Photo Credit: Stevo Rood

To the delight of the near-capacity crowd at The Greek Theatre in Los Angeles last night, Bobby Weir and the Wolf Bros welcomed a few special guests, including a full second-set appearance by guitarist John Mayer.  With the addition of Mayer for the second half, Weir’s ensemble included half of Dead & Company, as his Wolf Bros’ troop also features Dead & Company’s Jeff Chimenti on keyboards. Appropriately, the 90-minute set was loaded with classics from the Grateful Dead’s catalog, including the opening “Shakedown Street” through to the “Ripple” encore.

Mayer wasn’t the only surprise, as Weir also invited guitarist and singer Matty Michna for a first set sit-in, guesting on “West L.A, Fadeaway,” as well as an expanded “Eyes of the World,” that dipped into “Big Sandy Creek,” with Michna on vocals, then segued to a cover of Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On,” before concluding with an “Eyes of the World” reprise. The long medley marked a first set dotted with covers, as well as the show-long appearance of another guest, harmonica player Matthew Kelly, whose spotlight on Sonny Boy Williamson’s blues, “Good Morning, School Girl,” followed a take on Bob Dylan’s “She Belongs to Me,” after a “Ramble On Rose” show starter.

The second stanza, though, was a showcase for Weir’s Grateful Dead, with a particularly stretched “Dark Star” that utilized the venerable frontman’s Wolfpack of instrumentalists to its fullest.  Then, the ensemble offered the familiar pairing of “China Cat Sunflower” and “I Know You Rider” before another lengthy expedition, this time on a rumbling “The Other One.” Next, Weir shifted to a thoughtful rendition of “Standing on the Moon” that emerged out of a solo performance by Chimenti before a set-closing rouser, “Sugar Magnolia.” With just Mayer and him on acoustic, Weir returned to the stage for the “Ripple” finale.

Weir and the Wolf Bros featuring the Wolfpack will continue their fall run of dates with one more Southern California stop- an appearance in San Diego this evening- before the tour heads to Las Vegas, Nevada, for a pair of shows, then to Arizona and Utah, wrapping with two nights in Denver, Colo. For tickets to forthcoming shows, visit bobweir.net.

Scroll down to see last night’s complete setlist.

Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros 

The Greek Theatre – Los Angeles, Calif. 

Oct. 25, 2022 

Set I: Ramble On Rose, She Belongs to Me!, Good Morning, School Girl@, Brown-Eyed Women, West L.A. Fadeaway, Eyes of the World^, Big Sandy Creek^ > What’s Going On^#

Set II: Shakedown Street$, Dark Star$ > China Cat Sunflower$ > I Know You Rider$ > Dark Star Reprise$ > The Other One$, Standing on the Moon$, Sugar Magnolia$

Enc.: Ripple$

Notes:

! Bob Dylan cover 

@ Sonny Boy Williamson cover 

# Marvin Gaye cover 

^ With Matty Michna

$ With John Mayer

Matt Kelly on Harmonica throughout the show