Grateful Dead's Bob Weir Plans Jam With Marin Symphony

With just five other musicians onstage with him during his three decades as a guitarist in the Grateful Dead, Bob Weir often sounded like he was playing with a full fledged symphony. Certainly epic compositions such as 'Dark Star' and 'Terrapin Station' leant themselves to such comparisons, and the Dead's vast catalog has indeed been touched by several orchestras in recent years. But, for the first time ever, Weir will actually collaborate and perform with a live orchestra on October 22, in the Bay Area, when he takes to the stage with the 41-piece Marin Symphony.

"The idea was presented around 18 months ago by two of our board members," Marin Symphony Orchestra Executive Director Noralee Monestere tells Spinner. "[We] arranged a meeting with several former Dead band members and the idea was a huge hit with guitarist Bob Weir, who wanted to create a symphonic voice in the Dead genre."
The program will showcase rearranged Grateful Dead classics and, in honor of the Dead's live tradition, the performance will include lots of room for improvisation. In other words, they're gonna jam.

"Giancarlo Aquilanti, composer, conductor and Stanford Professor, was contracted to work with Bob on transcriptions for the orchestra," says Monestere. "[It] became a great challenge for both artists, because classically trained musicians rarely improvise, while Dead members are renowned for improvisational genius."

It's safe to say that it's going to be "casual Friday" at the Marin Center that night. Dress code or no, things are probably going to get pretty far out there. "I call this blend 'Beethoven meets Uncle John -- jam band style with a symphonic twist," says Monestere. Of course, for Deadheads, that's nothing more than the latest twist in their everlasting long, strange trip. For details, check out the Marin Symphony's official website.