Latest news with #Lesh
Perth Now
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Dead and Company set for trio of concerts at San Francisco's iconic Golden Gate Park in August
Dead and Company are to play three shows at San Francisco's iconic Golden Gate Park this summer. Although the rock band - which is a continuation of the Grateful Dead with original members Bob Weir and Mickey Hart joined by John Mayer, Oteil Burbridge, Jeff Chimenti, and Jay Lane - haven't officially announced the trio of gigs, the city's mayor, Daniel Lurie, confirmed the dates of August 1, 2 and 3. In an X video, he said: 'We have some really big news. 'Dead and Co., three shows, August 1, 2 and 3, right here in the city that is the home of the Grateful Dead. What better way to celebrate. We'll see you out here in August.' The clip is captioned: "San Francisco is planning to welcome @deadandcompany to Golden Gate Park for three days in August, to mark the 60th anniversary of the Grateful Dead. Stay tuned for more details from the band coming soon!" Dead and Company will wrap their 10th anniversary 'Dead Forever' residency at The Sphere in Las Vegas this weekend (May 15 to 17). Meanwhile, Bob recently suggested it's possible for the Grateful Dead to reunite as a trio following the passing of bass player Phil Lesh. The musician died in October, at the age of 84, and before his passing, Weir, and bandmates Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart were planning a 60th anniversary reunion tour with Lesh. Should they get back together, Weir admits he couldn't replace his beloved bandmate. In an interview with Rolling Stone, he said: 'I think when Phil checked out, so did that notion, because we don't have a bass player who's been playing with us for 60 years now. And that was the intriguing prospect.… I think you need somebody holding down the bottom. Phil had all kinds of ideas that were pretty much unique to him. I grew up with Phil holding down the bottom in his unique way.' Asked about reuniting as a three-piece, he added: 'I suppose I could go back out. I wouldn't put anybody in his place, so it would be a trio at this point. It'd be me and two drummers. I'd have to think about that. I haven't thought about it — it's just now occurring to me that it's a possibility that we could do that, since you asked.… I guess we'll just see what the three of us can pull together.' Weir also admitted he and Lesh had their "differences". Recounting their last conversation, he shared: 'We did have our differences. But the last phone call I had from him was when the news came out that we were being honoured at the Kennedy Center. He called me just simply to congratulate me and us, and that was his entire reason for calling. And when we were done talking about that, I was spun out, he was spun out. We tried to make sense of it for a little bit. And then said, 'Well, OK, see you there,' basically. I guess that wasn't to be.' The trio turned up with Lesh's son, Grahame, to be honoured by then-President Joe Biden at the Kennedy Center Honors in December. In 2015, Weir, Lesh, Kreutzmann, and Hart reunited for the 'Fare Thee Well: Celebrating 50 Years of the Grateful Dead' concerts. They were joined by Trey Anastasio of Phish on guitar, Jeff Chimenti on keyboards, and Bruce Hornsby on piano. The 'Touch of Grey' hitmakers claimed the five shows would be the last to feature the trio.
Fox News
22-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Grateful Dead founding member Bobby Weir, 77, looks 'forward to dying'
Grateful Dead founding member Bobby Weir is one of the last men standing in his legendary rock band. The thought of mortality has crossed Weir's mind, as he's seen many of his band members pass. Despite having lived a life full of music and memories, Weir's sentiment wasn't one of fear, but rather of acceptance. "Every day, things change. I'll say this: I look forward to dying," Weir, 77, told Rolling Stone. "I tend to think of death as the last and best reward for a life well-lived. That's it. I've still got a lot on my plate, and I won't be ready to go for a while." While Weir has showed no signs of slowing down, he witnessed several deaths of his band members, including bassist Phil Lesh and guitarist Jerry Garcia. "I wish … well, Phil made it to his eighties. Jerry didn't, and there was a lot that Jerry had to offer that he didn't get to offer. Lesh was one of the founding members and died in October 2024. He was 84. Weir was famously the "little brother" of the Grateful Dead, as he joined the band at age 16. In 1963, he met Garcia in Palo Alto, California, in an alleyway, according to Rolling is one of the band's few remaining members, alongside drummers Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann. Before Lesh's death, the four bandmates discussed reuniting in honor of the rock band's 60th anniversary this year. Since Lesh's passing, Weir is now unsure of a band reunion. "We speak a language that nobody else speaks," Weir explained. "We communicate, we kick stuff back and forth, and then make our little statement in a more universal language." He continued, "For us, it's a look or a motion with one shoulder, or the way you reflect a phrase or something that tips off the other guys where you're going with this. And then they work on being where you're headed, getting there with a little surprise for you. That's a formula that's worked real well for us over the years, and there just aren't enough of us left now to do that anymore." However, this month, Weir returned to Las Vegas for another Dead & Company residency with 18 shows at the Sphere. "That's what I do," he said. "That's what I'm here for." Meanwhile, in October 2024, Lesh's death was confirmed on his official Instagram page. "Phil brought immense joy to everyone around him and leaves behind a legacy of music and love," his social media read at the time. "When Phil's happening, the band's happening," Grateful Dead co-founder, frontman and lead guitarist Garcia, who died in 1995, once said of Lesh's bass playing. The Grateful Dead disbanded in 1995 after Garcia's death, but Lesh continued to perform into his 80s, often with his son Grahame Lesh. Lesh and Garcia first met in 1959, and after reconnecting in 1964, Garcia invited Lesh to join the group, then called the Warlocks. Garcia asked Lesh to play bass guitar, which he never had done before, according to Rolling Stone.
