- - Bob Weir reflects on John Mayer, Sammy Hagar friendships in final USA TODAY interview

Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAYJanuary 10, 2026 at 8:40 PM

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Editor's note: Bob Weir, the influential founding member of rock collective The Grateful Dead, has died at 78. In 2022, he spoke with USA TODAY's Melissa Ruggieri for a wide-ranging interview about his six-decade career. Upon news of his death, we are resurfacing their conversation.

With his grizzled beard and weathered brow, you can see the rock ’n’ roll longevity etched into Bobby Weir’s face.

At 74, the acclaimed rhythm guitarist for The Grateful Dead, Dead & Company and Wolf Bros – just a sampling of his resume – is still joyfully immersing himself in music and thrilled to have at least one tour in his immediate future.

Weir and Wolf Bros, the group he formed in 2018 with Don Was and Jay Lane, will be joined by keyboardist Jeff Chimenti, pedal steel player Barry Sless and the string and brass quintet The Wolfpack when they hit the road March 9 in Nashville, Tennessee, for a run of 13 cities.

But first, the Wolf Bros firstr vinyl collection of recorded material, “Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros: Live in Colorado,” will land Friday.

While Weir’s February gigs with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., were bumped to Oct. 5-6 and 8-9 because of COVID-19 concerns, he’s still working on – “God willing,” he says – a summer tour with Dead & Company.

Bob Weir, a founding member of the Grateful Dead, has died at 78. A look back at his career in music, starting with a 2021 performance of Dead and Company at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/yMTs_kwEmYz0_GyN6bh80w--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD05NDc-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/50bfa793b769937ced45a7be5bb14dec class=caas-img data-headline="Look back at big moments in Bob Weir's Grateful Dead career" data-caption="

Bob Weir, a founding member of the Grateful Dead, has died at 78. A look back at his career in music, starting with a 2021 performance of Dead and Company at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

">Bob Weir, a founding member of the Grateful Dead, has died at 78. A look back at his career in music, starting with a 2021 performance of Dead and Company at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/yMTs_kwEmYz0_GyN6bh80w--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD05NDc-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/50bfa793b769937ced45a7be5bb14dec class=caas-img>Bob Weir on the red carpet for the 67th Grammy Awards on Feb. 2, 2025.

" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/K9W76Ye9E3FjxbxhT9nthA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD0xODYz/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/11dcaaca02c09adcd975b5cbba39e07d class=caas-img data-headline="Look back at big moments in Bob Weir's Grateful Dead career" data-caption="

Bob Weir on the red carpet for the 67th Grammy Awards on Feb. 2, 2025.

">Bob Weir on the red carpet for the 67th Grammy Awards on Feb. 2, 2025.

" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/K9W76Ye9E3FjxbxhT9nthA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD0xODYz/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/11dcaaca02c09adcd975b5cbba39e07d class=caas-img>Bob Weir of the Dead performs at the Gramercy Theatre in 2009.

" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/BwqjdwPJxH3Kzz.RtuE9Ow--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjc-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/d71043c36951a38b0f1454f3cfd46dc8 class=caas-img data-headline="Look back at big moments in Bob Weir's Grateful Dead career" data-caption="

Bob Weir of the Dead performs at the Gramercy Theatre in 2009.

">Bob Weir of the Dead performs at the Gramercy Theatre in 2009.

" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/BwqjdwPJxH3Kzz.RtuE9Ow--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjc-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/d71043c36951a38b0f1454f3cfd46dc8 class=caas-img>Bob Weir performs at the Gramercy Theatre on March 30, 2009, in New York City.

" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/3K8HINErZGLCDi8M9NeQBw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjc-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/d6d93d9be71a3f674ad7f6a8dabd508d class=caas-img data-headline="Look back at big moments in Bob Weir's Grateful Dead career" data-caption="

Bob Weir performs at the Gramercy Theatre on March 30, 2009, in New York City.

">Bob Weir performs at the Gramercy Theatre on March 30, 2009, in New York City.

" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/3K8HINErZGLCDi8M9NeQBw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjc-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/d6d93d9be71a3f674ad7f6a8dabd508d class=caas-img>Honoree Bob Weir attends the 2025 MusiCares Persons of the Year honoring the Grateful Dead on Jan. 31, 2025.

" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/iFD9dW1N_4sy_QJudNwD0g--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD0xODYz/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/16dfd4d9808fa64b2208486d6e279f6e class=caas-img data-headline="Look back at big moments in Bob Weir's Grateful Dead career" data-caption="

Honoree Bob Weir attends the 2025 MusiCares Persons of the Year honoring the Grateful Dead on Jan. 31, 2025.

">Honoree Bob Weir attends the 2025 MusiCares Persons of the Year honoring the Grateful Dead on Jan. 31, 2025.

" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/iFD9dW1N_4sy_QJudNwD0g--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD0xODYz/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/16dfd4d9808fa64b2208486d6e279f6e class=caas-img>From left, Jay Lane and John Mayer of Dead and Company, and honoree Bob Weir of Dead and Company and of the Grateful Dead perform at the MusiCares tribute.

" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/CQ4GyHJYn5k8dq_ublO_ww--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/c775078b686cc388781fd67413b575c7 class=caas-img data-headline="Look back at big moments in Bob Weir's Grateful Dead career" data-caption="

From left, Jay Lane and John Mayer of Dead and Company, and honoree Bob Weir of Dead and Company and of the Grateful Dead perform at the MusiCares tribute.

">From left, Jay Lane and John Mayer of Dead and Company, and honoree Bob Weir of Dead and Company and of the Grateful Dead perform at the MusiCares tribute.

" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/CQ4GyHJYn5k8dq_ublO_ww--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/c775078b686cc388781fd67413b575c7 class=caas-img>Bob Weir (second from right) with his wife and daughters, from left: Monet Weir, Natascha Weir and Chloe Weir at MusiCares.

" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/J9VnNQvjA1gUq_C4CyyjRg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/3087c69e954ebf07dc066509027286cf class=caas-img data-headline="Look back at big moments in Bob Weir's Grateful Dead career" data-caption="

Bob Weir (second from right) with his wife and daughters, from left: Monet Weir, Natascha Weir and Chloe Weir at MusiCares.

">Bob Weir (second from right) with his wife and daughters, from left: Monet Weir, Natascha Weir and Chloe Weir at MusiCares.

" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/J9VnNQvjA1gUq_C4CyyjRg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/3087c69e954ebf07dc066509027286cf class=caas-img>Bob Weir (right) and wife Natascha Weir

" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/FfY0z4dVc0oapsQKcWxRMQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD0xODYz/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/96bd745d8812e628539fda1034f7c415 class=caas-img data-headline="Look back at big moments in Bob Weir's Grateful Dead career" data-caption="

Bob Weir (right) and wife Natascha Weir

">Bob Weir (right) and wife Natascha Weir

" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/FfY0z4dVc0oapsQKcWxRMQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD0xODYz/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/96bd745d8812e628539fda1034f7c415 class=caas-img>Bob Weir accepts an award for Dead and Company during the Pollstar Awards at the Beverly Hilton on April 16, 2025.

" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/QI94cH16loFI8HRhM0DF0Q--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD0xODYz/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/d83b3a9c082da85cd5790faa46c0155f class=caas-img data-headline="Look back at big moments in Bob Weir's Grateful Dead career" data-caption="

Bob Weir accepts an award for Dead and Company during the Pollstar Awards at the Beverly Hilton on April 16, 2025.

">Bob Weir accepts an award for Dead and Company during the Pollstar Awards at the Beverly Hilton on April 16, 2025.

" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/QI94cH16loFI8HRhM0DF0Q--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD0xODYz/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/d83b3a9c082da85cd5790faa46c0155f class=caas-img>John Mayer (left), winner of residency of the year, and Bob Weir at the Pollstar Awards.

" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/nAV0FORChpHGBI0bxR2p_Q--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD0xODkz/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/e5dca32d88686a67b474e0000516cf97 class=caas-img data-headline="Look back at big moments in Bob Weir's Grateful Dead career" data-caption="

John Mayer (left), winner of residency of the year, and Bob Weir at the Pollstar Awards.

">John Mayer (left), winner of residency of the year, and Bob Weir at the Pollstar Awards.

" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/nAV0FORChpHGBI0bxR2p_Q--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD0xODkz/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/e5dca32d88686a67b474e0000516cf97 class=caas-img>Bob Weir performs at Farm Aid in 2023 at Ruoff Music Center in Noblesville, Indiana.

" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/itmhyfwLw6_qa12ahgTDNw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD0xNDMy/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/18f21c93ec7769993b7325e3382e38df class=caas-img data-headline="Look back at big moments in Bob Weir's Grateful Dead career" data-caption="

Bob Weir performs at Farm Aid in 2023 at Ruoff Music Center in Noblesville, Indiana.

">Bob Weir performs at Farm Aid in 2023 at Ruoff Music Center in Noblesville, Indiana.

" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/itmhyfwLw6_qa12ahgTDNw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD0xNDMy/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/18f21c93ec7769993b7325e3382e38df class=caas-img>Kennedy Center honorees Bill Kreutzmann (from left), Bob Weir and Bonnie Raitt attend a reception at the White House on Dec. 8, 2024.

" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/avV8K0XX7HQzcJpD1sGI3w--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/1a8727ebc546bcbd678ac08a3a5b872d class=caas-img data-headline="Look back at big moments in Bob Weir's Grateful Dead career" data-caption="

Kennedy Center honorees Bill Kreutzmann (from left), Bob Weir and Bonnie Raitt attend a reception at the White House on Dec. 8, 2024.

">Kennedy Center honorees Bill Kreutzmann (from left), Bob Weir and Bonnie Raitt attend a reception at the White House on Dec. 8, 2024.

" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/avV8K0XX7HQzcJpD1sGI3w--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/1a8727ebc546bcbd678ac08a3a5b872d class=caas-img>Kennedy Center honoree Bob Weir.

" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/55cnFifqDmppJhEtzsrw.w--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/726189dbdfc924d010e8d4347295de29 class=caas-img data-headline="Look back at big moments in Bob Weir's Grateful Dead career" data-caption="

Kennedy Center honoree Bob Weir.

">Kennedy Center honoree Bob Weir.

" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/55cnFifqDmppJhEtzsrw.w--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/726189dbdfc924d010e8d4347295de29 class=caas-img>Bob Weir (left) and Phil Lesh of the Grateful Dead.

" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/INvOFbrooEmN1mVe6LpUzw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/8824b61d1fcb30a679d6ce48a62e71b7 class=caas-img data-headline="Look back at big moments in Bob Weir's Grateful Dead career" data-caption="

Bob Weir (left) and Phil Lesh of the Grateful Dead.

">Bob Weir (left) and Phil Lesh of the Grateful Dead.

" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/INvOFbrooEmN1mVe6LpUzw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/8824b61d1fcb30a679d6ce48a62e71b7 class=caas-img>Bob Weir attends “Long Story Short: Willie Nelson 90," a star-studded two-day birthday concert for Nelson at the Hollywood Bowl on April 29, 2023.

" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/ca7Ryo5FvDIDx.yhs60HeA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/b2a5046b91c514b5eb033c675e3f7f2f class=caas-img data-headline="Look back at big moments in Bob Weir's Grateful Dead career" data-caption="

Bob Weir attends “Long Story Short: Willie Nelson 90," a star-studded two-day birthday concert for Nelson at the Hollywood Bowl on April 29, 2023.

">Bob Weir attends “Long Story Short: Willie Nelson 90," a star-studded two-day birthday concert for Nelson at the Hollywood Bowl on April 29, 2023.

" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/ca7Ryo5FvDIDx.yhs60HeA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/b2a5046b91c514b5eb033c675e3f7f2f class=caas-img>

1 / 15Look back at big moments in Bob Weir's Grateful Dead career

Bob Weir, a founding member of the Grateful Dead, has died at 78. A look back at his career in music, starting with a 2021 performance of Dead and Company at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

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That outfit, featuring Grateful Dead members Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann, along with John Mayer, Oteil Burbridge and Jeff Chimenti, remain a touring behemoth. Last year, the band ranked No. 5 on Pollstar’s Year End Worldwide Tours chart with a gross of $50.2 million.

Chatting from his home in Mill Valley, California, Weir talks to USA TODAY about his love of vinyl, the “fun” of performing with Mayer and his musical legacy.

Question: You have the shows coming up this fall in Washington, D.C., with the National Symphony Orchestra. How challenging is it to rework your music into a symphony setting?

Bobby Weir: The challenge is enormous, but as you might expect that’s why we did it. You live from challenge to challenge, in the art world at least. Otherwise, what are you doing? We could have done the shows (as planned in February), we’re pretty much ready to go. But the extra time we have will give me time to sit with the audio fellows we have and just learn how to breathe more life into the arrangements. With the Wolf Bros tour, it’s looking like, knock on wood, the omicron effect will be in the rearview mirror. Here’s hoping something else doesn’t pop up.

Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros will kick off a tour on March 9 in Nashville, Tenn.

Q: With both Wolf Bros and the symphony, you’re working in a more structured musical environment than the improv-heavy side of the Dead. Does that challenge different parts of your musical brain?

Weir: It’s really not that different. There’s a number of bars on the chart and that’s how many bars you’re going to play, no more than that. Wolf Bros is not going to do anywhere near what the Dead does and I’m getting so I know the arrangements.

Q: You and Sammy Hagar get together to jam sometimes. That does not seem like the most likely pairing?

Weir: We’re neighbors and he’s a dear friend of mine. We go back years, and the unlikeliness of the pairing is something that we delight in.

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Q: How is your Sweetwater Music Hall holding up, given the continued challenges to independent venues during the pandemic? (Weir is among the venue’s ownership group.)

Weir: It’s still limping along. The pandemic has been really, really hard on clubs. One of the things we did is turn it into a nonprofit and that has helped us a lot. We were running it for profit – though it never really made one. Live music has to rebound. I can’t imagine living in a culture where live music on the club level would no longer be available. It would be a world I don’t want to live in and I don’t think I’m alone in that feeling. The government has to step in and in this case, it did. We got our Small Business Loan and that helped substantially. Clubs have had to make some pretty serious reductions in cost, but we’ve done that and there’s still music, and that’s what we need.

A live album from Bobby Weir's Wolf Bros, "Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros: Live in Colorado," arrives Friday.

Q: This new Wolf Bros release is the first on vinyl. What do you still love about that format?

Weir: It just sounds so much better. The audio information you’re getting is more complete than what you’re getting on most any digital medium. (The album) is a pretty good representation of how we sounded in June! We’ve been rehearsing a bit and I tend to think the band sounds better.

Q: When you’re with Dead & Company, what do you love most about playing with John Mayer onstage?

Weir: John is endlessly inventive and he loves the songs. He throws himself at them and he’s a fabulous technician and can play pretty much anything you throw at him. It’s a lot of fun playing with him. Sometimes fun isn’t the most apt word I’d use to describe what we’re doing. Maybe it’s something else. It’s deep and it’s living, and that’s what we do, those moments of living.

Q: Aside from The Grateful Dead, you have such an incredible history with Furthur, Ratdog, Dead & Company and Wolf Bros. What do you think your musical legacy is after so many decades of creating?

Weir: I’m going to let people in the future decide the legacy. There are great musical cultures and great music to be found. But there is nothing quite as magical as the American songbook. I spent 60 years or so delving as deep into it and as intently as I can. I just love the stuff so much. I wish I could settle in on a particular vein of American music heritage, be it country, blues, R&B, but I just love it all and I try to play it all. I guess in years to come when people listen to me they’ll make note of the fact that he tried to play it all. We’ll see how successful people think I got.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bob Weir dies – Revisit his thoughts on live music, John Mayer

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