I was heartbroken when I learnt the death of Grateful Dead co-founder Bob Weir, the guitar virtuoso who carried on the band’s legacy following Jerry Garcia’s death three decades ago, died on Saturday.
For us Deadheads, Bobby Weir meant so much to us. He and the rest of the band, as well as all those within the band’s orbit, forged some of the most creative music put together and stamped themselves as the kids waving their freak flags in red, white and tie-dye.
It’s a strange feeling to know that Weir has “transition to the next life”, as his family said in a statement. That’s the sort of terminology he would use to describe death - not as an end, per se, but as a transitional period.
Before then, though, he brought thousands of hours of music to as many fans. Many would travel from coast to coast to catch the Dead. Your hoddler-in-chief was born a year before Garcia died, and so I never saw the band with him. But I did see them fronted by Weir in the Dead outfit Dead & Co.
I travelled to Saratoga Springs, Bristow, Queens and Las Vegas to hear the music. Every time was something totally different, and many a times I wished I could hold onto that music for a little while longer.
Over the next few days we’re going to be celebrating Weir’s music, and I’ll be picking out some of the songs that I enjoy the most. Five days isn’t nearly enough time to run through every single song in Weir’s catalogue and of course a few will be missing. But the wonderful part about music is I’m sure thousands of fans could each come up with their own five Weir songs/moments, which shows you the breadth of his work.
Today’s Track of the Day is one of my favourites, and one of the very first he penned for the Grateful Dead. The performance of Sugar Magnolia came at the Veneta Fairgrounds, one of the most legendary concerts in the band’s history.
It’s really the coda - Sunshine Daydream - that I find powerful in this. It’s wonderful to listen to.
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