Bob Weir Talks Trey Anastasio & Fare Thee Well Rehearsals
By Scott Bernstein May 15, 2015 • 10:10 am PDT
Weir discussed rehearsals for upcoming Fare Thee Well -Celebrating 50 Years Of Grateful Dead shows in Santa Clara and Chicago. When asked about how the group was compiling setlists Bob revealed, “We’ve had a group text going on where people were invited to say if there were songs that they absolutely had to play or absolutely wanted to not play. There hasn’t been any of the latter. We compiled a list of probably 120 or 130 tunes. There’s no way to get to them all. We’ll knock it back to 70 or 80. In rehearsal, if we pull up a tune and it seems like it’s going to take a lot of work, we’ll put it off and go with something that everyone has a better handle on. When we have enough tunes that we’re confident enough to trot out on stage, we’ll come back to the higher hanging fruit.” The guitarist adds its possible they can throw the pre-planned setlist out the window once they take the stage. “When the Dead was on, the advantage was that while Jerry was singing, I had all that song to figure out what I was going to do next. And Jerry would do that while I was singing. [This summer] we’ll have a number of guys who can do vocals, so it’s not impossible that we could toss our set list and work off the cuff.”
Bob Weir has no fear Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio will shine in Chicago and Santa Clara. The pair recently spent time together rehearsing at his beach house and then headed to San Rafael to practice with Phil Lesh. Trey and Bobby also spent a few days together in the NYC area last week. “He studied Jerry’s approach all along. He’s a follower of Jerry’s musicality. That said, he’s a schooled and studied musician, and he’s going to have a lot to offer. He’s not going to be parroting Jerry, because there’s no point in that. At the same time he’s going to try and ring those lofty bells that Jerry was able to ring, and I’m sure he’s going to reach some of them.”
Another question posted by the Journal is whether Weir has any mixed feelings about all the commotion regarding the Dead’s 50th anniversary. “Not so much this time around, actually. This event is for our fans, as much as it is for us. We’re doing it is because we can and should, and I know everyone in the band feels that way. I have the feeling that a lot of the reason folks are coming to these events is to relive– emphasis on live–that experience. And for the newbies who never got us to see us live, to experience that. A lot of that has to do with what the crowd has to offer, and their appreciation of the music we all made together. As such, I don’t think there’s going to be so much focus on us as the event, the coming together.”
The Grateful Dead guitarist was also asked about his rumored tour with John Mayer. “Eh, one thing at a time,” Weir responded when the topic of a tour with Mayer came up. When pushed on whether the response indicates there is “something” in the works Bobby added “We’ve got to focus on the task at hand, I think.” Head to the Wall Street Journal’s website for more from Weir on the upcoming concerts, the documentary about him and additional topics.
There’s a handful of options to watch Fare Thee Well performances this summer including webcasts and simulcasts. As a reminder, today (May 15) is the last day to take advantage of a five-show webcast bundle to save $50.
[Hat Tip –Surrender To The Flow]
