For the past couple of weeks, Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir has been out on the road in support of his recently-released solo album, Blue Mountain. As Blue Mountain shows off the “cowboy” side of Mr. Weir, so too did his tour, which ended last night with a stop at the Chicago Theatre in Chicago, IL.
Weir has been performing a sturdy mix of Grateful Dead originals, covers, and new songs from Blue Mountain, and that trend was kept very much intact for the finale. Weir treated fans to solo acoustic versions of “Corrina,” “Black-Throated Wind” and “Blue Mountain” before introducing his band, which consists of Josh Kaufman, Scott Devendorf, Bryan Devendorf, Jon Shaw and Steve Kimock. They accompanied Weir on Blue Mountain numbers throughout the first set, ending with “Gonesville.”
Watch an acoustic “Black-Throated Wind” and “Only A River,” below.
The second set was full of songs from Grateful Dead catalog, including the set-opening cover of Bob Dylan’s “When I Paint My Masterpiece.” The set offered acoustic takes on classics like “Friend of the Devil,” “Mama Tried,” “He’s Gone,” “Playing In The Band > Stella Blue,” and a set-closing “China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider.”
Finally, the show ended with a three song encore, starting with Weir’s “Ki-Yi Bossie” and grooving into “Not Fade Away” and finally, “Brokedown Palace.” Thanks to taper Jeff Frank, we can listen to the full audio from this emotional farewell performance.
Fare thee well, Mr. Weir, and thank you for a real good time. Check out the full setlist from Bill Batson, below.
Setlist: Bob Weir at the Chicago Theatre, Chicago, IL – 10/20/16
Set I: Corrina (solo), Black-Throated Wind (solo), Blue Mountain (solo), Darkest Hour, Only a River, Lay My Lily Down, Gallop On The Run, Most of the Time, Gonesville
Set II: When I Paint My Masterpiece, Friend of the Devil, Walkin’ Blues, Mama Tried, He’s Gone, Playing in the Band > Stella Blue, China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider
Encore: Ki-Yi Bossie (solo), Not Fade Away, Brokedown Palace