Bob Weir & Wolf Bros took to Weir’s TRI Studios in San Rafael, CA on Friday night to celebrate Chinese New Year in style with a livestream concert. In addition to Weir, drummer Jay Lane, and bassist Don Was, the evening saw the inclusion of keyboardist Jeff Chimenti, multi-instrumentalist Greg Leisz as well as The Wolf Pack, a five-piece string and horn section comprised of cellist Alex Kelly, trumpeter Brian Switzer, trombonist Adam Theis, violinist Mads Tolling, and Sheldon Brown on clarinet, flute and saxophone, per JamBase.
The two-set, fan-less concert marked Weir’s first since his New Year’s Eve livestream from the same locale. Over the course of the evening, Weir gave many well-known songs a new dimension with the use of the expanded lineup, as well as delivered some bust outs that hadn’t been heard in years.
The show began with a solo Weir taking on Little Feat‘s “Easy To Slip” after giving credit to his departed friend Lowell George. From there the band expanded to a five-piece—including the core Wolf Bros with Chimenti and Leisz—for “Only A River” off Weir’s 2016 solo album, Blue Mountain. Next came the Wolf Bros debut of “Brown Eyed Women” before a brief journey down south for “El Paso”. Another Wolf Bros debut came next with “Mission In The Rain”, which Weir had not performed since 7/2/14 at The Greek Theatre with RatDog.
After a run through the Grateful Dead classic “Tennessee Jed”, Weir dipped into the RatDog catalog with “Two Djinn”. Finally, it was time to end the set with another Wolf Bros debut in “My Brother Esau”, a song Weir had not played live since 6/14/14 at the Arvest Bank Theater in Kansas City, MO with RatDog & Friends.
Taking the stage for set two with the expanded Wolf Bros lineup, Weir delivered another debut with The Clash‘s “Train In Vain” which the Grateful Dead guitarist hadn’t played since 4/24/13 at The Capitol Theatre with Furthur. Next, it was time to bring out The Wolf Pack as the crew fired up “Playing In The Band”. Prior to their performance, Weir revealed that David Crosby had penned the song’s iconic opening riff.
“Playing” then begat a series of segues which weaved through the Wolf Bros debut of “Uncle John’s Band” before going back into a “Playing” reprise. The jam-heavy second set rolled on with “Truckin'” into “Eyes Of The World” before The Wolf Pack left the stage for a reflective “Standing On The Moon”. The Wolf Pack weren’t gone long, however, and returned for the eternal pairing of “China Cat Sunflower” into “I Know You Rider” before it was time to close the show with “Brokedown Palace”.
Watch previews of the first and second set of Bob Weir & Wolf Bros’ Chinese New Year livestream with special guests The Wolf Pack.
Bob Weir & Wolf Bros – “Easy To Slip” (Little Feat), “Only A River”, “El Paso” – San Rafael, CA – 2/12/21
[Video: Relix]
Bob Weir & Wolf Bros – TRI Studios – “Train In Vain” (The Clash), “Playing In The Band” > “Uncle John’s Band” > “Playing In The Band” – San Rafael, CA – 2/12/21
[Video: Relix]
Setlist: Bob Weir & Wolf Bros | TRI Studios | San Rafael, CA | 2/12/21
Set One: Easy To Slip (Little Feat) [1], Only A River, Brown Eyed Women [2], El Paso, Mission In The Rain [3], Tennessee Jed, Two Djinn, My Brother Easu [4]
Set Two: Train In Vain (The Clash) [5], Playing In The Band [6] > Uncle John’s Band [2] [6] > Playing In The Band [6], Truckin’ [6] > Eyes Of The World [6], Standing On The Moon, China Cat Sunflower [6] > I Know You Rider [6], Brokedown Palce [6]
[1] Bob Weir solo
[2] Wolf Bros debut
[3] Wolf Bros debut, LTP by Weir 7/24/14
[4] Wolf Bros debut, LTP by Weir 6/14/14
[5] Wolf Bros debut, LTP by Weir 4/24/13
[6] w/ The Wolf Pack