The music Bob Weir said people would still be playing “in 300 years”
There are some deaths that resonate outside of their genre. When Bob Weir passed away, regardless of whether people were fans of the Grateful Dead’s psychedelic and hippie style of rock, they still felt the impact.
He had such a profound impact on music, not just in what he literally made, but also in how he performed, and his openness when it came to how people could play it. These lessons resonated throughout the musical world, not just with those with whom he became associated because of his live sound, but with artists in general. Tributes poured in when the devastating news broke, as fans from far and wide tried to honour the creative force that was Bob Weir.
“I first saw Bob at Woodstock with the Grateful Dead and was blown away by that whole band, and the musicianship,” said Don Felder, one of many who wrote about how sad he was to hear of the guitar player’s passing. “I feel so blessed to have been able to have him sing on ‘Rock You’ from American Rock and Roll. Until we meet again, amigo.”
Sure, fans, friends and companions alike may have been upset by the news of Weir’s passing, but he had always been open with the idea of his own mortality and made it quite clear that he wasn’t afraid of dying. He was always pretty open about the fact that he wouldn’t be here forever, and made it clear that while it was always sad to lose someone, it wasn’t a worry that he let dominate his life.
“I look forward to dying,” he said when talking about the one certainty in life. “I tend to think of death as the last and best reward for a life well-lived. That’s it.”
Not only did Weir live a good life, but he also made sure that even once he was gone, the music he made would live on. He was never precious about his songs, which meant that anybody could try and play them, and he wouldn’t be offended. Weir didn’t see the point in music stopping just because the person who originally made it was no longer with us, as he believed it was something that could live on, and that’s what he wanted with his own sound.
While he only passed away two months ago, the longevity of his music doesn’t come into question. Those songs will still be played, not only on records but live as well, as Weir always intended on that being the case. When he said people would still be playing his music in 300 years, he didn’t mean it in a cocky way, he meant that those tracks existed, purely to be played, and so time had no limit on such sounds.
“That whole thing is constructed so that anyone can step in and do it,” he said. “I’m hoping that people of varying persuasions will find something they can agree on in the music that I’ve offered, and find each other through it.”
Producer Don Was spoke about Weir’s affinity for longevity, and how long the guitarist intended for people to play his music. “The number 300 was in his head,” he concluded. “In 300 years, he wanted people to still respond to this music. And we won’t let him down.”
