Key Takeaways

• Bob Weir’s passing at 78 years old has deeply affected his bandmate Don Was.
• Was recalled the emotional moment he shared the news with the audience before performing.
• The Wolf Bros have been celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Grateful Dead’s Blues for Allah album.
• Was emphasized Weir’s legacy and the importance of continuing his musical spirit.

News of Bob Weir‘s death on Saturday (Jan. 10) landed particularly heavy with Don Was, the Grammy Award-winning producer and Blue Note Records president who was also Weir’s bandmate in Wolf Bros since 2018. Weir, co-founder of the Grateful Dead, died at age 78 after battling cancer.

Like Weir with Ratdog when Jerry Garcia died during August of 1995, Was got the news as he was preparing to go on stage with his own band, the Pan-Detroit Ensemble, at the Blue Llama Jazz Club in Ann Arbor, Mich. He received a call about an hour before the first of two shows and, choking back tears, broke the news to most in the audience before the band started to play.

“All I thought about was the night Jerry died and he played,” Was told Billboard after the show. “He just said that the way you deal with grief is good music and lifting people’s spirits, and I know that’s what he would’ve wanted tonight.”

Sharing the same memory with the crowd beforehand, Was noted that, “If [Weir] were here right now, he would say, ‘Get out there and f—ing play!’ So we’re gonna play the show… and we’re just gonna give it as much soul as we can give it. I know that’s what he would have wanted.”

Was was introduced to Weir during the ’90s by Ratdog bassist Rob Wasserman, a mutual friend. They remained in contact, and in 2018 Weir called Was to say that “he had a dream that Wasserman [who passed away in 2016] came to him and said I’m supposed to take Rob’s place. [Weir] got the name Wolf Bros and he said he wants to start a trio with me and Jay [Lane, on drums], and, of course.”

“He’s been a good friend. I knew he wasn’t well, and I just assumed he was gonna be all right. I was planning on playing more shows, even though I knew he was sick, because he always pulls it off. He was fearless musically and fearless in this fight for his life. That’s what I learned from him — give it everything, and push it one step further,” said Was.

Was appeared on the Wolf Bros’ two live albums and served as music director for the Grateful Dead’s 2024 Kennedy Center Honors ceremony and the band’s MusiCares Persons of the Year gala in January 2025. He also introduced Weir and Mickey Hart to John Mayer, which led to the formation of Dead & Company.

He’d been in recent contact with Weir as well: “I texted with him maybe a month ago. It was about what we were gonna do this year. It was about playing. I thought there was a good chance he was gonna get better — and if anyone could, it would be him.”

Was and Pan-Detroit — who are at the beginning of an 11-week run of shows — have been celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Dead’s Blues for Allah album since last October, playing it in its entirety or in segments during the band’s shows.

“I know [Weir] dug what we were doing with these songs,” Was said on Saturday.

The group switched the night’s set list to start with the album’s opening track, “The Music Never Stopped,” which Was called “one of the best songs [Weir] ever wrote … In the last few years we talked about the music going on when [the Grateful Dead members] were all gone, and he was very adamant about wanting it to continue. Even though he’s left us … His music and his legacy will [go on].”

Before Saturday’s second show Was also posted a social media message reading: “I can’t believe that Bobby’s gone – it seemed like he’d outlast all of us. Playing with him in the Wolf Bros over the past 7 years has been one of the most meaningful and rewarding experiences of my life. Night after night, he taught us how to approach music with fearlessness and unbridled soul – pushing us beyond what we thought was musically possible. Every show was a transcendent adventure into the unknown. Every note he played and every word he sang was designed to bring comfort and joy to our audiences. The music he helped create over the last 60 years will continue to be felt for generations. As he sang in one of my favorite Dead songs: the music will never stop. It was an honor to play in his band and to be his friend. Heartfelt condolences go out to Natascha, Monet and Chloe and to all of the fans who considered him to be next of kin. We’ll miss him forever.”

Also hit hard by the news was Pan-Detroit saxophonist Dave McMurray, who was part of Was (Not Was) and records for Blue Note, including two Deadicated albums of Dead covers. Weir guested on a rendition of “Loner” from the first, and McMurray made guest appearances with the Wolfpack horn section that often accompanied the Wolf Bros.

“I’ve been talking about him the last few days, just my experiences with them, ’cause we’ve been playing these [Blues For Allah] songs and he’s the man that did all that music,” McMurray told Billboard. “I was so lucky I got to be around him, and he was so cool and so great to play with. I saw (the news) on Instagram and it’s just freaked out. It doesn’t seem real.”