Bob Weir 21/6/25, Grateful Dudes 20/6/25

 

Bobby Weir and Wolf Bros + The Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra played The Royal Albert Hall on Saturday 21 June 2025! (Weir, if you don't know, was a founder and lifelong member of The Grateful Dead.) Many, many Deadlheads - from the UK and across Europe - managed to scrape together, or at least prioritise, the money for this unique chance to see Bob and his band in action and sate their curiosity re an orchestral contribution to the Dead's canon. So what happened?

The orchestra kicked off with the 12-minute "Grateful Overture" which I could take or leave frankly. Then the band (drums, keyboard, stand-up bass and Bob) came on and the first number was a so-slow-it-was-plodding Truckin'. Black Peter was next then the pace picked up (thankfully) for China Cat>Rider and slowed again for Brokedown Palace. The second set began with a respectable Sugar Magnolia which morphed into a 24-minute Terrapin suite, certainly the most exciting and complete version of this I've heard. Wolf Bros then disappeared for Bob to sing a quite emotional Days Between, with just the orchestra. This was followed by Jack Straw, Hell in a Bucket and a Sugar Magnolia reprise after which the orchestra left the stage for the band to play She Says and finally a lively but fairly average Saturday Night.

Predictably we were in a jam-free zone with the orchestra supplying embellishments, some enrichment, but also padding. Bob's guitar and the Wolf Bros drummer were prominent in the mix, as was the wind section. Jeff was able to contribute a break or two and at times you could feel some raw power from all those instruments playing at the same time. Make no mistake, the arrangements were very clever and the atmosphere was huge - the love for Bob in the hall sloshed about and landed on the stage like a wave upon the sand. I wouldn't have missed this for anything but...

...for sheer fun and a proper Grateful experience I need to rewind 24 hours to the Crown and Sceptre in Streatham and the fabulous Grateful Dudes. It's always, ALWAYS a treat to see the Dudes play this fine music with their unique flair, exuberance and virtuosity. After a fine session by a Big Sky Orchestra trio the band  members busied themselves getting ready. But no sign off Bill! Is there even a keyboard there on the (non-existent) stage? Turns out Bill had a prior and was playing elsewhere so we didn't get any Pigpen vocals tonight but we did get some very tasty work from stand-in Andrew.

(nice one Peter)

It's a measure of this band that, this time, they chose to play only one of my top ten favourite numbers - but it didn't matter in the slightest. The second set was simply monumental. After an energetic Shakedown>Samson they took us on a 100+ minute journey from He's Gone through Truckin', The Other One, Morning Dew, Miracle, Going Down the Road to the closing chorus - and universal anthem - of Not Fade Away - all by way of Drums, Space (x2 at least), New Speedway Boogie, We Bid You Goodnight, and some beautiful jamming (in turns intense then serene and back again) and tonight I was placed perfectly, relative to the speakers, to hear Richard pirouetting around the fretboard. Thankfully the last number, Casey Jones, wasn't too fast; I was knackered.

I talked to an American over from Amsterdam before the show and shocked him by saying I rated the Dudes better than Dark Star Orchestra. I didn't see him after, but would really like to know what he thought. 

The Dudes abide! Thank you!

The Dudes play Cambridge (2024)