Looking back on Bob Weir's performance the night Jerry Garcia died
As the music world reflects on the legacy of Grateful Dead frontman Bob Weir, it highlights his connection to New Hampshire on the day a fellow rock legend passed away.
Weir was scheduled to perform the night of Aug. 9, 1995, at the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom, one of a long list of performances by legendary music artists at the venue in Manchester, New Hampshire. It was also booked the night after Weir's Grateful Dead co-founder, Jerry Garcia, passed away.
After the news broke, Ballroom director Andrew Herrick says the venue suddenly had to rush to find solutions to accommodate a growing crowd outside as much as the one inside.
"Our box office basically hit the panic button," he said. "We sold this show out in five seconds, and then another few thousand people showed up."
Herrick said that the night was peaceful, despite the crowd size. He said that Weir even played through a scheduled live TV appearance, as part of his memorial for his former bandmate.
"No one could have handled it better than Bob Weir," he said. "The way that he dealt with the night and what he gave his fans was just super special."
The show was a major chapter in a partnership with the Ballroom that lasted for years. Herrick said RatDog performed at the venue twice a year for at least a decade, with every show sold out.
"We had so many great nights with them, from having to take a grand piano down our front steps, to having to find their tour manager's leather chair in our rafters," Herrick said. "We've had a lot of great stories with RatDog and Bob Weir."
Herrick said Weir's death marks a significant loss not only for Deadheads, but for the art of live music as a whole.
"It's a sad day. It's a big loss for music. But, you know, everyone should just go see their favorite band and live through that spirit again," he said.
