This is an article about a famous musician popping up at an NFL game but we swear it’s not about Taylor Swift: Notable Northern California native Bob Weir, the veteran Grateful Dead vocalist and guitarist who continues to keep the band’s flame burning with a variety of latter-day ensembles, was seen mingling on the sidelines of Sunday’s NFC Championship matchup between his hometown San Francisco 49ers and the visiting Detroit Lions.
Weir is, of course, no stranger to the 49ers’ Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA. Beyond his visits to the stadium to cheer on the 9ers, Weir played two sold-out shows there in 2015 to open the Dead’s 50th-anniversary celebration, Fare Thee Well. In addition to appearing in a cutaway on Fox Sports‘ national broadcast of the pre-game warmup, Weir posted photos from the day showing him shaking hands with legendary 49ers quarterback Joe Montana and posing with football Hall of Famers/NFL analysts Howie Long, Michael Strahan, and Jimmy Johnson. He also took some time to chat with one of the 49ers’ opponents, Lions defensive end and noted Grateful Dead fan Romeo Okwara.
Related: Phish’s Trey Anastasio Meets Former Jets Center Nick Mangold In New NFL Films Doc [Watch]
While the Lions jumped out to a 24-7 lead in the first half—prompting another notable recording artist/football diehard in attendance, Detroit-native rapper Eminem, to tell 49ers fans in his section how he really felt using, um, sign language—San Francisco mounted a second-half comeback and took home the conference championship by a final score of 31-34. In Weir’s social media post after the game, the grateful 49ers fan took a moment for some light trash talk toward Okwara and the Lions: “[Romeo Okwara], a great dude. I was wishin’ I coulda wished him better luck.”
With the win against Detroit, Weir’s 49ers are set for a Super Bowl LVII showdown against T-Swift’s Travis Kelce‘s Kansas City Chiefs. Bobby’s tour schedule looks pretty clear for the day of the big game at Allegiant Stadium on February 11th, so we’re hoping he can make it to Vegas to bring a little more luck to the 49ers as they battle for the Vince Lombardi Trophy—and maybe even pay a little getting-to-know-you visit to Sphere while he’s in town.
Related: Dead & Company Confirm 24-Show ‘Dead Forever’ Residency At Sphere
Below, check out a selection of photos and videos of Bob Weir on the sideline at Sunday’s NFC championship game between the 49ers and the Lions.
Original @GratefulDead member Bob Weir on the sidelines before today’s NFC Championship 🎶 @49ers pic.twitter.com/65aSOWC9b4
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) January 28, 2024
View this post on Instagram
Behind the Scenes: Jacob Ullman @jacobu & Jake Jolivette @jjolly74 of FOX Sports with @BobWeir, founding member of the #GratefulDead, prior to Sunday’s NFC Championship. Grateful Dead music is regularly featured on FOX bumpers to commercial. #NFL pic.twitter.com/mCHlNWNMAp
— Announcer Schedules (@announcerskeds) January 29, 2024