Watch Dean Baldwin (Press Play and Sirius XM) Pay Tribute to Bob Weir
(Photo Credit: Ed Perlstein/Redferns/Getty Images)
Here is a heartfelt message from Press Play CFO and Co-Founder Rich Taylor:
"I am a serious music lover, more like a music junkie, and have been since I was a little kid. I have always had very eclectic taste in music, from classic rock/pop to blues/reggae, country/western, jazz, to choral/a cappella, all depending on my mood, current circumstances and locale at any time. With the broad spectrum of musical favorites in my life, gun to my head I’d have to say that the Grateful Dead is may alltime favorite band, and has been since 1977, when I went to my first Dead show in Englishtown, NJ. That love of the Dead only magnified exponentially over the years, initially propelled during my college years at Stanford University in Palo Alto, CA, which was essentially the birthplace of the Dead. While I can’t make any false claim of being a true Dead Head, as I never followed them around the world, I have gone to over 40 Dead shows in my life, each one a unique, joyful experience. I’ve had the privilege of seeing them perform at so many iconic venues - the Warfield, Winterland, and Fillmore West in San Francisco, the Greek Theatre in Berkeley, CA, Frost Amphitheater at Stanford University, Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, CA, and many other arenas and stadiums around the country over the past 48 years. What drew me to their music were primarily three different aspects - one, their music and their shows went beyond merely “feelgood” experiences, they simply made me feel so happy, so joyous, and helped me forget all my troubles even for just a few hours, far more than any other band I ever saw. Two, the Dead were and remain unique in that they are the only band I know that has such a large, broad library/catalog of original music that spans so many different genres, while also being perhaps the greatest “cover band” of all time, masterfully covering so many iconic bands/artists like the Beatles, Stones, Who, Hendrix, Dylan, Zeppelin, Hank Williams, Elvis, Warren Zevon, Janis Joplin, and countless others, doing immense justice to those artists’ renderings. Third, and perhaps the most important reason to me why the Dead were so great and so unique - it was never about the money, fame, or celebrity lifestyle, it was always solely about the music. Period. As for Bob Weir, while his songwriting style was a bit off the beaten path rhythmically and melodically, his lyrics were genuine, meaningful, and spoke the truth. He was the best vocalist in the group, and played an excellent rhythm guitar to accompany Jerry and Phil. But my favorite distinguishing characteristic of Bobby’s musical style was his famous “step back”. During most of their songs, particularly the upbeat tempo rock tunes, at the height of a crescendo Bobby would take a couple steps forward onstage, then dip his head slightly and take 2-3 steps back, and the crowd loved it, including me. While I am so deeply saddened by Bob’s passing, he lived an amazing, extraordinary life of 78 years, which is one helluva long, strange trip. And as Bob sang, “I may be going to hell in a bucket baby, but at least I’m enjoying the ride.” And what a ride it was. Rest in peace Bob Weir. Thank you and your bandmates for your music, it enriched my life immeasurably."
Press Play News Leader AmyLynn pays tribute to Bob Weir in the NEWS section as well as PODCASTS here on PressPlayRadio.com
Comments(0)