What A Difference A Weir Makes | Video From Los Muertos Con Queso

Shit happens.  Sometimes quite literally.

Bob Weir had to sit out the first of two Los Muertos shows during the new group's debut at the Los Muertos Con Queso destination event in Mexico -- food poisoning the official explanation.

It had to be disappointing for Deadheads making the trip down to the co-headlined (with String Cheese Incident) festival, but the remainder of the band -- Dead drummer Bill Kreutzmann, Widespread Panic bassist Dave Schools, post-GD keyboards All Star Jeff Chimenti, and general badass Tom Hamilton (JRAD, American Babies) -- made a go of it, with a little help from Jackie Greene on the festival's first night.

With videos of both nights finally finding their way to YouTube (thank you G. Couris, Mike Cerneant, and Raina Mullen) , we can do a direct compare and contrast of sets with and without Weir.

While Thursday's show was actually pretty damn great in its own right (I'm pretty fond of the opening "Jam" > "Scarlet" as a nimble four-piece), Bobby continues to prove how indispensible he can be -- even after a bout with some nasty bacteria.

His approach to rhythmn guitar simply can't be duplicated -- adding an layer of psychedelic tension as only he can.  And of course the vocal gravitas that served to eleveate his recent Phish sit-in was on full display -- even on the Jerry tunes.

A few of these videos have some wind noise, but parts of all are very listenable. Definitely worth checking out.

Saturday, January 28

Set One
Playin' In The Band > Terrapin > New Speedway Boogie*, Mission In The Rain, Brown Eyed Women, My Brother Esau, Let It Grow > Playin' (Reprise)

Set Two
Help On The Way > Slipknot! > Lost Sailor > Saint Of Circumstance, Dark Star% > Drums+ > Dark Star > Wharf Rat > Not Fade Away

Encore
Brokedown Palace

* with Jackie Greene
% with Jason Crosby
+ with SCI drummers

First Set (part one)

First Set (part two)

Second Set

Here'a another look at "New Speedway Boogie" from side-stage.

Thursday, January 26th (without Bob Weir)

Set One
Jam > Scarlet Begonias > Fire On The Mountain, Ramble On Rose, Me & My Uncle > Big River, Mississippi Half Step Uptown Toodeloo

Set Two
Bertha, Bird Song, Loose Lucy, Eyes Of The World > Drums, Morning Dew, Shakedown Street

Encore
Big Railroad Blues

Jackie Green enters at Fire On The Mountain

First Set

Second Set