Bob Weir Jams With Joan Baez, Nancy Wilson, More, At Acoustic-4-A-Cure Benefit In SF [Videos]

Bob Weir and Sammy Hagar hosted the first Acoustic-4-a-Cure concert benefitting the pediatric cancer program at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital since before the pandemic at The Fillmore in San Francisco on Saturday. The eighth annual charity concert featured a rotating cast of performers including Taj Mahal, Van Halen’s Michael Anthony, Chris Isaak, guitarist Vic Johnson, Don Was, Heart’s Nancy Wilson, and Joan Baez, who made a surprise return to the stage after retiring a few years ago.

“I’d retired from music; hung my guitar on the wall,” Baez said after being introduced by Chris Isaak and joining with him for a cover of Delaney Bramlett’s “Never Ending Song of Love”. “This is my first public performance in four years. I wanted to see Taj Mahal.”

Following opening sets by Hagar and Weir and then Nancy Wilson, Joan Baez played a cover of Bob Dylan‘s “It Ain’t Me Babe” before commenting on the lack of pot smoke in the historic SF venue. “Ahh, the Fillmore. I used to not be able to see across the room! How times have changed,” she said. “Since it stopped being illegal, it stopped being fun.” She then welcomed Bob Weir to sit in on another Dylan song, “Seven Curses”, along with her son Gabriel Harris on percussion.

Joan Baez With Bob Weir – “Seven Curses” (Bob Dylan) – 5/13/23

[Video: Roman Gokhman]

Several other memorable collaborations took place throughout the night, including during Weir’s trio set with Wolf Bros Jay Lane and Don Was, which included a symmetrical sequence of “Josephine” (Bobby & The Midnites) > “The Other One” > “Dark Star” > “The Other One” > “Josephine”, followed by “One More Saturday Night” and “In the Midnight Hour” with Sammy Hagar.

Bob Weir With Sammy Hagar – “In The Midnight Hour” (Wilson Pickett) – 5/13/23

[Video: Tim Bracken]

Weir finished the set with a collaborative “Loose Lucy” featuring Hagar, Baez, Nancy Wilson, Chris Isaak, Michael Anthony, and more, after which everyone remained on stage to close the show with an a cappella rendition of Hagar’s “Cabo Wabo”. Scroll down to review the entire setlist from Saturday’s Acoustic-4-a-cure benefit at The Fillmore in San Francisco.

Sammy Hagar, Bob Weir, Joan Baez, Chris Isaac & Friends – “Cabo Wabo” – 5/13/23

[Video: Roman Gokhman]

Setlist: Acoustic-4-a-Cure Benefit | The Fillmore | San Francisco, CA | 5/13/23

Sammy Hagar
Set: Affirmation, Father Time, Your Love Is Driving Me Crazy

Nancy Wilson
Set: A Whiter Shade of Pale (Procol Harum) (with Vic Johnson & Sammy Hagar), Even It Up (with Bob Weir & Sammy Hagar), In Your Eyes (Peter Gabriel) (with Michael Anthony), 4 Edward

Chris Isaak
Set: Wicked Game, Only the Lonely (Roy Orbison), Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing (with Bob Weir & Don Was), Never Ending Song of Love (Delaney & Bonnie) (with Joan Baez)

Joan Baez
Set: It Ain’t Me Babe (Bob Dylan), Seven Curses (Bob Dylan) (with Bob Weir), Another World (Antony and the Johnsons), Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me ‘Round (traditional) (with Nancy Wilson & Chris Isaak)

Taj Mahal
Set: Dust My Broom (Elmore James), Corrina (Bo Carter) (With Joan Baez dancing), Stagger Lee (Lloyd Price), The New Hula Blues, Cakewalk Into Town

Bob Weir and Wolf Bros.
Set: Josephine (Bobby & The Midnites) > The Other One (verse 1) > Dark Star (verse 1 only > ‘The Other One’ verse 2 > ‘Josephine’ reprise), One More Saturday Night (with Sammy Hagar), In the Midnight Hour (Wilson Pickett) (with Sammy Hagar)

Finale with Entire Ensemble
Set: Loose Lucy (Grateful Dead), Cabo Wabo (Van Halen) (with Michael Anthony, Sammy Hagar, & Vic Johnson, a cappella)

Note: Chef Guy Fieri was also there