Photo Credit: Stevo Rood

Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros continued their fall tour on Wednesday night at Humphrey’s Concerts by the Bay in sunny San Diego, Calif. After a second set sit-in with Weir’s Dead and Company bandmate John Mayer in Los Angeles the night prior, the group followed up by burning some mileage and heading down the Pacific coast to the Southern California seaside oasis for a one night stand. Once on stage, the ensemble worked through many beloved tunes from the Grateful Dead songbook and invited members of Greensky Bluegrass to assist with the opening numbers during the night’s second frame. 

Wednesday evening’s show got underway with a classic cover of The Cricket’s seminal song, “Not Fade Away,” which flowed into Johnny Cash’s “Big River.” Next, the group dug into “Little Red Rooster” before following up with a soulful rendition of Jerry Garica’s “Mission in the Rain.” Midway through the opening set, the band worked in a piece of their frontman’s Ratdog repertoire on “Ashes and Glass,” bringing out the Wolf Pack to lend their exquisite instrumentation to the number, which ran over into the Roy Hamilton’s “Don’t Let Go.” 

After “Don’t Let Go,” the ensemble reprised “Ashes and Glass” before adding a set closing, “Weather Report Suite,” which bled into “Let It Grow,” the pair of tunes received the all-star treatment with improvised solos and transcendent lyrical accompaniment. After a set break, which stretched just over the 30-minute mark, the band returned to the stage for a guest-heavy sit-in during the night’s second half. 

Set two opened on “Friend of the Devil” with assistance from members of Greensky Bluegrass, Paul Hoffman on mandolin, Anders Beck on dobro and Mike Bont on banjo– who added their tight jams and pristine improvisation skills to the Grateful Dead staple. The guests stuck around for the following two songs, a take hot take and first-time delivery for Weir and Wolf Bros on Memphis Jug Band’s “Stealin’.” The last time Weir played the number was with his RatDog bandmates on March 2, 2014. Next, the night’s initial sit-in continued with fan favorite “Cassidy” from Weir’s debut solo LP, Ace. For added context, the members of Greensky Bluegrass were in San Diego prior to their Oct. 27 concert, Humphrey’s Concerts by the Bay, making last night’s sit-in a welcomed addition for fans of both bands. 

With Greensky Bluegrass no longer on stage, Weir welcomed another guest, bassist Tal Wilkenfeld who added some heat during “Estimated Prophet.” Next, with just the billed band left, they ran through Henry Whitter’s “Going Down the Road Feeling Bad,” followed by The Beatles’ “Dear Prudence.” Next, the musicians introduced a new number into the mix by adding in Miles Davis’ seminal track “So What”- which represented a debut for this group, as well as a bust out Weir, who had not performed the Davis-staple since March 27, 1988, with the Grateful Dead. 

For the final number of the second set, Weir & Wolf Bros played a stunning take on “Terrapin Station,” capped with a reprise of the set opening “Not Fade Away.” Next, the group worked through “Black Muddy River” from the Grateful Dead’s 1987 In The Dark album for their encore. After the midweek gig, Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros will make their way to Sin City for a set of Friday and Saturday performances at The Theater at Virgin Hotels. For tickets, visit bobweir.com. 

Scroll down to see the setlist from last night’s show.

Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros 

Humphrey’s Concerts by the Bay – San Diego, Calif. 

Oct. 27, 2022 

Set I: Not Fade Away! > Big River@, Little Red Rooster#, Mission in the Rain$, Ashes & Glass, Don’t Let Go% > Weather Report Suite > Let It Grow 

Set II: Friend of the Devil^, Stealin’^, Cassidy^, Estimated Prophet&, Going Down the Road Feeling Bad* > Dear Prudence+, So What?, Terrapin Station > Not Fade Away Reprise 

Enc.: Black Muddy River 

Notes: 

! The Crickets cover 

@ Johnny Cash cover 

# Willie Dixon cover 

$ Jerry Garcia cover 

% Roy Hamilton cover 

^ With members of Greensky Bluegrass 

& With Tal Wilkenfeld on bass 

* Henry Whitter cover 

+ The Beatles cover 

? Miles Davis cover