This past Saturday once again saw Bob Weir gather up Wolf Bros and his extended Wolfpack for a livestream from his TRI Studios in San Rafael, CA. The show saw Weir expand his lineup again with keyboardist Jeff Chimenti, multi-instrumentalist Greg Leisz as well as The Wolfpack, a five-piece string and horn section comprised of cellist Alex Kelly, trumpeter Brian Switzer, trombonist Adam Theis, violinist Mads Tolling, and Sheldon Brown on clarinet, flute, and saxophone, per JamBase, as well as a guest appearance from singer/guitarist Matty Michna, who helped debut some Robert Hunter-penned lyrics. All of these musicians came in addition to Weir’s core Wolf Bros bandmates, drummer Jay Lane and bassist Don Was.
The stream started off by dropping viewers straight into a rollicking jam that emerged as “Truckin'” before segueing into “Bertha”. Weir kept things small for the beginning of the first set with just the expanded five-piece lineup, moving through the acoustic Blue Mountain ballad “Only A River” prior to bringing up Michna for “Ramble On Rose”.
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After a brief farewell to Michna came the first debut of the evening with “Shade of Grey”, a song co-written by John Perry Barlow taken from Weir’s 1978 solo album Heaven Help The Fool. Things kept on truckin’ as the Grateful Dead guitarist brought out The Wolf Pack string section for an eerie “West L.A. Fadeaway”, followed by the Bob Dylan epic “Desolation Row”, and finally a triumphant “Cassidy” to close the first frame.
Bob Weir & Wolf Bros – “Truckin'”, “Bertha”, “Only A River” – San Rafael, CA – 4/24/21
[Video: Relix]
Weir and Wolf Bros returned with the extended five-piece lineup for the second set, kicking things off with one of Bobby’s classic cowboy tunes, “Me & My Uncle”. The Wolf Pack then returned to the stage—where they would remain for the rest of the evening—as the extended ensemble fired up “Jack Straw”, followed by the contemplative “New Speedway Boogie”.
Bob Weir & Wolf Bros – “Me & My Uncle” (John Phillips), “Jack Straw”, “New Speedway Boogie” – San Rafael, CA – 4/24/21
[Video: Relix]
Keeping with the downtempo theme, Weir slowed things down even further with “Wharf Rat” before welcoming Michna back to the stage for “Eyes Of The World”. This begat a series of segues that saw numerous Wolf Bros debuts, starting with the Robert Hunter lyrics to “Big Sandy Creek”, which features music written by Michna. The segues and debuts came in tandem as the outfit rolled into Marvin Gaye‘s “What’s Going On”, which set up a springboard for a reprise of “Eyes”.
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Bob Weir & Wolf Bros – “What’s Going On” (Marvin Gaye) – San Rafael, CA – 4/24/21
[Video: Relix]
Michna then departed the stage for the final time as the band kept rolling through “The Other One” before hitting the breaks once again for “Stella Blue”. The second set ended on a roar rather than a whimper, however, as “Going Down The Road Feeling Bad” put an end to the second frame before the whole Wolf Pack returned for an obligatory encore of “One More Saturday Night”.
Setlist: Bob Weir & Wolf Bros | TRI Studios | San Rafael, CA | 4/24/21
Set One: Truckin’, Bertha, Only A River, Ramble On Rose [1], Shade Of Grey [2], West L.A. Fadeaway [3], Desolation Row [3], Cassidy [3]
Set Two: Me & My Uncle (John Phillips), Jack Straw [3], New Speedway Boogie [3], Wharf Rat [3] > Eyes Of The World > [1] [3] Big Sandy Creek [1] [2] [3] > What’s Going On [1] [2] [3] > Eyes Of The World [1] [3] > The Other One [3] > Setlla Blue [3], Going Down The Road Feeling Bad (traditional) [3]
Encore: One More Saturday Night [3]
[1] w/ Matty Michna
[2] Wolf Bros Debut
[3] w/ The Wolf Pack