngest member and a teen idol, Bob Weir eventually became a seasoned figure representing the Grateful Dead’s remarkable longevity.

Bob Weir provided the fluid rhythm guitar parts that Jerry Garcia would build his solos around. He also occasionally sang lead on songs like “Sugar Magnolia” and “Truckin’,” though the band wasn’t known for producing mainstream radio hits. Weir’s guitar playing was quick and natural, and his voice started as a smooth croon, eventually becoming wonderfully rougher with time.

Just as crucial as his musical talent was Jerry Garcia’s mindset – his constant drive to reinvent the Grateful Dead’s music and connect with audiences in fresh ways.

He worked with a diverse group of people, becoming friends with musicians like Wynonna Judd, Aaron and Bryce Dessner of The National, and the band Hanson. He also clearly enjoyed being photographed with fans from different backgrounds, including Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber. He had a keen sense of style, and understood how important a striking image could be – perhaps even better than some pop stars, whether sporting a Yosemite Sam mustache or denim shorts.

Many believed the Sphere concert, featuring Dead & Company and stunning visuals drawn from the Grateful Dead’s extensive collection, was largely the vision of John Mayer.

During my conversation with the band, Mayer explained how much time he dedicated to perfecting the show’s visual elements. However, Weir emphasized that the entire production—which he compared to an opera—needed to align with the story the Grateful Dead had been developing over sixty years.

“We’re just continuing on with it,” he said.

I was talking with people from Dead & Company’s team in a hallway after the interview when John Mayer unexpectedly came out of his dressing room to share a last comment.

He explained that while he might handle some administrative tasks for the band, Bob Weir is undeniably the leader when they’re performing. Weir makes all the decisions on stage, and that won’t ever be different.

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2026-01-12 01:01