Don Was and Co. Honor Dead at Dakota

Don Was and The Pan-Detroit Ensemble paid big respect to the Grateful Dead, the recently departed Bob Weir, and the band’s 1975 classic LP Blues for Allah, at a pair of shows at Minneapolis’s Dakota Sunday, Oct. 4.

They opened the second show with a cover of Hank Williams’ “I Ain’t Got Nothing But Time.” It seemed appropriate kicking off the show with a country cover, given that genre’s influence on the Dead.

The recent passings of Weir (who died in January) and bassist Phil Lesh (in 2024) feel like the closing of major chapters of the Grateful Dead’s story. 

Was, president of Blue Note Records, a Grammy-winning producer who worked with the likes of The Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan, was also a member of Bobby Weir’s Wolf Bros.

The ensemble also covered “You Asked, I Came,” which Was first recorded for the soundtrack for the 1994 “Backbeat” and originally featured trumpet player Terence Blanchard and pianist Eric Reed.

The band played one more before getting into the main cause, covering New Zealand dub/reggae group Fat Freddy’s Drop’s “Midnight Marauders.”

The Blues’ material started with “Help on the Way/Slipknot” into “Franklin’s Tower,” by far the most recognizable songs from the album. The three-song suite was not always played together by the Dead, though they often were.

“I hope you feel the deep respect I have for this music and the fans,” Was said at one point during the Blues material.

The group played the album in order, with the lesser known “King Soloman’s Marbles” next. The song, an instrumental written by Lesh and drummer Billy Kreutzman and Mickey Hart, was only played by the Dead in 1975.

Was, whose accomplishments in the music industry are immense, said performing with Weir’s Wolf Bros was “one of the great honors of my life.”

Was said he was uneasy taking on the role as bassist for Wolf Bros, which launched in 2018, and initially made an effort to emulate Lesh in the role, he said.

But Bobby stopped him.

Weir, Was recalled, told him, “All Phil was doing was playing like himself, so you play like yourself.”

On that note, Was acknowledged “Detroit-acizing” Blues for Allah.

The Pan-Detroit Ensemble brought serious jazz firepower with vocalist Steffanie Christi’an and long-time collaborators Dave McMurray on sax and Eminem keyboardist Luis Resto. 

The band also included trombonist Vincent Chandler, trumpeter John Douglas, drummer Jeff Canaday, percussionist Mahindi Masai, and guitarist Wayne Gerard.

Christi’an’s vocals were powerful on “The Music Never Stopped,” another Dead favorite.

“Crazy Fingers” was the last of the better known Blues’ songs.

“Sage and Spirit” included a flute solo from McMurray.

Following the band’s performance of the title track, Was said, “Blues for Allah, for Bobby Weir.”

The band ended their set with Deadhead favorite “Shakedown Street,” from the 1978 LP of the same name.