Bobby and His Band Beyond Description

That ripple traveled far beyond the still water of a song and into the lives of millions.

Rock legend Bob Weir, a founding member of San Francisco’s Grateful Dead, died this weekend. He becomes the fourth core member of the band to pass, joining Ron “Pigpen” McKernan, Jerry Garcia, and Phil Lesh. Only Bill Kreutzmann remains from the original group.

I know not everyone was a fan of The Dead, and I’m certainly not as big a fan as many of the loyal fans of the band (known affectionately as Deadheads), but I’d comfortably say that, after Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, The Grateful Dead was my second favorite group. In honor of Weir’s passing, I felt a tribute was due.

Perhaps he was a “Friend of the Devil,” but as the song says, “A friend of the devil is a friend of mine.” His hair might have had a “Touch of Grey” in it the last decade or so, but as long as Bobby Weir was able to hold a guitar, “The Music Never Stopped.” It almost seemed fitting that he passed away on a Saturday. It was like his final encore, so the fans could celebrate his legacy “One More Saturday Night.”

The legion of followers of Weir and the Grateful Dead rode the “Easy Wind” and kept on “Truckin‘” from one show to the next, many of them having literal “High Times,” and would often be “Dancing in the Streets“, exchanging hugs (or drugs) or selling grilled cheese sandwiches on “Shakedown Street“, or mingling in the parking lots after shows “Till the Morning Comes.” Whether you had a ticket or not, you always wanted to be there, because you and “I Need a Miracle,” every day

Anyone who ever enjoyed the magic of Bobby and his bandmates’ music is hurting right now, and “It Hurts Me Too.” Some people might think that the world today is going to “Hell in a Bucket,” but I know there is a “Fire on the Mountain,” and when we wake up in the morning, hear that “Bird Song,” and see that “Morning Dew” on the grass, we can smile and remember Bobby.

It would take a “Box of Rain” to wash away all the memories, and even though his death will be “Hard to Handle” and leave tears in all the “Eyes of the World,” we must accept the fact that “He’s Gone” and “nothing’s gonna bring him back.”

From “El Paso” to the top of “Franklin’s Tower,” there is a nation of fans who may have lost the man, but they will never lose the music. “St. Stephen” will lead the services at “Terrapin Station.”

There will be “Scarlet Begonias” and “Sugar Magnolias” bringing a tie-dye of colors to the altar. “Uncle John’s Band” will play the hymns, and the choir will include “Brown Eyed Women” like “Althea,” “Bertha,” “Cassidy,” “Stella Blue,” and “Peggy O.”

The pallbearers will include “Tennessee Jed,” “Stagger Lee,” “Jack Straw,” “Jack-a-Roe.” “Johnny B Goode,” and “Row Jimmy.” The readings will be handled by “Reuben and Cherise,” “Samson and Delilah,” and “Mr. Charlie.”

I know Bobby is headed for the “Promised Land” and getting ready to be “Knocking on Heaven’s Door” if he’s not already there yet. Jerry and Phil and “Pigpen” are saving a seat for him, ready to rekindle the music from that “band beyond description.“

So “Ramble On Rose,” quit crying those “Cumberland Blues,” and “shake it, shake it, Sugaree.” We’re not “Goin’ Down the Road Feeling Bad,” we know that “Help Is On the Way” and “Here Comes Sunshine.”

One thing is for sure about Bobby, Jerry, “Pigpen”, Phil, Bill (and Mickey), and all of their keyboardists over the years: “They Love Each Other,” and we all loved them.

“And you know our love will Not Fade Away…
You know our love will not fade away…
You know our love will not fade away.