The Bobby Weir Incident Wraps Hulaween 2024 With Singalong Phil Lesh Tribute

The String Cheese Incident and Bob Weir closed out the main stage action at this year’s Suwannee Hulaween festival on Sunday with The Bobby Weir Incident. Weir and SCI chose favorites from the Grateful Dead live repertoire and a fitting cover to fill two sets and said goodbye to Phil Lesh by leading the crowd through a “Box Of Rain” encore.

Last night’s show marked Weir’s first full performance since Dead & Co. ended a 30-show residency at Sphere in Las Vegas and came just two days after Phil Lesh died. Bobby handled lead vocals on most songs with members of SCI getting in on the frontman action on a few tunes.

The Bobby Weir Incident came out of the gates with a languid “Feel Like A Stranger” before Bobby and Michael Kang traded vocals on “Jack Straw.” Kang also helmed the “Crazy Fingers” that followed. Next came the appropriate “Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain,” the lone song performed by the ensemble last night that was never played by the Grateful Dead. The Fred Rose-penned country ballad closely associated with Willie Nelson was first sung by Weir with Billy Strings at Nelson’s 90th birthday concerts in April of 2023. Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros debuted their “Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain” cover on September 17, 2023 at the New York City stop of Willie Nelson’s Outlaw Music Festival.

The first set rolled on with an adventurous “Cassidy,” which like “Stranger,” “Crazy Fingers” and “Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain” were String Cheese Incident debuts. Bobby Weir didn’t do much talking on Sunday, but he introduced the “Man Smart, Women Smarter” that followed with “We had a request to turn this into a political event.” Bill Nershi then helmed a set-closing “Cold Rain & Snow.”

Nershi addressed the crowd at the start of the second set as Weir and SCI emerged wearing Phil Lesh wristbands. “This is a very special night for us to play with Bobby, especially given the weekend that we’ve been given and the news we’ve been given about Bobby’s bandmate. And I think it would be good to initiate Bobby to the group hoot that we love to do here in String Cheese Land. With Phil in mind and so many other great musicians that we miss, we’re going to raise the energy as much as can,” Billy said and then led the audience in a huge “Group Hoot.”

Last night’s second set then officially began with the beloved “China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider” pairing. The latter was played at the Grateful Dead pace instead of the quicker tempo favored by Cheese for their versions of the traditional song. Bassist Keith Moseley then stepped up to sing “Brown Eyed Women.”

The Bobby Weir Incident showed off their improvisational skills on a run of “Estimated Prophet > Eyes Of The World.” After 30 jam-filled minutes, the ensemble ceded the stage to drummer Michael Travis and percussionist Jason Hann for “Drums.” The pair pounded out tribal beats before the rest of the band returned. Bobby Weir then began an emotion-laden “Standing On The Moon” by himself. The other members of SCI joined in after the first verse.

Bobby and the Colorado-based jamgrass band had one more treat to end the second set as they rolled through Cheese’s first version of “Fire On The Mountain” since 1998. Kang spoke when the musicians came back for the encore. He noted SCI worked so hard to prep and “do justice” to the material and were thrown for a loop when Lesh died. He then dedicated “Box Of Rain” to Phil and all the Deadheads. “We’re gonna play this song and you’re gonna sing it,” Weir added. The lyrics for the “Box Of Rain” encore were displayed on screens behind the band accompanied by pictures of Bobby and Phil leading to a tear-inducing conclusion to The Bobby Weir Incident and the main stage performances at Hulaween.

Watch fan-shot footage of SCI and Weir’s “Box Of Rain” below:

Livestreams of The String Cheese Incident’s 2024 Hulaween sets including The Bobby Weir Incident can be viewed on-demand via nugs.net. The broadcasts are free for nugs.net subscribers.

Setlist (via Deadheadland)

Set One: Feel Like A Stranger, Jack Straw, Crazy Fingers, Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain, Cassidy, Man Smart, Women Smarter, Cold Rain & Snow

Set Two: Group Hoot For Phil Lesh, China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider, Brown Eyed Women, Estimated Prophet > Eyes Of The World > Drums > Standing On The Moon, Fire On The Mountain

Encore: Box Of Rain