Bob Weir kicked off April tour dates with the Campfire Band (Aaron Dessner, Bryan Devendorf & Scott Devendorf of The National; Josh Kaufman; Steve Kimock; and Jon Shaw) in Dallas, where he performed for the first time since 1991.
The tour continued in support of Bobby’s latest LP Blue Mountain, a solo album inspired by the Grateful Dead guitarist’s experiences on a ranch in Wyoming. Weir opened the evening with three songs performed solo on stage with an acoustic guitar: Bob Dylan’s “When I Paint My Masterpiece” and Little Feat’s “Easy to Slip” followed by “Blue Mountain.” The Campfire Band joined Weir on stage to perform songs from the new album, wrapping up the first set with “Gonesville.”
The fluidity of the first set continued throughout the evening. At the conclusion of set break, that familiar Grateful Dead aroma filled the air and the band returned to the stage with a Texas-themed twang and a theme of Grateful Dead songs. Beginning with “El Paso” and “Deep Elem Blues” (which is about the Dallas neighborhood of Deep Ellum, located a few minutes from where Weir performed), the set list included “Friend of the Devil,” “Althea,” Weir’s “Cassidy,” “Truckin” and “Standing on the Moon.” They closed out the second set with “Goin’ Down the Road Feelin’ Bad.” All seven members performed the encore songs, the melancholic “Ki-Yi Bossie” from Blue Mountain, and the Grateful Dead’s “Ripple.”
Weir continues the spring tour with two nights in Austin at the Moody Theater on Saturday and Sunday and two nights at New Orleans’ Sanger Theatre. Weir will perform at Wanee Music Festival and with Sammy Hagar in May before hitting the road with Dead & Company this summer.
Watch these fan-shot videos from last night’s tour opener below.
Only A River, shot by Ratdog Tour
Gallop On The Run, shot by Ratdog Tour
Gonesville, shot by Ratdog Tour
Friend of the Devil, shot by Ratdog Tour
Standing On The Moon, shot by Ratdog Tour
Goin Down The Road Feelin’ Bad, shot by Bill Magee
Ki-Yi Bossie > Ripple, shot by Ratdog Tour
Bob Weir & The Campfire Band will continue in Austin for two shows at ACL Live at The Moody Theater this weekend.