Words & Photos by Rod Snyder
Bob Weir & Wolf Bros stopped by the sold-out Fillmore Tuesday night for a special selection of songs ranging from the Grateful Dead to The Temptations. The Wolf Bros are a trio fronted by head wolf and guitarist Bob Weir, Jay Lane kept the groove going on his fuzzy, wolf drums and Don Was, pounded his upright bass all night.
The first set included some gems from the Dead catalog. They opened up with “Cassidy” then threw in “Loose Lucy” and to close out the set, “Lost Sailor” >”Saint of Circumstance”. Other highlights included “Little Red Rooster” in which Bobby played some nice slide guitar, and “Easy Answers”.
The second set started with guest guitarist, Tom Hamilton, from the band Joe Russo’s Almost Dead. He added some nice soloing and sprinkled in some vocals on “Peggy-O” and “Birdsong”. The rest of the evening saw a few more songs from the Dead’s songbook and a cover of The Temptations “Standing on Shaky Ground”. They closed the second set with “China Cat Sunflower” > “I Know You Rider”, with the latter having the entire sold-out crowd singing along. The band came back on stage, accompanied by Tom Hamilton, and played “Ripple” as the encore.
I’ve seen Bobby play in many different bands, but haven’t seen him in a trio setting. One thing I noticed right away was how good his voice sounded. Being in a trio, he didn’t have to yell and compete over the other instruments. Best I’ve heard him sound in a while, really. I also wasn’t sure what to expect with him being the sole guitarist onstage. The band has only been on the road for a couple weeks, so there are still some learning curves. But you have to remember that music is an organic thing, especially this material, and it’s constantly evolving. Even Bobby joked about it during a not so smooth transition in “The Music Never Stopped”. He jokingly referred to it as “Swiss Precision”. I thought he held his own though, and even stepped to the front of the stage at one point!
Was it Jerry? No, but did everyone, including myself seem to enjoy themselves? Hell Yes!
Set 1
Casidy
Gonesville
When I Paint My Masterpiece
Little Red Rooster
Easy Answers
Loose Lucy
Lost Sailor>
Saint Of Circumstance
Set 2
Peggy-O
Birdsong
Passenger
The Music Never Stopped>
Standing On Shaky Ground
Standing On The Moon
China Cat Sunflower>
I Know You Rider
Encore:
Ripple
TheWaster.com | Philly
11.15.18
