Bob Weir & Wolf Bros fill Palace Theatre in St. Paul with grateful fans
It was easy to smile as Bob Weir busted into “Iko Iko” to start the sold-out show at the Palace Theatre in St. Paul. With a snow white beard and combed back hair, Weir at 71, looked all of his age, but still had that youthful spark in his voice that made him such and integral part of the Grateful Dead. Many attendees also were getting up there in age, but it was a joy to see everyone reminiscing and having a wonderful time.
Perhaps as an ode to St. Paul and the Mississippi River, Johnny Cash’s “Big River” was played early on and sounded wonderful. Weir, along with Don Was on upright bass, and Jay Lane on drums, meandered through two sets heavy on covers with a few Ratdog and Bob Weir originals sprinkled in. The strongest songs tended to be when Weir played acoustic like an absolute gorgeous version of Bob Dylan’s “When I Paint My Masterpiece” played in the middle of set one.
When Weir grabbed his electric guitar, songs were hit or miss and it became painfully obvious at times that he wasn’t meant to play lead. With sparse strumming and a loose rhythm section behind him, some songs sounded thin and would have benefited from another guitar.
The second set was excellent and started off with the Weir original “Bombs Away” before going into an awesome version of the Grateful Dead song “The Music Never Stopped”. The Dead songs “He’s Gone” and “Wharf Rat” played later in the set were both goosebump inducing and beautiful as well. “Not Fade Away” was a fantastic way to end the set, and the crowd kept on singing the chorus throughout the encore break, like what always happened during a Grateful Dead show. Again it was easy to smile.
The night ended with an interesting version of Bob Dylan’s “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue”. With an energized crowd at a great Twin Cities venue, Bob Weir & Wolf Bros at the Palace Theatre was a fun experience overall. The highs made up for any lows, and witnessing Bob Weir play stripped down Grateful Dead songs is never a bad idea.
Setlist: Bob Weir & Wolf Bros at Palace Theatre in St. Paul, MN on March 19, 2019
Set 1: Iko Iko (The Dixie Cups cover), Lay My Lily Down, Big River (Johnny Cash cover), When I Paint My Masterpiece (Bob Dylan cover), Even So (Ratdog song) >, October Queen (Ratdog song), Lost Sailor (Grateful Dead song) >, Saint of Circumstance (Grateful Dead song)
Set 2: Bombs Away, The Music Never Stopped (Grateful Dead song) >, Shakey Ground (The Temptations cover) >, Easy Answers (Rob Wasserman cover) (> ’The Music Never Stopped’ reprise’), He’s Gone (Grateful Dead song) >, All Along the Watchtower (Bob Dylan cover) >, Wharf Rat (Grateful Dead song) >, Not Fade Away (The Crickets cover)
Encore: It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue (Bob Dylan cover)
