A Tribute to Bob Weir (1947–2026)
Photos and Story by Mike Kirschner
I’ve been a Deadhead since I first heard the album Live Dead when I was 15 in 1974. So, Bob Weir has been part of my life for over 50 years. The photos of Bob here in the San Francisco Bay Times were taken starting in September 1983, a month after I got my first SLR camera, at a show down in Watsonville, through mid-1986. Bob was a powerful and innovative rhythm guitarist who formed the predecessor to the Grateful Dead with Jerry Garcia at the young age of 16.
Bob was particularly outspoken. While most of the Grateful Dead’s audience was/is straight and white, the band and the fans are—for the most part (like any random population in the U.S.)—all about “good vibes, man.” It was then no surprise that, in 2016, Bob—playing at Bonnaroo the day after the tragic terrorist massacre in Orlando—told the audience:
“If you got gay friends, tell them you’re sorry about that—sorry about what happened today. You know, it’s funny—the Lt. Governor of Texas and a distinguished representative in the house from Georgia … well, that guy last week was reading quotes from the bible saying how gay people deserved to die. And today, after the incident down in Florida, the Lt. Governor tweeted that, well, ‘They’re gonna reap what they sow.’ I tell you what. I want to ask you a question: Is there a difference between that mindset and the mindset of the folks in the Taliban or ISIS? The hatred and intolerance are the same. They may pull it from different books, but it’s the same f-ing thing. Register and vote. Get those a-holes out of there.”
Bob and the Grateful Dead left us an enormous legacy of music and songs. There are many bands, comprised of solid musicians, who are dedicated to keeping this music alive. Go see them. And, especially, go see BERTHA: Grateful Drag, a Nashville, Tennessee, band that pays tribute to the Grateful Dead, plays in full drag, and embodies the good vibes of the scene.
May the four winds blow you safely home, Bobby.
Mike Kirschner, a 2024 Visions of Pride Award recipient, is a photographer with over four decades of professional experience, particularly in covering concerts and performers such as the Grateful Dead. View more of his work at https://mikek.photography/
Arts & Entertainment
Published on January 15, 2026
Recent Comments