Happy Birthday Bob Weir

[mountain bed]

...one of the most original,inventive,& quirky rhythm guitar players in rock history.Nearly any "Playin' in the Band" from '72-'74 will confirm the previous statement.

Now,I gotta dig out the 10/16/89

Cheers,Bobby!

[mjpuczko]

happy b-day to a true weirdo

[tongue-tied lightning]

YAY, Bobby

 

hope he's wearing some extra short shorts today

[cusacker]

YAY, Bobby

 

hope he's wearing some extra short shorts today

the length of his shorts always bring me to tears ha! but happy birthday bobby, i love you regardless!!

[mchchef1]

I have not pissed anyone of around here in a while, so here it goes. I never could stand Bob, when we used to see the dead ('85-''92) whenever bob sang it was beer/piss/bowl/nitrous break(we were much younger then)I met him twice, once as a chef in Manhattan, and once at a record signing in Louisville, he was an ass both times. Rat dog is the only post GD reincarnation I've seen, and one of maybe five concerts I paid for that I walked out of! After VinceW. died I read here on VC what a complete Ass Bob was when Vince was Struggling, and that cinched it for me. Playin' was a great song, a few mentionables Cassidy, Let it grow Estimated Prophet but for the most part his catalog was shit too. It was always about the Fat man Rockin! from the beginning until the end, the rest of the band needs to move own and quit touring playing only the "hits

[mjpuczko]

i love me some bob songs. i don't care if he is an asshole or not (and from what i've read more about VinceW, that whole thing is a bit exaggerated)

[Lammycat]

Weir's an underrated rhythm guitarist. He's got an ability to weave the lead and rhythm textures together in tunes, and often will take on parts typically reserved for drums/bass. I think on stage he was a nice ying to Garcia's yang (the reticent/reluctant showman lead guitarist v. the stage-light seeking rock star.

 

I was never a huge fan of the cowboy Bob tunes (though the playing on tunes like Mexicali, Big River, etc. could get downright ferocious) but always appreciated his presence. He was always good for comic relief, too (waving his hands back and forth during Terrapin '...since the end...,' falling on his ass in (I forget where)once while kicking at a beach ball, getting stuck up on the speakers during Sugar Mags in Providence, etc.)

 

I've heard many stories from fans saying what a tool Weir is, yet everything I've read and heard first-hand from musicians/journalists/etc. is that he's a stand-up guy with a heart of gold. Go figure.

 

The Ratdog these days is pretty decent, IMO. They've turned up the jazz card high and do a lot of decent improv-y stuff. Yeah, it's Ratdog....but it's still decent tunes.

[Mr. Heartbreak]

Playin' was a great song, a few mentionables Cassidy, Let it grow Estimated Prophet but for the most part his catalog was shit too.

I've always been a much bigger fan of Jerry, but I'm surprised by this statement. What about Jack Straw, Throwin' Stones, the Lost Sailor>St. of Circumstance combo, Black Throated Wind, and Looks Like Rain? I'd rank those as high as pretty much any of Jerry's Grateful Dead tunes. Granted, Jerry was a much more prolific and talented musician, but the band without Bobby would have been just another Jerry Garcia band incarnation. I agree with Lammycat, he was a nice ying to Garcia's yang.

[wheelco]

never a big Weir fan when I listened to the Dead, frankly

[nettles]

Some of his and Barlows songs are hit or miss with me, but I think he was a unique writer,

and I really loved all the so called "cowboy tunes" he brought into the band in the early 70's, that's my favorite period.

[El Picador]

young:

 

 

 

old:

 

 

 

Thanks.

[Pocahontas]

young:

 

old:

 

Thanks.

 

Really don't care to see that man in the short shorts anymore, he has the grandfather look to him now. Oh well Happy Birthday Bobby anyway.

[quarter23cd]

Its odd to see a happy birthday thread turn into a "ya know, I never really liked that guy" thread, but, um, I guess throw another vote in that category for me.

 

Happy bday and stuff, nonetheless.

[Analogman]

photos by David Gans

[NightOfJoy]

Lets not forget that Bobby also wrote "The Other One", one of the best tunes in the GD canon, IMO.

 

I'm gonna see Bobby this Friday at the Riv, I'll pass along everyone's well wishes.

[Skian]

Happy B-Day Bobby! Thanks for being apart of the great times I had 1980-93.

Time to listen to 10/16/81.

[NightOfJoy]

-->

Lets not forget that Bobby also wrote "The Other One", one of the best tunes in the GD canon, IMO.

 

I'm gonna see Bobby this Friday at the Riv, I'll pass along everyone's well wishes.

 

The Riviera, Chicago, Friday 10/20/06

 

Good show, the best I've seen Bobby put on since 2001. He had some

energy behind him which I felt was lacking the last few times I saw

him. I was paying attention to the drummer a bit. The few moments where

the music slowed up was all on the drummers shoulders. He was just

plodding along, basically offering a rudimentary beat with no fills or

flourishes. Bobby really has to let that guy go. Outside of that, they

were tight, Bobby seemed to be in good shape, they had some pretty good

jams (except the Playin' jam that went NOWHERE), the crowd was in high

spirits although there were a few morons around. I was standing back by

the tapers so I happened to notice when someone knocked over a tapers

mike stand and then did nothing to make it right. Instead, they hung

around that taper and boxed the poor guy in, pressing closer and closer

to him during the first set. Taper guy was not happy.

 

An observation: Security was very concerned with smoking. They were

actively pointing out, with laser pointers, folks in the crowd smoking.

Then a security guy would go down and politely tell smokers to stop

smoking. Those smoking other than tobacco were left alone. Weird, huh?

 

 

10/20/2006 Riviera Theatre, Chicago, IL

I: Here Comes Sunshine > The Music Never Stopped > Big River > Queen

Jane Approximately > Minglewood Blues > Money for Gasoline, Loser, I

Need a Miracle > Playin in the Band > Deal

II: Big Iron@, A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall@, Even So > October Queen >

The Deep End > Playin in the Band (reprise) > Stuff > Come Together >

Sugar Magnolia

E: Casey Jones

[mchchef1]

Did I mention he spits alot when he sings

[yankhotelfox]

never a big Weir fan when I listened to the Dead, frankly

 

 

I must admit that I'm surprised to hear this from you. Your comments are usually right on with my thoughts. Everyone is entitled to his/her opinion and for a long time I wasn't very excited by Bobby. However, it occurred to me over the years that he really carried the Dead during the mid and late '80s when Jerry could barely play OR remember the lyrics. The band still drew huge crowds and continued to prosper. To me Bobby is clearly the number 2 man in a band that lasted for 30+ years. Tunes like "Cassidy," "Sugar Magnolia," "Jack Straw," "Saturday Night" and "Throwin' Stones" are popular among us Dead Heads....fan favorites if you will. Happy B'Day ya freakin' maniac!

 

P.S. There's a great Dead biography, A Long Strange Trip by Dennis McNally. It's the best Dead bio I have read. It is really detailed and interesting and almost as good as Kot's book.

[jhc]

 

I never really like the beard look, but that guitar is bringing sexy back

 

I always loved the Bob tunes - I think I'm one of 3 people who actually like Victim or the Crime

[Lammycat]

I always loved the Bob tunes - I think I'm one of 3 people who actually like Victim or the Crime

I think it's an excellent tune and always vrought the weirdness out at the shows.

 

I'm a little surprised to hear Paul B.'s comments about Jay Lane. He's actually the only other original member of Ratdog besides Weir (also a founding member of Primus). I've always thought he held down the beats pretty well. Maybe it was an off night for him (or maybe you just don't dig him....either way).