Fans are celebrating the life of Bob Weir by sharing footage from his final performance with Dead & Company.
News emerged last night (January 10) that the legendary rhythm guitarist and founding member of the Grateful Dead 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.
It went on to say the beloved musician was diagnosed with cancer in July 2025, and that Weir “began treatment only weeks before returning to his hometown stage for a three-night celebration of 60 years of music at Golden Gate Park”. Those Dead & Company shows in August, in celebration of the Dead’s 60th anniversary, were Weir’s final public performances.
The shows have taken on a new poignancy in the wake of his passing, with Deadheads across the world revisiting the setlist and sharing clips of the career-spanning gig.
On August 3, 2025, they kicked off with a cover of Sam Cooke’s ‘Good Times’, followed by ‘China Cat Sunflower’ and ‘I Know You Rider’. A rendition of ‘They Love Each Other’ from Jerry Garcia’s 1976 solo album ‘Reflections’ followed, with a ‘Shakedown Street’ jam featuring shades of Michael Jackson’s ‘Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ and the Commodores’ ‘Brick House’ coming after.
They wrapped the first set with a high-energy performance of Garcia’s ‘Deal’, and returned alongside Phish frontman Trey Anastasio, who lent a hand on ‘Scarlet Begonias’ and ‘Fire on the Mountain’. Grahame Lesh, the son of late Grateful Dead bassist, Phil, later joined the group on stage to cover Robbie Robertson’s ‘Broken Arrow’ before playing with the band on ‘Cumberland Blues’.
Following a series of psychedelic jams on ‘Drums’ and ‘Space’, John Mayer led the band through ‘Sugaree’ and ‘Sugar Magnolia’. It was followed by the final track of the night in ‘Touch of Grey’. The performance of the 1987 Grateful Dead classic – and their only Top 10 hit – marked the last of Weir’s life.
Grieving fans have said it’s not only poignant because it was the last song of the evening, but because the lyrics nod directly to the notion of life being a fine balance of happiness and pain, as summed up in the line: “Every silver lining’s got a touch of grey”.
After the final track played out, and in a moment several fans have also looked back on in the wake of Weir’s death, he later joins his bandmates centre stage as thousands of their fans bid them goodbye, a scene now cemented in psychedelic rock history.
In homage to Weir, the Empire State Building in New York City lit up in tie-dye colours on Saturday night in a nod to his legacy – you can see a video of that, along with more tributes, here.
