On April 22nd, eTown (digitally) gathered an array of artists to celebrate the station’s 30th anniversary, in addition to Earth Day. The eTown 30th b’Earthday Celebration saw a special collaboration between Bob Weir and Lyle Lovett on the Grateful Dead staple, “Friend Of The Devil”.
Though the combination of the two songwriters may seem unconventional, Lovett actually recorded his own version of “Friend Of The Devil” for the 1991 album, Deadicated: A Tribute To The Grateful Dead. Lovett even performed the song live at Red Rocks Amphitheatre on August 9th, 1995, the day Jerry Garcia died. Alongside eTown founder Nick Forster on mandolin, the trio offers a gentle acoustic telling of the American Beauty classic.
Related: Margo Price, Swamp Dogg Cover John Prine’s “Sam Stone” For eTown [Watch]
Though Weir does don a Fender Stratocaster for this performance—unfortunately not his pink model, though a very similar appears in the background—the rendition maintains its genteel nature. As Lovett and Weir trade off vocals, Forster lurks in the background offering serene mandolin passages before taking on a full-blown solo.
Watch Bob Weir and Lyle Lovett’s collaborative “Friend Of The Devil” for the eTown 30th-anniversary celebration, featuring Nick Forster.
Bob Weir, Lyle Lovett, Nick Forster – “Friend Of The Devil” (Grateful Dead)
[Video: eTown]