Photo by Dino Perrucci

The Grateful Dead debuted the Bob Weir/John Barlow original “My Brother Esau” in 1983 but dropped it from rotation after a show at Mountain View, CA’s Shoreline Amphitheatre on October 3, 1987.

“The lyrics were opaque,” Weir told Relix in 2005. “I mean, at least for me, not so for other people, I don’t understand what it is I’m singing there. I worked and worked and worked on it, and I still couldn’t understand the point that I was fucking making. I know vaguely, but… but the lyrics are too obtuse. It seemed to me like when I would sing the song, we could nail it. Musically, I loved playing it.”

On March 24, Weir surprised fans by reviving the song during the Bridge Session performance with members of The National, Yellowbirds, The Walkmen, Taka Taka and others at his TRI Studios. The National’s rhythm section Scott and Bryan Devendorf persuaded Weir to revive the cut, and Weir used the opportunity to rework the song’s bridge.

A week later, Weir played “My Brother Esau” during two solo shows with Bruce Hornsby and last night Furthur performed the song at New York’s Beacon Theatre. Like Weir, Phil Lesh had not touched the song since the 1980s.

Furthur will return to the Beacon this Thursday.

Here’s a look at last night’s setlist via Otherones.net

Tuesday, April 10, Beacon Theater, New York, NY

Set I: Golden Road to Unlimited Devotion > Born Cross-Eyed > Ramble on Rose, Loser, Pride of Cucamonga, Lazy River Road, Reuben and Cerise > The Promised land

Set II: Truckin’ > New Speedway Boogie > Cumberland Blues, My Brother Esau, Scarlet Begonias > Fire on the Mountain, Dear Prudence, Unbroken Chain > The Eleven > Lovelight

E: The Weight