Bob Weir and Wolf Bros recently made their way to NPR Music‘s Washington, D.C. offices to deliver their own “Tiny Desk Concert”, released on Monday. The founding Grateful Dead member’s stripped-down trio proved a perfect fit for the Tiny Desk format, issuing a nearly-25-minute, four-song mini-set that would slide nicely into any of their full live shows. The band—which features Don Was on upright bass and Jay Lane on drums—also welcomed frequent guest harp player Mikaela Davis to join in for a tune.
After beginning their performance with Weir’s “Only A River” from his 2016 “cowboy” record, Blue Mountain, Weir took a moment to joke that “we were just cleared to play this one” before guiding the trio into “When I Paint My Masterpiece”, another staple at Weir’s shows with Wolf Bros and Dead & Company.
From there, Weir noted, “We’re gonna bring out a friend of ours. We just got done playing with her at the LOCKN‘ Festival. I’d like you to welcome Mikaela Davis.” The Wolf Sister then joined in on her harp and Weir traded in his acoustic guitar for an electric as the now-quartet moved into soaring Grateful Dead classic, “Bird Song”.
“I’m pretty sure we’re over our time right now,” Weir joked as they finished “Bird Song”—to raucous approval from the gathered crowd. “We were slated for 20 minutes and we’re at 40 now…” After getting word from off-camera to “keep going,” Weir acquiesced. “OK, we’ll do another one,” he said as he strapped his acoustic back on and led the quartet into “Ripple”.
Related: Bob Weir And Wolf Bros Open Florida Run In Miami Beach’s The Fillmore [Videos]
Watch the full Bob Weir and Wolf Bros Tiny Desk Concert below:
Bob Weir and Wolf Bros – NPR Tiny Desk Concert
[Video: NPR]
Bob Weir and Wolf Bros are currently on tour. For a full list of upcoming dates and ticketing information, head to Weir’s website here.
Setlist: Bob Weir and Wolf Bros | NPR Tiny Desk Concert | Released 3/2/20
Set: Only A River (Weir), When I Paint My Masterpiece (Bob Dylan), “Bird Song” (Garcia/Hunter), Ripple (Garcia/Hunter)