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| Bob Weir & Wolf Bros @ Frost Amphitheater (Photo: Kate Haley) |
Zakir Hussain, Mickey Hart and Planet Drum open
Mickey Hart has been quoted as saying “The planet is out of rhythm. We have lost our groove." It certainly felt that way in Covid-19 so much life flourishes at Stanford’s Frost Amphitheater today. A mostly mask-less crowd is gathering in this bright day in what is shaping up to be one of the most beautiful homecomings I’ve seen.
As I waited for Mickey Hart, Zakir Hussain and all of Planet Drum to take the stage their drum sets sparkled on a well-loaded stage. Talking with the people around me I found that about half were from out of town, traveling from New York, the deep South, lands with strip malls and brownstones to come see this intentional alchemy of concerts taking place at the historic Frost where the Grateful Dead played 14 unforgettable shows in the 1980’s. Planet Drum was about to play their first show in 12 years with Mickey Hart and Zakir Hussain, originally founding the international super group in 1991. Bobby Weir and the Wolf Bros comes on the second half of the evening.
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| Mickey Hart, Zakir Hussain & Planet Drum @ Frost Amphitheater (Photo: Kate Haley) |
Hitting bliss hard from the first beats, immediate audience transmutation occurred. Fear not, dear Mickey, the groove was more than found and sung through your Random Access Musical Universe (RAMU) as the drum chorus broke again and again like emerald waves on a water starved beach. And to, we were all changed. The voice of Baba Olatunji, the late civil rights leader and drum virtuosa unfolded, the band illuminated the way through drum lines and laughter and the crowd danced on through the setlist below.
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| Mickey Hart @ Frost Amphitheater (Photo: Kate Haley) |
All the performers joined in a jam and danced off the stage together, closing out a single set of amazement. Two-time Grammy Award-winning ensemble Planet Drum have announced they’re releasing their first studio album in 15 years, In the Groove, on Aug. 5 which shouldn’t be missed.
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| Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros @ Frost Amphitheater (Photo: Kate Haley) |
Bobby Weir and the Wolf Bros
The stage was remade for Bobby Weir & The Wolf Bros. Bassist Don Was, drummer Jay Lane, and pianist Jeff Chimenti and the Wolf Pack joined with Weir to play one of the most lyrical shows I’ve seen. They took to the stage just past eight PM and played for the better part of two hours. They kicked off with Jack Straw and Brown Eyed Women before moving info She Knows What I’m Thinkin’. I always have a weird sense when listening to the Wolf Brothers jamming on at an amphitheater at night. The coolness swirling around me seems so at odds with the heat that the songs fan.
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| Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros @ Frost Amphitheater (Photo: Kate Haley) |
Weir sang with such tenderness in Ramble On Rose. Weather Report Suite to Eyes of the World was unforgettable with the brass section lending such warmth and contentment. The set progressed with What’s Going On (into an Eyes reprise), The Other One and Standing on the Moon. Always a crowd favorite, Not Fade Away was the closing number that ultimately lead the band back to the stage for a beautiful Brokedown Palace. Both shows were enough to light up an already well lit crowd and were everything you could hope for Weir’s and Hart’s return to Frost.
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