Americanarama Opening Night: Bob Weir Sits In With Wilco

WEIR GUESTS WITH WILCO ON “RIPPLE” AND “CALIFORNIA STARS” AT TOUR OPENER

When the Americanarama Tour was first announced, thoughts quickly turned to whether there would be any collaborations between tour headliners My Morning Jacket , Wilco and Bob Dylan . Last night the tour kicked off at Cruzan Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach, FL; and while the members of those three bands didn’t perform with each other there was a guest spot of note. Grateful Dead / Furthur guitarist Bob Weir, who was a late addition to the bill as the solo acoustic opening act at four Americanarama dates, sat in with Wilco for a pair of tunes.

The evening started with a brief, five-song set from Weir that included covers of “Not Fade Away, “Easy To Slip” and “Dear Prudence” as well as “Peggy-O” and “Loose Lucy” from the Grateful Dead songbook. MMJ then offered a career-spanning set that included staples “One Big Holiday,” “Wordless Chorus” and “Golden” mixed with a few songs off 2011’s Circuital LP such as the title track and “Victory Dance.”

Wilco played the penultimate set of the night and welcomed Weir out ten songs into their performance for takes on “Ripple” and “California Stars.” Jeff Tweedy and Co. busted out “Ripple” last Friday night at their “All-Request Set” at the Solid Sound Festival and had previously performed the Grateful Dead original with Phil Lesh in 1999. The Chicago-based band’s set also featured classics such as “Via Chicago,” “Poor Places” and “I’m The Man Who Loves You.” Dylan closed out the festivities with a 12-song set that was followed by a two-song encore. Bob’s set was highlighted by the live debut of “Duquesne Whistle” off last year’s Tempest LP.

The Americanarama Tour continues tonight at Live Nation Amphitheatre at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa, FL.

Setlists…