John Mayer has launched a Grateful Dead listening party to honour the late Bob Weir. Find all the details below.
On January 10, news emerged that the legendary rhythm guitarist had died after succumbing to “underlying lung issues” following a battle with cancer.
“He transitioned peacefully, surrounded by loved ones, after courageously beating cancer as only Bobby could,” a statement on Weir’s official social media accounts read, triggering an outpouring of tributes from across the music world.
Now, Mayer, who Weir played alongside for years with Grateful Dead offshoot Dead & Company, has unveiled plans for a listening party for fellow fans.
In a post shared to Instagram on Thursday (March 5), Mayer said that he had listened to Grateful Dead music in the days following Weir’s death to find comfort, but ended up feeling more alone, prompting him to launch the communal event.
“In the days after we lost Bobby Weir, I tried listening to Grateful Dead music as a way to be soothed. I found it harder than I’d thought,” he wrote. “I felt as if I was listening alone, like the mainframe that connects all who listen at any given time had gone offline. (It turns out that a presence like Bobby’s makes for an immeasurable absence.)”
He went on to say: “After talking with friends who felt the same, I knew I wanted to start Grateful Dead Listening Party.”
The listening party will take place on Sunday nights at 9pm ET (Monday at 2am GMT) via his LIFE with John Mayer Sirius XM channel.
He’ll play two hours of Grateful Dead and Dead & Company recordings “while also talking a little about each one,” he wrote. “It’s a way for those who have felt lost to ‘meet up’ and listen to the music together. It’s not live, but I’ll be tuning in. Sometimes the least you can do is also the most you can do… we shall find a way forward.”
In January, Mayer was among several musicians who appeared at a memorial gathering for Weir in San Francisco, delivering a poignant rendition of ‘Ripple’.
Other homages to Weir have included the Empire State Building in New York City lighting up in tie-dye colours in a nod to his legacy.
Nodding to Weir’s wide-ranging influence on contemporary music, Mark Beaumont wrote for NME: “Weir’s impact on subsequent generations of American rock music was perhaps best evinced by a 2015 Dead tribute box set compiled by The National’s Bryce brothers, ‘Day Of The Dead’.
“The set featured contributions from a vast array of intergenerational acolytes, including The Flaming Lips, Sharon Van Etten, Kurt Vile, Stephen Malkmus, The War On Drugs and Perfume Genius.
“Freak flags are flying at half mast across rock music tonight.”
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