Year of the Snake: Bobby Weir and Wolf Bros Evoke Symbolism From Chinese Zodiac as the Clock Strikes Midnight in Fort Lauderdale

Photo: Bill Kelly

Last night, Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros returned to Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to close out the year. The original Grateful Dead guitarist was joined by core collaborators Jay Lane, Don Was, Barry Sless, and Jeff Chimenti, as well as an ensemble of strings and horn accompaniment. Together, they created a series of sonic tapestries that supported a three-set performance steeped in the celebratory spirit of the passing of time.

Setting the tone of the night, Weir and company proceeded with the Ace-featured “Playing in the Band,” which called back to ‘70s era New Year’s Eve performance, before cascading into “Friend of the Devil,” a song that evoked a sing-along. Next, the band unleashed a rarity, the second-ever live rendition of Willie Nelson’s Red Headed Stranger famed inclusion, “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain.” 

From the songbook of one great to the next, the band worked through Bob Dylan’s “Queen Jane Approximately,” a number covered extensively by the Dead beginning in 1987, which seemed to present a reflective moment for Weir and his tenure on stage. In turn, the band dug into a folky “Dark Hollow” offering “Rather bes” before loosening the feel of the night with the arrival of “Me and My Uncle” and ensuing set one closer, “Bird Song.” 

With the night’s initial frame in the books, they took a beat to rest before assuming their roles on stage and cutting into the mid-section of the concert, which kicked up the only “Winners” performed in 2024. A heightened moment ensued as strings, horns, and pedal steel engulfed the “Dark Star” ambiance and all its splendor before spilling over into “Eyes of the World,” which accentuated Lane’s skills. Another rarity arrived next, taking the form of Ratdog’s “Two Djinn” before the start of “Standing on the Moon” and jam-heavy successors, “Scarlet Begonias” placed with a tease of “Uncle John’s Band” and set-closing “Playing” reprise. 

Aligning their re-entry with the midnight countdown, Weir and Wolf Bros used “Hell in a Bucket” as the last song of 2024 and first of 2025, winking at the past and future in its placement before the celebratory arrival of jam mod podge “Silvio” > “Tequilla” > Silvio,” which went onto release a jam that connected the latter to a partial “Terrapin” that gave way to “Not Fade Away.” In line with the Dead’s tradition, Father Time was present on stage.

The night’s guardian took shape as a snake, which Weir later described as “symbolizes transformation, renewal, and spiritual growth,” evoking characteristics synonymous with the year of the snake–the Chinese zodiac representative of the incoming New Year. Notably, lyrics from “Hell in a Bucket,” “But I know that you’ll think of me only when the snakes come marching in,” was the official reference to the slithering omen.

Weir’s Sunshine State run continues Jan. 2 and 3, with a two-night offering of the Bobby Weir with Wolf Bros Trio at The Parker in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Tickets remain on sale. 

After closing out his NYE adjacent run, Weir will rest ahead of Dead Ahead festival weekend in 

Riviera Cancún, Mexico. For more information, visit www.deadaheadfestival.com. 

Scroll down to view last night’s setlists. 

Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros 

Broward Center for the Performing Arts – Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Dec. 31, 2024 

Set I: Playing in the Band, Friend of the Devil, Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain, Queen Jane Approximately, Dark Hollow, Me and My Uncle, Bird Song 

Set II: The Winners, Dark Star > Eyes of the World, Two Djinn, Standing on the Moon, Scarlet Begonias > Playing Reprise 

Set III: Hell in a Bucket, Silvio > Tequila > Silvio Reprise > [Partial] Terrapin, Not Fade Away