Photo Credit: Bill Kelly

On Saturday night, Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros returned to The Warfield stage in San Francisco following the first night of the frontman’s celebratory 75th birthday run, which kicked off on Friday, Oct. 14. For night two, Weir once again welcomed his longtime friend and collaborator, Matthew Kelly, as the ensemble worked through many Grateful Dead favorites grasping at locationally fitting numbers from their dense songbook, which paid homage to The Golden City on the first set cover of Jerry Garcia’s “Mission in the Rain” and a second frame take on “Standing in the Moon.” 

Weir and his bandmates began night two at The Warfield with a classic take on “Friend of the Devil” before working in his 1978 solo material, on “Bombs Away” off Heaven Help the Fool. They followed up with an emotionally charged rendition of “Mission in the Rain,” which pulled in the first elements of the night’s site-specific lean. “Brown-Eyed Women” arrived next before the group visited Weir’s Ratdog catalog on “Ashes and Glass,” which flowed into a cover of Roy Hamilton’s “Don’t Let Go.” 

Then, “Don’t Let Go” rolled into a reprise of “Ashes and Glass.” To conclude the first set, Weir & Wolf Bros worked through a complimentary pairing of “Weather Report Suite” and “Let It Grow.” After a well-deserved break from the stage, the ensemble returned with Kris Kristofferson’s “Me & Bobby McGee,” another tune that pulled in geographically fitting lyrics with “From the Kentucky coal mine to the California sun.” “I Need a Miracle” arrived next and bled into “Truckin’” and a take on Howlin’ Wolf’s “Smokestack Lightning” before a massive return back into “Truckin’.” 

The fun continued with “Corrina,” coupled with a take on Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower.” Next, the billed performers landed on “Playing in the Band” before “Standing on the Moon,” with the geographically-fitting lyrical reference “Somewhere in San Francisco/ On a back porch in July/ Just looking up to heaven/ At this crescent in the sky.” Next, the band ran through “One More Saturday Night” to cap off the second set before returning to the stage for an encore take on “Ripple.” 

Tonight, Weir will conclude his birthday run at The Warfield in San Francisco. For those interested in live streaming the concert, you can do so via FANS.live. 

Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros

The Warfield – San Francisco, Calif.

Oct. 15, 2022

Set I: Friend of the Devil, Bombs Away, Mission in the Rain, Brown-Eyed Women, Ashes, and Glass > Don’t Let Go* > Ashes and Grass, Weather Report Suite > Let It Grow 

Set II: Me & Bobby McGee^, I Need A Miracle > Truckin’ > Smokestack Lightning& > Truckin’, Corrina > All Along the Watchtower, Playing in the Band > Standing on the Moon > Playing in the Band (Reprise) > One More Saturday Night 

Enc.: Ripple

Notes:

Matthew Kelly on harmonica throughout the show 

* Roy Hamilton cover 

^ Kris Kristofferson cover 

& Howlin’Wolf cover