Saturday’s Homecoming memorial for Bob Weir offered the Grateful Dead community a much-needed day of togetherness and emotional catharsis. One of the most moving moments came at the end of the ceremony, when John Mayer picked up an acoustic guitar and led 20,000 people through “Ripple”.
The guitar was Weir’s own acoustic. The bolo tie Mayer wore appeared to be the same one Weir had on during his final performance. And instead of his longtime bandmate standing beside him, Mayer was surrounded by Weir’s widow Natascha, daughters Chloe and Monet, and a chorus that included his Dead & Company bandmates Mickey Hart, Oteil Burbridge, Jeff Chimenti, and Jay Lane, some of the band’s crew, as well as Joan Baez, Nancy Pelosi, and many more.
Earlier in the ceremony, Mayer delivered a deeply personal eulogy that traced his unlikely journey from being a solo artist to playing in the band with Bob. He reflected on how improbable their partnership was, noting, “In the 30 years that preceded me, Bob had become a countercultural icon. I was a child of the 1980s. I come from a world of structural thinking, the concept, the theorizing, the reassessing, the perfecting. Bob learned early on that spirit, heart, soul, curiosity, and fearlessness was the path to glory.”
Despite coming from different eras and musical philosophies, Mayer and Weir formed a deep bond. “We both found success with each of our templates, and then we found each other,” Mayer said. “What would follow would become the adventure of a lifetime for me.”
Mayer spoke candidly about what Weir taught him during their ten years together in Dead & Company. “He taught me, among many other things, to trust in the moment, and I’d like to think I taught him a little bit to rely on a plan, not as a substitute for the divine moments, but as a way to lure them in a little closer.”
He also acknowledged the risk Weir took by inviting him into the Grateful Dead family. “Bob took a chance on me. He staked his entire reputation on my joining a band with him. He gave me musical community, he gave me this community. He lent me his songbook, invited me into the worlds he’d constructed, and taught me what the songs meant and what it meant to perform them. In return, I gave him everything I had night after night, year after year.”
In one of the eulogy’s most affecting passages, Mayer addressed Deadheads directly, acknowledging the shared experience of touring and the unique bond between performers and fans. “The excitement you felt when you were boarding a plane or packing up the car to travel miles to see the shows was the same excitement I felt about flying to the next city, working out the set list in a group chat, meeting up with the band on stage for soundcheck, and getting ready for that magical moment when we take the stage and discover whatever was in store for us that night,” he said.
“When tours would end, you would come home, dump out on your couch, and sleep for two days straight. I would do the same. And I could feel the connection we shared together. All of us tired and weary, our hearts so full of music and memories, waiting on the next bit of chatter that it could all happen again.”
As his voice wavered, Mayer closed with a line from Leon Russell‘s “A Song for You”: “But now I’m so much better, so if my words don’t come together, listen to the melody because my love is in there hiding.”
Then, referencing Weir’s hope that the Grateful Dead’s music would continue for 300 years, Mayer concluded: “And so we will all keep listening together. 300 years, Bobby, now that’s a plan I can get behind. Thank you, Maestro. You changed my life. I will love you forever. Thank you.”
Following heartfelt eulogies from Mickey Hart and Weir’s wife and daughters, Mayer returned to the stage, joined by his Dead & Company bandmates, crew, and many more, to close the ceremony with a stirring “Ripple”, as the voices of 20,000 fans rose to fill the air.
Watch John Mayer perform “Ripple” at Bob Weir’s memorial service in San Francisco below. His eulogy begins at 43:44.
John Mayer – “Ripple” – 1/17/26