Bob Weir & John Mayer Discuss The Future Of Dead & Company

On June 10 Dead & Company begins a lengthy Summer Tour with a performance at PNC Music Pavilion in Charlotte, North Carolina. Both of the band’s guitarists, Bob Weir and John Mayer discussed what lies ahead for the group in new, separate interviews. Dead & Company finds Weir and Mayer joined by Bobby’s Grateful Dead band mates Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann as well as keyboardist Jeff Chimenti and bassist Oteil Burbridge.

Bob Weir spoke with Rolling Stone about many topics. One thing he made clear is that he isn’t stopping playing the music of the Grateful Dead anytime soon. “I’m not entirely sure what would bring somebody to think that a guy like me can walk away from this body of music,” Weir said before adding “C’mon.” Bobby was asked about how Mayer has put his own voice into the music of the Grateful Dead and related this story:

There was a moment in rehearsal last September. We were going into “Scarlet Begonias” [on 1974’s From the Mars Hotel]. Nobody was stepping out. We had just started playing the song, feeling our way into the groove. And there was one thing John was playing. I don’t know if he was doing it on purpose, or if he wasn’t quite sure what song we were playing.

But he was listening to what we were doing, and the figure he was adding had a slight reggae tinge. Rather than hold fast and correct him, I immediately went to that, then backed off a little – I didn’t want everybody to take it all the way into reggae. What we got was this rendition that had a seven-percent reggae tinge to it – just so sweet, just that amount of inflection. I hope we can remember that when we come back around this summer.

But that was the Grateful Dead’s M.O. – if somebody was a little unsure of where we were or was hearing something differently, if you could hear that and jump on that, then the song would transform. It was magical. And that sort of stuff happens with Dead & Company. It happens enough that it keeps everybody’s eyes wide open and everyone light on their feet.

Weir also reiterated his intention to eventually bring Dead & Company into the studio. “We kick it around. We need to put in another tour – or two. And then what direction do we pursue with recording? Do we start from scratch, do all new material? Or do we go back after some of the tunes that were never recorded [by the Dead] in the studio? Or a combination of both – which is kind of where I would want to do it. For instance, I would love to take a song like “The Other One” [which appeared as a live recording on 1968’s Anthem of the Sun] into the studio – or “Dark Star,” Bobby said. Head to Rolling Stone for more of the chat with Bob Weir.

John Mayer sat for an interview focused on his guitar playing with For Guitar Players Only. One of the topics discussed was what lies ahead for Mayer’s career. John said he aims to finish his own album by the end of the year and that 2017 will be “a solo artist sort of a year.” Does that mean no Dead & Company? “I will never close the door on Dead & Company, ever. I think as long as there’s a desire to do it, I know how to carve time out. It’s always going to be worth doing. I will do Dead & Company as long as fans want it and as long as it feels like there’s something left on the table to try and explore. I couldn’t be happier as a musician and career artist right now,” Mayer revealed.