One more Saturday night in a career full of them, Bob Weir & Wolf Bros featuring The Wolf Pack—already ten musicians strong—welcomed Rick Mitarotonda and Peter Anspach of Goose as well as Kenny Brooks, Dred Scott, and Sasha Dobson for their fourth and final show at famed rock palace The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY.
With the accompaniment of The Wolf Pack, a full string and brass section, the first set was a highly spirited affair with full Rescue Squad vibes. Early highlights included a stirring cover of Bob Dylan’s “She Belongs To Me” before Kenny Brooks added his sax to the mix on the Grateful Dead’s “Loose Lucy” and RatDog’s “Two Djinn”. Dred Scott then joined Jeff Chimenti on keys as a full dozen musicians chipped in on the most engaging “Corrina” these ears can remember before “New Speedway Boogie” closed the first frame.
“As you may have noticed, I’m joined by Rick Mitarotonda,” said Weir by way of introduction before the pair opened the second set with a familiar and now well-rehearsed acoustic duet of “Peggy-O”, a song the duo took for a test drive when Bob Weir guested with Goose at Playing In The Sand in Mexico last month.
The pair would be joined by Wolf Bros proper for “Me & My Uncle” before Rick and Goose bandmate Peter Anspach returned later in the set along with Kenny Brooks for a fiery “Franklin’s Tower” > “The Other One” that belied the sleepy speed sometimes associated with the Grateful Dead septuagenarian’s current projects.
After a rousing Terrapin Station suite with about as close to a full symphony as a touring rock band can get, Mitarotonda would return to the stage to share lead vocals with Weir (along with Sasha Dobson on backing vocals) on the beloved Grateful Dead classic “Brokedown Palace” before the full ensemble put an exclamation point on the show with “One More Saturday Night” that was anything but.
Along with his Wolf Bros bandmates (Don Was, Jay Lane, and Chimenti), The Wolf Pack (Alex Kelly, Brian Switzer, Adam Theis, Mads Tolling, and Sheldon Brown, along with Barry Sless on pedal steel), Rick Mitarotonda, Peter Anspach, Dred Scott, Kenny Brooks, and Sasha Dobson, Weir surrounded himself with a uniquely perfect complement of talent as these 15 musicians collaborated for a special night full of once in a lifetime memories.
Scroll down to check out a gallery of images from Bob Weir & Wolf Bros featuring The Wolf Pack with members of Goose at The Capitol Theatre courtesy of Joseph Lugo. Revisit Live For Live Music‘s coverage of the Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday shows.
Bob Weir & Wolf Bros ft. The Wolf Pack – “Jack Straw”, “New Minglewood Blues (Cannon’s Jug Stompers)” [Pro-Shot] – 2/11/23
Setlist: Bob Weir & Wolf Bros ft. The Wolf Pack | The Capitol Theatre | Port Chester, NY | 2/11/23
Set One: Jack Straw, Minglewood Blues (Cannon’s Jug Stompers), She Belongs to Me (Bob Dylan), Brown Eyed Women, Loose Lucy [1], Two Djinn [1], Corrina [1] [2], New Speedway Boogie [1] [2]
Set Two: Peggy-O (Traditional) [3], Me & My Uncle (John Phillips) [4], Scarlet Begonias > Estimated Prophet > Franklin’s Tower [1] [4] [5] > The Other One [1] [4] [5] > Dear Prudence (The Beatles), Terrapin Station Suite [6]
Encore: Brokedown Palace [4] [7], One More Saturday Night [4]
[1] w/ Kenny Brooks on saxophone
[2] w/ Dred Scott on keyboards
[3] Bob Weir and Rick Mitarotonda duo
[4] w/ Rick Mitarotonda on guitar/vocals
[5] w/ Peter Anspach on keys
[6] Lady With Fan > Terrapin Station > Terrapin Transit > At A Siding > Terrapin Flyer
[7] w/ Sasha Dobson on vocals
