On Saturday evening of Wanee Music Festival in the beautiful Spirit of Suwanee Music Park, Bob Weir and the Campfire Band returned to the Peach Stage to headline and close out their second night of music. Traditionally with his Campfire Band shows, Weir plays a solo acoustic segment before inviting the band to join him for the rest of the first set, then again for a second. This set was no different, only the Grateful Dead guitarist welcomed a second guitarist to the stage – to the excitement of all.
After opening the set with “Two Djinn” and “Corrina,” Bob Weir brought out Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio for “Deep Elem Blues,” “Friend of the Devil,” and “Bird Song.” This led into the second-ever collaboration of Big Boat tune “Miss You.” While Weir took vocals on the collaborative debut back in Nashville with Phish last summer, Trey took the lead on this one. Pure speculation leads me to believe this song was chosen to tribute Allman Brothers drummer Butch Trucks, who was honored throughout the weekend and would normally be playing on that stage during that time.
From one surprising cover to another, the duo looked at each other and nodded before going into Lady Gaga‘s pop hit “Million Reasons.” While it clearly took the Deadhead community a while to figure out what exactly was being played, the realization set the crowd back to a point of clarity. It was an “ah-ha” moment, to say the least. This five-song segment showcased both musicians’ guitar picking as well as their vocal talents, and marked another grand moment in the history of jam band music.
Following the nontraditional cover, Anastasio left the stage, with Weir pointing to him as he left and instructing the crowd to “say ‘thank you, Trey,’” an order that no one at the performance had an issue obliging. From there, the Campfire Band came out for the first time during Weir’s performance at Wanee, and together the full band worked through songs off of Weir’s new album, Blue Mountain, as well as a healthy dose of classic Grateful Dead tunes to help Bobby wrap up his headlining performance.
You can check out full audio from Bob Weir’s performance, courtesy of Chris from JamBuzz, as well as full videos from Trey Anastasio’s sit-in with Bob Weir, courtesy of Suwannee HD Streams.
Deep Elem Blues
Friend of the Devil
Bird Song > Miss You
Million Reasons