Bobby Weir and Wolf Bros. rolled through Nashville last night (March 9) for their tour opener, filling the hallowed Ryman Auditorium with Grateful Dead songs and a string of notable special guests.
The Kid opened up with Shakedown Street -> Greatest Story Ever Told and quickly shifted into Country Bobby mode — fittingly, living there for much of the evening — with the Merle Haggard classic “Mama Tried.”
The first guest of the evening came two songs later on the late great John Prine’s “Great Rain,” and included a sit-in with Prine’s son Tommy Prine.
Wynonna Judd — Phishheads will recall her still-talked-about guest appearance with the Vermont quartet on June 22, 2000, for a rollicking, full-band version of Freebird — next sang with Weir and the Wolfs on “Why Not Me,” the second No. 1 hit for The Judds back inn 1984. Judd remained onstage for a version of the classic Jerry Garcia sing-along “Ramble On Rose.”
Next up, Margo Price joined Bobby for a take on “Oh Boy!,” written by Sonny West but known as a hit for Buddy Holly.
The band took a set break after the West song and opened up the second frame with “Friend of the Devil” before Price rejoined the band for the next three numbers, “Me and Bobby McGee,” “Scarlet Begonias,” and “Fast as You,” the latter written by Dwight Yoakam.
Weir then led his band through Grateful Dead psychedelic masterpieces “Playing in the Band” -> Uncle John’s Band” before dropping into a rare-enough take on “Lazy Lightning -> Supplication” that wound up in an Uncle John’s reprise.
Weir called on “Morning Dew” to close out the second set and encored with the bouncy crowd-favorite “U.S. Blues.”
Also of note — and a note of weirdness for sure — the previous evening (March 8) Sammy Hagar and The Circle played the Ryman Auditorium and Bobby sat in for the encore, which included versions of “Not Fade Away” and the Led Zeppelin classic “Rock and Roll.”
Thanks to Rodney Brasfield for posting a snippet of “Rock and Roll” on his YouTube channel.
