In the wake of Tom Petty‘s sudden passing last week, musicians from around the world and across the spectrum of genres and styles have paid tribute to the iconic songwriter in some way or other. This weekend, Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir got in a double-dose of homages to Petty. First, on Friday night, Weir joined fellow founding Dead member Phil Lesh, Twiddle’s Mihali Savoulidis, Peter Rowan, Midnight North and more for a rendition of Petty’s “Breakdown” at Terrapin Crossroads for a charity performance benefitting hurricane relief efforts.
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However, nice as it may have been for these great musicians to honor their fallen peer, the performance itself never really achieved lift-off. Weir seemed to struggle with the key vocally, and the unrehearsed group of musicians never fully got in step. That’s how it goes with impromptu tributes–they don’t always go as well as planned, but it’s the thought that counts.
But Weir would quickly make up for anything left to be desired by the Terrapin Crossroads rendition the following night night. On Saturday, roughly 15-minute minutes down the freeway at Sweetwater Music Hall, he had an all-star benefit collaboration lineup of his own waiting to rock a short Bob Weir & Friends set. The lineup (including RatDog drummer Jay Lane and bassist and Robin Sylvester, guitarists Dan “Lebo” Lebowitz and James Nash, and keyboardist Randy Emata) performed in honor of the release of short film Fingerprints, the story of two music programs for kids in two different countries that come together through the universal language of music.
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The performance included takes on the Dead’s “West LA Fadeaway,” and “Bird Song,” Daniel Lanois‘ “The Maker” (which he’s covered on various occasions with everyone from Jim James to Dave Matthews Band), “Lay My Lily Down” from his 2016 solo cowboy record Blue Mountain and, once again, Tom Petty’s “Breakdown.” However, this time, with all the kinks worked out, Weir totally nailed to cover, matching Petty’s signature howl and swagger in the original track with the towering and charismatic Bobby wails we know and love–the Petty tribute he was really meant to give. If at first you don’t succeed…
[Oh, and by the way: all the while, Bobby wore a t-shirt with a picture of him “shushing” someone emblazoned with the caption “STFU.” So, do with that what you will, but that should count for something, right?]
You can watch footage of Weir’s second “Breakdown” of the weekend in honor of Tom Petty from Sweetwater Music Hall on Saturday night, as well as some other videos from the “From California To Haiti Benefit” show below, via YouTube user Nick Dauphinais:
“Breakdown”
“The Maker”
“West LA Fadeaway”
“Lay My Lilly Down”
[h/t – Jam Buzz]