Photos by Marc Millman

Last night, Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros performed the first of four expansive and celebratory performances at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, N.Y. The Grateful Dead and Dead & Company founder Bob Weir, Grammy-winning producer and legendary bassist Don Was, prolific drummer and longtime Weir collaborator Jay Lane and illustrious keyboardist and Dead & Company co-founder Jeff Chimenti were joined by The Wolfpack, whose orchestral string and brass inclinations elevated the ensemble’s interpretations of The Grateful Dead’s songbook.

The ensemble, whose music has reached the ears of millions, started their run at The Capitol Theatre with Weir’s seminal “Cassidy” before dipping into another Weir original he first performed with the Dead: “My Brother Esau.” The ensemble then moved into two covers the Grateful Dead made their own: a stunning rendition of Bob Dylan’s “When I Paint My Masterpiece” and a rousing interpretation of Bob McDill’s “Catfish John.” The frame was rounded out with more classics, including “Tennessee Jed,” the Weir-penned “Black-Throated Wind,” and “Lost Sailor,” which flowed into a set-closing rendition of “Saint of Circumstance.”

The second segment of the show began with Merle Haggard’s woeful “Mama Tried” before lightening up with a jam of “China Cat Sunflower” > “I Know You Rider.” After a short pause, Weir and his ensemble performed “He’s Gone,” which melded into “Going Down the Road Feelin’ Bad,” during which Mitch Marcus joined on tenor sax. Marcus stayed on stage as the song evolved into “I Need a Miracle” before stepping off as the band seamlessly moved into Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower” and then a penultimate “Stella Blue.” For the final song of the evening–there was no encore–Weir & Wolf Bros played the ever-sweet “Sugar Magnolia.”

Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros and The Wolfpack will return for another performance at The Capitol Theatre tonight. Learn more about upcoming events here.

Watch Weir & Wolf Bros perform Dylan’s “When I Paint My Masterpiece” below.

Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros
The Capitol Theatre – Port Chester, N.Y.
Feb. 7, 2023

Set I: Cassidy (Bob Weir song), My Brother Esau, When I Paint My Masterpiece (Bob Dylan cover), Catfish John (Bob McDill cover), Tennessee Jed, Black-Throated Wind (Bob Weir song), Lost Sailor > Saint of Circumstance

Set II: Mama Tried (Merle Haggard cover), China Cat Sunflower, I Know You Rider ([traditional] cover), He’s Gone > Going Down the Road Feelin’ Bad (Henry Whitter cover) > I Need a Miracle, All Along the Watchtower (Bob Dylan cover), Stella Blue, Sugar Magnolia