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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Other Posts

This Week in Grateful Dead History: Week 33 - August 13, 1975It’s fireworks, calliopes and clowns

This Week in Grateful Dead History: Week 33 - August 13, 1975

It’s fireworks, calliopes and clowns

As we reach the week following the “Days Between” (the period from Jerry Garcia’s August 1 birthday through his August 9 passing), one can’t help but be struck by the enduring nature of the Grateful Dead. More than 50 years have gone by since the band’s first performance under the name, “Grateful Dead,” and almost half of that period has passed since their final performance on July 9, 1995. And yet, quite literally, the “music never stopped.” What is it about the Grateful Dead that has captivated millions the world over from multiple generations over the course of more than a half-century?

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This Week in Grateful Dead History: Week 47 – November 22, 1985Going to leave this brokedown palace

This Week in Grateful Dead History: Week 47 – November 22, 1985

Going to leave this brokedown palace

The motifs of life and death are omnipresent in the poetry, the experience, and even the name of the Grateful Dead. It could easily be argued that the singularly honest way these themes are addressed across the Dead’s repertoire is the straw that stirs the multifaceted cocktail of Deadheads’ often enigmatic passion for their favorite band. Invariably presented in perfect yin/yang-like balance, the comedic and tragic duality of the human experience is at the forefront of tunes like Black Peter, Sugaree, To Lay Me Down, Brown Eyed Women, China Doll, and so many others. But perhaps the best example – and one that illustrates so well the troubled times we live in at the historic moment these words are being written – is the mixed metaphor of Brokedown Palace. T.W.I.G.D.H. features the 11/22/85 show from Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center, which opens with the equally life-death balanced Hell in a Bucket, and closes with Brokedown Palace, in its traditional spot at the end of the lineup.

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This Week in Grateful Dead History: Week 6 - February 5, 1989I will take you home

This Week in Grateful Dead History: Week 6 - February 5, 1989

I will take you home

I became a Deadhead in 1973, during the Keith and Donna era, and was deeply saddened when they left the band in 1979. Keith Godchaux was a phenomenally talented pianist, and to this day I love listening to his mostly understated playing on so many wonderful ’70s recordings. My first show with “the new guy” on keyboards was 10/19/80 at San Francisco’s Warfield Theater, and I was immediately impressed with the skill Brent Mydland displayed on keyboards, but even more so with his vocal contributions. While I understand, but never shared, the widespread antipathy felt by many Deadheads toward Donna Jean Godchaux, Brent’s arrival served to transform the Grateful Dead from a band that was often barely tolerable vocally to one that could really sing.

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Stew Sallo, A.K.A., The Deadhead Cyclist

Stew Sallo is the author of the book, The Deadhead Cyclist, and founder/owner of Boulder Weekly, an award-winning alternative weekly in its 33th year of publication in print and online at BoulderWeekly.com. After graduating from the University of California, Santa Cruz, he cut his teeth as a publisher in Santa Cruz for 10 years before relocating to Boulder to start the Boulder Weekly. He has been a Deadhead since the summer of 1974, attended his first Grateful Dead concert at Winterland in San Francisco on October 19, 1974, and has since been to some 200 Grateful Dead concerts. Stew is an avid mountain biker, plays competitive baseball on three teams in his home state of Colorado, and travels each year to play tournament baseball in California, Nevada, Arizona, North Carolina, South Dakota and Florida. In 2003, Stew founded the classic rock band, Hindsight. Stew lives in Boulder, CO with his wife of 26 years. He has two daughters and two grandsons.

All Material Copyright 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 by Stewart Sallo