Bob Weir & Wolf Bros Deliver Debuts In Northampton

Bob Weir and Wolf Bros continued their second-ever tour on Friday with a stop at the John M. Greene Hall in Northampton, Massachusetts. The trio once again showed off their commitment to adding new music to their repertoire by delivering a pair of debuts.

Bob Weir, bassist Don Was and drummer Jay Lane looked to “Hell In A Bucket” to get their evening going at the historic theater on the campus of Smith College. Merle Haggard’s “Mama Tried” and Bob Dylan’s “Queen Jane Approximately” came ahead of “Only A River” from Weir’s 2016 solo release Only A River. The first surprise of the night followed as the three-piece offered up “I’ve Been All Around This World” for the first time together. Bobby revived the traditional folk song with The Big Swell on New Year’s Eve with the help of Taj Mahal. Prior to that, the song had sat untouched since RatDog’s 2008 tour.

“Friend Of The Devil” followed, with the threesome delivering their second debut next, offering up “Shade Of Grey.” The track from Weir’s sophomore solo album Heaven Help The Fool had been collecting dust since 2014. The pairing of Grateful Dead classics “Lost Sailor” and “Saint Of Circumstance” brought the opening frame to a close.

Last night’s second set got off the ground with “Tennesse Jed.” Back-to-back seamless runs followed as Bobby & Co. first looked to “Ashes & Glasses.” The R&B song “Don’t Let Go” was dropped in the middle of an unfinished take on the tune from RatDog’s lone studio album Evening Moods. The ensemble would then dig in for a lengthy jam-filled run stitching together “Bird Song,” “New Speedway Boogie” and “I Need Miracle.” The second Dylan cover of the night followed with “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” with the politically-charged rocker “Throwing Stones” bringing the stanza to an end. Bob Weir & Wolf Bros. tapped “Ripple” as their lone encore in Northampton.

Watch fan-shot video from last night captured by Matt Frazier below:

I’ve Been All Around This World

Mama Tried

Queen Jane Approximately

Setlist (via RatDog.org)

Set I: Hell In A Bucket, Mama Tried, Queen Jane Approximately, Only A River, I’ve Been All Around This World, Friend Of The Devil, Shade Of Grey, Lost Sailor > Saint Of Circumstance

Set II: Tennessee Jed, Ashes & Glass > Don’t Let Go > Ashes & Glass*, Bird Song > New Speedway Boogie > I Need A Miracle, Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door, Throwing Stones

Encore: Ripple

* unfinished