Two founding members of the Grateful Dead, Bob Weir and Phil Lesh, have announced that they will team up as a duo for the first time ever in 2018. Relix had the announced dates info after Weir announced on SiriusXM’s Tales From the Golden Road, and a site is now up called BobbyAndPhil.com that details out what shows they’re playing. The tour will kick off in New York City at Radio City Music Hall before heading to Boston’s Wang Theatre and the Chicago Theatre. I’m guessing these won’t be the last that are announced, but here’s what the Dead Duo has confirmed.
Also important of note: they will be performing back to back sets of both acoustic and electric versions of Grateful Dead classics for the first time ever. This is a big one, folks.
Bob Weir & Phil Lesh Tour Dates
March 2 New York, NY – Radio City Music Hall
March 3 New York, NY – Radio City Music Hall
March 7 Boston, MA – Wang Theatre
March 8 Boston, MA – Wang Theatre
March 10 Chicago, IL – Chicago Theatre
March 11 Chicago, IL – Chicago Theatre
Here is more about the announcement:
Fans can sign up for the Ticketmaster Verified Fan Presale starting Monday, December 11 at 7am ET at https://bobbyandphilduotour.tmverifiedfan.com/. In addition to concert tickets, fans can also choose single and 2-Night Enhanced Experience VIP ticket packages plus 2-Night Travel Packages including lodging and concert admission. Visit BobbyandPhil.com for all the details. Tickets will be available to the public on Friday, December 15 at 10am local time at Ticketmaster.
While these two music legends have played together since the inception of the Grateful Dead in 1965, they have appeared jointly infrequently since 2015’s Fare Thee Well shows, where they played for the last time with all four surviving members of the Dead. They have never performed as a duo without a backing band.
This new project came about as Weir and Lesh celebrated the 40-year anniversary of the Grateful Dead’s 1977 studio album Terrapin Station. The two performed at Lesh’s own Terrapin Crossroads, as well as Lockn’ Festival and Sound Summit on Mount Tamalpais earlier this year. Fans can expect to hear Grateful Dead favorites as well as additional musical surprises. NYC-based independent promoter, Peter Shapiro will present the shows and has collaborated with Lesh and Weir for the past twenty years at his Capitol Theatre and Brooklyn Bowl venues, his own LOCKN’ Festival, and the acclaimed 2015 Fare Thee Well shows.
Weir explains the upcoming project, “I guess it was last summer, Phil and I played a little duo show….we had enough fun so we figured hey lets do this, lets make a little go of this.” While Lesh says “Playing with Bob always brings me great joy. The intuitive playing that we have developed over five decades of creating music together always leads to new realms of musical experience, something that I find especially exciting, and I think that fans of our music will enjoy this new format as much as I do.”
