Greg Leisz with Bob Weir/Wolf Bros New Year's Eve Online

Mark Eaton · Posted 31 Dec 2020 12:53 pm

Is anyone going to fork out $25 to watch the Bob Weir/Wolf Bros broadcast this evening from TRI Studios in Marin County?

I'm on the fence though I have been a moderate level Deadhead for most of my life and pretty much grew up with them here in the Bay Area.

What intrigues me is that Greg Leisz will be joining in on pedal steel. The bass player for Wolf Bros is the ubiquitous Don Was.

https://stream.fans.live/collections/20201231-bob-weir-and-wolf-bros/products/20201231-bob-weir-and-wolf-bros
_________________
Mark

Jon Light · From: Saugerties, NY

My satellite internet sucks so bad that streaming is almost impossible. So no. But a pic of Greg on his Infinity with this gang surely caught my attention. Oh well.
I've not been especially impressed with the Wolf Bros things that I've seen. Until a video I just recently saw that included a young woman on harp that was simply sublime. Over the top sublime. So that redeems them for me.
But alas....streaming is up there with flying cars. One day.

Mark Eaton · Posted 31 Dec 2020 4:05 pm

Yeah, I'm not all that hot on some of the Wolf Bros. stuff I've seen. I do enjoy Bobby's album of "cowboy songs" from four years ago.

As for Mikaela the young harpist, I was reading a comment on one of the videos where someone wrote that "did Jerry send an angel down from heaven to play harp with Bob?"

I couldn't agree more. Her vibe brings me back to Dead shows at Winterland in the '70s in my twenties with some of the young female Deadheads gracefully moving across the floor. Oh my goodness - such memories!
_________________
Mark

Jon Light · From: Saugerties, NY

I love that comment. Key, for me, was that she wasn't just a pretty girl strumming pretty ambient glisses. She was mixed as an equal player and she delivered as a band member, not as a vibe.

Mark Eaton · Posted 31 Dec 2020 5:36 pm

I know what you meant Jon and I agree wholeheartedly.

But that other part popped into my head as well.
_________________
Mark

Mark Eaton · Posted 1 Jan 2021 12:06 pm

I tried to sign up for the rebroadcast @ 10 p.m. Pacific last night but I couldn't get it to "take."

Below is a link to a short segment of two long songs from the concert. It starts out with a long rather silly intro from Bill Walton who I guess was going for his own version of when Bill Graham would dress up as "Father Time" for New year's Eve Dead shows.

The first song is New Speedway Boogie. I think Greg Leisz was trying to find the groove with these guys and it wasn't quite there on this number. And ever since Garcia passed away, with the various incarnations of post Grateful Dead bands, Weir has often IMO not fared that well in singing the lead on what were historically Jerry's songs. New Speedway was no exception last night.

At the 13:50 mark the second song is Weir's own Jack Straw (co-written by Robert Hunter). This one works a lot better and Greg supplies some nice pedal steel.

There were a handful of times when I attended Grateful Dead concerts when they chose Jack Straw as the opener and they invariably turned out to be great shows. I have no idea why that is and I'm sure the band didn't either. Winking

Unfortunately keyboard player Jeff Chimenti's vocal mic was too low in the mix. Jeff might be the best keyboard player in the long history of "Dead family" bands. He would have been great with the band back in the day, but at age 52 he was born about three years after they formed.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tUu1Fr4HnSY
_________________
Mark

Jon Light · From: Saugerties, NY

Thanks for the link.
I agree with a lot of what you said. IMO nothing really jelled until around halfway through Jack Straw. And even then.....

I don't know. I'm not looking to be a critic. It's just about what does or does not interest me. I love and admire Greg and count him as an influence. I just never felt that he embedded himself in the sound, became an essential part of it. Actually, I never felt that the band became...anything. That's sort of the way Wolf Bro. has always seemed to me.

A friend prevailed on me.....hard.....to give Dead & Co. a chance and after a bit I did come to admire Mayer & Oteil and their excellence. Weir himself is hit or miss for me.

The beginning and end of the end of my relationship with the Dead was Pigpen's death. I did not like the sound of the Godchaux era band -- did NOT dig Donna and I never liked any of the electronic keyboard sounding stuff. But that's just me and where I was going.
And boy, Walton does go on......

All times are GMT - 8 Hours	Jump to: