The Year of the Dragon: Bobby Weir & Wolf Brothers Dec 29,30,31 2023 Broward Center for the Arts Fort Lauderdale, FL Review and Photography by Joel Shover @JoelShoverPhotography
Bobby Weir & the Wolf Brothers along with the Wolf Pack, came high stepping into South Florida for a three-night New Years Eve run at the beautiful Au Rene Theater at the Broward Center for the Arts. The band played a host of shows this fall, with the Stanford Symphony Orchestra at the Frost Amphitheatre, and most recently a five-night run at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY. Bobby Weir is no stranger to the Au Rene Theater as he played here in February 2023. Weir expressed how much he loved the place then!
To say there was a dragon with matches let loose on the town is an understatement. Bobby and the band were ready to welcome the Year of the Dragon with a roar, and so were the fans. The band consisted of Weir on guitar and vocals, Jeff Chimenti on keyboards, Jay Lane on drums, and Don Was on bass. The shows started with Weir solo, then a trio with Was and Lane for the next song, then Jeff Chimenti would join on the third song, and then the Wolf Pack with horns and slide guitar would join on the fourth song and remain for the show. This was the consistent format for all three nights.
Deadheads new and old traveled from Europe, California, Indiana, Texas, Connecticut, and New Jersey as well as other places across the globe. The venue hosted a slew of vendors that transformed the picturesque waterfront into shakedown street with live entertainment. The staff at the Broward Center for the Arts hosted the three nights without a flaw and their attention to detail was impressive to say the least. They were eagerly and equally excited for these shows just as the band and heads alike as we were now all involved in this typical daydream. Look forward to seeing more shows like these at the venue in the future for sure!
Weir kicked off night one with a song written in 1944 by the Platters, “Twight Time” in an all-acoustic solo. The first set also featured hit songs by Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, and Ratdog. The beat was rocking all night as the crowd’s energy was felt beyond the walls for sure as they danced into the night. Listen to that “Big River” as soon as you can!
Bobby took us on that diesel train with the second set opener, “Me and Bobby McGee” written by Kris Kristofferson. Weir wasted no time telling us our future….” just look what’s in your hand”, with “Playing in the Band.” Featured The band stopped for nothing as they played an emotional favorite, “Lost Sailor, Saint of Circumstance” that led right into “Terrapin Station”. The political fueled song “Throwing Stones” had me shaking my bones into the harmony love fueled “Not Fade Away” that had the whole house clapping along until the encore brought us the soothing sounds of “Ripple” in which Bobby sang “If I knew the way, I would take you home!”
Saturday brought sunshine and more great vibes as the crowd at shakedown grew even more than the day before. It was time to let our memories drift and do nothing at all. Bobby started the show solo acoustic with the Little Feat classic “Easy to Slip” then jumped right into his original “Only a River”. The first set featured the crowd favorite “Ramble on Rose” and a smoking “Let it Grow” you need to hear for yourself!
Second set got us rocking with Hank Williams song “You Win Again” that took us into a fabulous version of Ratdog’s “Two Djinn”. Weir reached into the Kingfish bowl for “Supplication” that came out of “Uncle John’s Band”. “He’s Gone” took us to the bus stop where we all got on, with “the Other One” It was “One More Saturday Night” then the Beatles got a nod from Bobby with “Dear Prudence” that closed the set.
Day three came without warning and New Years Eve was here! The dragons were set to unleash into 2024. Never miss a Sunday show and this Sunday had a heady groove and mix of people. Nobody was scaring the children, there was just good loving and sunshine daydreams to go into the new year!
The party started with “Loose Lucy” a groovy Grateful Dead song. Weir then featured “The Winners” a song he wrote with the late Rob Wasserman. It would be a Sunday Show without the traditional song “Samson and Delilah” The band shows they were ready to party with “Hell in A Bucket”.
It was back to those solid sounds Ratdog used to throw down in 2009 when Weir kicked in Bob Dylans “Silvio” as we’ve all tried to “buy back the beat of a heart grown cold”. What’s a party without the Champs original “Tequila”. 744 miles of driving over three days I know all about “Black Throated Wind” as I saw on Alligator Alley watching the birds take flight, I knew they would play “Bird Song”.
Set two took us on the ride with “Cassidy” into a dreamy “Estimated Prophet” right into the uplifting “Eyes of the World” that included a sweet rendition of Marvin Gayes classic, “What’s going On”. “The Wheel” kept turning and we didn’t slow down. As they closed out set two with “All along the Watchtower”, a “Stella Blue” and Chuck Berry’s “Around and Around.”
Set three took us to the midnight hour as Jay Lane came on the stage and provided a rhythmic beat on the drum kit for the dragons to march and the flower children to dance. This now had made way for father time to appear with his hat and long beard. Father time approached the microphone and counted down 10,9,8….when the clock struck midnight it was all “Sugar Magnolia” and “Scarlet Begonias” with strangers stopping strangers just to shake their hands. Everyone was now playing in the heart of gold band as Weir struck the first notes of “Help on the Way” this took us through the segue “Slipknot!”, “Franklins Tower” as the four winds blew us all back to our countries and homes it was time to take this “Sunshine Daydream” with us and hold it forever as we leave this “Brokedown Palace.”
Enjoy Dead Ahead Festival in Mexico Jan 12-15 2024 and be sure to watch for the official announcement of Dead & Company Sphere Residency in Las Vegas Nevada coming 2024😉
Go See Live Music ….. Till the next show….Joel
Fan photos from the weekend HERE
Follow Bobby Weir Here: https://bobweir.net/
Dead Ahead Festival: https://www.deadaheadfestival.com/
Browar Center for the Arts: https://www.browardcenter.org/
Sphere: https://www.thespherevegas.com/
Headcount: https://www.headcount.org/
SETLISTS
DECEMBER 31
Set 1: Loose Lucy The Winners (Weir & Wasserman cover) Samson and Delilah ([traditional] cover) Hell in a Bucket Silvio (Bob Dylan cover) (>) Tequila (The Champs cover) (> ‘Silvio’ reprise) Black-Throated Wind Bird Song Set 2: Cassidy Estimated Prophet (>) Eyes of the World (>) What’s Going On (Marvin Gaye cover) (> ‘Eyes of the World’ reprise) The Wheel (Jerry Garcia cover) (>) All Along the Watchtower (Bob Dylan cover) (>) Stella Blue (>) Around and Around (Chuck Berry cover) Set 3: Sugar Magnolia (>) Scarlet Begonias Help on the Way(>) Slipknot!(>) Franklin’s Tower Sunshine Daydream Encore: Brokedown Palace
December 30
Set 1: Easy to Slip (Little Feat cover) Only a River (Bob Weir song) Deal (Jerry Garcia cover) Ramble On Rose Greatest Story Ever Told (Bob Weir song) She Says (Ratdog) Weather Report Suite Let It Grow Set 2: You Win Again (Hank Williams With His Drifting Cowboys cover) Two Djinn (Ratdog) Uncle John’s Band Supplication (Kingfish) (> ‘Uncle John’s Band’ reprise >) He’s Gone The Other One Dear Prudence (The Beatles cover) One More Saturday Night Encore: It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue (Bob Dylan cover)
December 29:
Set 1: Twilight Time (The Platters cover) (Bobby acoustic solo) She Belongs to Me (Bob Dylan cover) Big River (Johnny Cash cover) Catfish John (Bob McDill cover) Jack Straw Even So October Queen (Ratdog) Good Lovin’ (The Olympics cover) Set 2: Me and Bobby McGee (Kris Kristofferson cover) Playing in the Band Lost Sailor Saint of Circumstance Lady With a Fan (>) Terrapin Station (>) Terrapin Transit (>) At a Siding (>) Terrapin Flyer Throwing Stones Not Fade Away (The Crickets cover) Encore: Ripple
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