Life lessons on two wheels to the tunes of the
Grateful Dead
Robert Hall Weir, né Parber,
October 16, 1947 – January 10, 2026
Let the words be yours, I’m done with mine.
I first saw Bob Weir on October 19, 1974 with the Grateful Dead at Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco. I last saw Bob Weir on June 14, 2024 as a member of Dead & Company at The Sphere in Las Vegas. Over the course of almost 50 years, it was my privilege to see Bobby perform countless times as a member of the Grateful Dead, Kingfish, Ratdog, the Other Ones, The Dead, Furthur, Dead & Company, the Weir Robinson & Greene Acoustic Trio, and probably others that I have failed to remember.
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This Week in Grateful Dead History: Week 35 - August 27, 1972 & August 28, 1982
See here how everything lead up to this day
Over the course of their 30-year history, there were many faces of the Grateful Dead. Like the changes that take place within most institutions that boast longevity, the band morphed from one version of itself to another gradually, day by day, show by show, year by year. Such is the immutable law of the universe, even better evidenced by far more notable, glacially paced changes, like biological evolution or the formation of geological wonders, such as the Grand Canyon.
This Week in Grateful Dead History: Week 40 – September 28, 1975
Sometimes the cards ain’t worth a dime
Among the numerous motifs found in the lyrics of Grateful Dead tunes, there is none more omnipresent than the metaphoric theme of gambling. References to games of chance – particularly card games – are sprinkled liberally throughout a seemingly endless list of tunes: Loser (“If I had a gun for every ace I have drawn…”), Deal (“Watch each card you play and play it slow…”), Candyman (“Come on boys and gamble; roll those laughing bones…”), Me and My Uncle (“You know my uncle; he starts a friendly game…”), Dire Wolf (“The wolf came in, I got my cards, we sat down for a game…”), and Scarlet Begonias (“In the heat of the evening when the dealing got rough; she was too pat to open and too cool to bluff…”) are examples that come immediately to mind. And there are also similar references In China Cat Sunflower, Doin’ That Rag, Mississippi Half Step, Ramble On Rose, Stagger Lee, Stella Blue, and Tennessee Jed.
This Week in Grateful Dead History: Week 48 – November 24, 1979
The Wonders of Nature
There is one school of thought about the COVID-19 pandemic which suggests that we are all going to become infected with this virus at one point or another, and it seemed that my time had come. Ironically, it appeared that my buddy, Bill, and I had successfully dodged the Corona Bullet, as we were halfway through the final 800-mile drive back to Colorado, having played 34 games in six baseball tournaments in Arizona and Florida, spanning six weeks. Yes, we were about to slide into home plate, head first, with the winning run, our trusty mountain bikes safely secured behind my 4Runner, when my pick for T.W.I.G.D.H. (This Week in Grateful Dead History), the 11/24/79 Grateful Dead show from the Golden Hall Community Concourse in San Diego, was preempted with breaking news.
All Material Copyright 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 by Stewart Sallo