She's Got Everything Delightful

She's got everything I need.

I met Bob Weir, once. I saw Bob, in concert, once. Both, were at E-town, in Boulder. Colorado, back in 2017.

I have no special knowledge of who Bob was, or insight into his music, but I did enjoy working with him, he was easy to get along with.

While I have always enjoyed the Grateful Dead’s music, I was never inclined to go see a GD show. Mostly, because I am not a fan of large crowds. Since Bob’s passing, I have been reading some of the tributes that other’s have written, and the way that Bob was described, tracks with how he seemed to me, in the few hours that I worked with him, which tells me that what I saw was probably how he always was.

Bob, travelled remarkably light, for who he was. As I remember, he showed up with a guitar tech and a body guard (BIG GUY!). He had a a few acoustic guitars, one or two electrics, and (apparently) one of Gerry’s guitars. I, myself, would not be able to identify one of Gerry’s guitars, but most of the E-town crew were big GD fans (if not Dead-Heads), so they tended to genuflect, when passing the guitar boat.

I worked for E-town for 20 years, and one of the aspects of the show that I enjoyed the most, was the intimate nature of the show, and the time and access that I was able to have with the artists who came through. It was not uncommon to eat lunch and dinner next to these amazingly talented folks, and often, I was privy to really cool stories about their lives on the road. As you might imagine, Bob, had a few good stories to tell, while breaking bread.

Now that Bob has shuffled off this mortal coil, I find myself entertaining a common thought that I have at such times, namely: where does all of Bob’s talent go, after death?

It seems to me that some people’s influence in the world can grow so large that their talent must manifest itself (somewhere) as a physical presence. Can the act of creation become so profound that the creative energy becomes its own element? If so, where does it go once the creator has passed? In my mind, I picture such talent, floating around in the ether, waiting to be absorbed by someone else. If that creative energy is eternal, I wonder who might get Bob’s?

Here, are a few videos from the day that I met Bob Weir. The first is one that I recorded with my phone, during rehearsal, the other one is from the show.

Requiescat In Pace, Bob.