After sliding through Salt Lake City earlier in the week, Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros followed up with a trek through the Rocky Mountains in search of their final destination, Denver’s Mission Ballroom. Once there, Friday night consisted of many Grateful Dead staples, including a bust out of Bob Dylan’s “Maggie’s Farm,” last performed on March 6, 2020. In continuation of the good times, Saturday night featured a handful of debuts for this lineup of musicians and a memorable sit-in courtesy of local resident, Nathaniel Rateliff.
The Nov. 5 concert kicked off with a classic cover of “Viola Lee Blues,” which ran over into the night’s initial debut when the group landed on “Crazy Fingers” off the Grateful Dead’s 1975 LP Blues for Allah. To follow, they covered Dylan’s “She Belongs to Me” before taking a chance on RatDog’s “Money for Gasoline.” The latter was performed for the first time by this group of musicians during last night's concert. Moreover, it also marked a bust out for Weir, who hadn’t played the song since July 10, 2014.
Set one continued with an elevated take on the Jerry Garcia classic “Mission in the Rain,” a seemly fitting choice given the name of the night’s venue. Then, they beefed up the frame with a take on “New Speedway Boogie” before closing on an idealized pairing of “Weather Report Suite” into “Let it Grow.” After a break, the band returned to the stage with a special surprise. To begin the second set, Nathaniel Rateliff took the stage and lent his skill on “Me and My Uncle,” followed by “Tennessee Jed.”
After the night’s guest exited the stage, the billed band continued with the politically infused “Throwing Stones,” just days before the U.S. midterm elections. Next, the previous number ran into “Estimated Prophet,” to the crowd’s delight. Then, they added a pairing of “The Other One” and “Stella Blue” before concluding the set with “China Cat Sunflower” and “I Know You Rider."
For the night’s encore, as is tradition given the day of the week, Weir and his collaborators ran through “One More Saturday Night” off the bandleader’s solo debut, Ace, before ending the night with a touching take on “Brokedown Palace.” After last night’s show, Weir will take some well-deserved time off the road before returning in January alongside his Dead & Company bandmates for their annual Playing in the Sand event in Mexico. The destination concert event is sold out. To learn more about what’s next on the docket for Weir, visit his official website.
Scroll down to see the complete setlist from last night’s show.
Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros
Mission Ballroom – Denver
Nov. 5, 2022
Set I: Viola Lee Blues& > Crazy Fingers!, She Belongs to Me^, Money for Gasoline!, Mission in the Rain, New Speedway Boogie, Weather Report Suite > Let It Grow
Set II: Me and My Uncle#, Tennessee Jed#, Throwing Stones, Estimated Prophet > The Other One > Stella Blue, China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider
Enc.: One More Saturday Night, Brokedown Palace
Notes:
& Memphis Jug Band cover
! Debut
^ Bob Dylan cover
# With Nathaniel Rateliff
