Hear Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros Honor Wayne Shorter In Ames, Iowa

Legendary jazz saxophonist Wayne Shorter sadly died yesterday at age 89 leading Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros to pay tribute to the influential musician last night at their concert in Ames, Iowa. Weir & Wolf Bros along with The Wolfpack strings and horns fit a debut cover of the Wayne Shorter-penned “Footprints” into their second set at Stephens Auditorium on Thursday after the Grateful Dead guitarist led a “Weather Report Suite” dedicated to Shorter’s memory earlier in the evening.

The full “Weather Report Suite” including “Part II (Let It Grow)” closed out the ensemble’s first set in Ames. Wayne Shorter co-founded famed fusion band Weather Report in 1970 with Joe Zawinul, Miroslav Vitouš, Alphonse Mouzon, Don Alias and Barbara Burton. Weather Report underwent a number of lineup changes through Shorter’s departure from the band in 1986.

Last night’s “Footprints” came within Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros featuring The Wolfpack’s “Come Together” cover towards the middle of the second set at Stephens Auditorium. The troupe made its way to a jam at the end of the classic from The Beatles’ Abbey Road album when keyboardist Jeff Chimenti fronted a transition into “Footprints” as drummer Jay Lane exclaimed, “Thank you, Wayne! Wayne Shorter. Where are you right now?”

Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros along with The Wolfpack patiently and expertly played the composition Wayne Shorter first recorded for his 1966 LP Adam’s Apple. Multiple members of The Wolfpack took solos before a smooth return to the conclusion of “Come Together.” Stream official audio of last night’s show via nugs.net below with “Footprints” starting around the two-hour and 46-minute mark:

Earlier in the night, the core lineup of Bob Weir, Chimenti, Lane, bassist Don Was and pedal steel guitarist Barry Sless kicked off the concert with “Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo.” The tour’s first “Salt Lake City” followed along with a seamless run connecting Dead gems “He’s Gone,” “Brown-Eyed Women” and “Passenger” featuring The Wolfpack. Next, the group offered the tour debut of Bob Dylan’s “Maggie’s Farm” before the “Weather Report Suite” complete with “Let It Grow” closed the frame.

“Playing In The Band” was selected to open Thursday’s second set and bled into “Scarlet Begonias,” which gave way to “Viola Lee Blues” and the “Come Together”/”Footprints” sequence. Weir and his bandmates then dusted off “Josephine” from Bobby’s time with The Midnites for the first time since March 29, 2019. The frame rolled on with “I Need A Miracle” linked to “All Along The Watchtower” and “Black Peter” ahead of a set-closing “Casey Jones.” Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros punctuated the night by working “Liberty” into “Playing In The Band Reprise” as the encore.

The tour resumes on Saturday in Omaha, Nebraska.