Wichita Falls Times Record News
March 4, 2004
by David Nielsen
Many professional athletes despise playing before a sparse crowd.
At least one rock star, former Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir, doesn't mind. He'll perform anywhere.
Is there any clearer illustration of the difference between two of America's most envied professions?
Weir recently took time out from touring with his band RatDog to receive the Scripps Howard Super Sage Award trophy. His prediction of New England 33, Carolina 24, was the closest out of 148 celebrities who participated in the 15th annual Scripps Howard Celebrity Super Bowl Poll. The Patriots won, 32-29.
Before a concert last Saturday in Phoenix, Weir spoke of his love for sports - especially football - and his passion for performing.
"What really gets my adrenalin up is (an intimate setting) like a living room," said Weir, relaxing backstage in shorts and flip-flops. "Every night's a challenge. It doesn't matter what the size of the crowd is. I like ballparks and I like clubs."
Weir has had plenty of time and gigs to form his opinion. As one of the founding members of the Grateful Dead, he toured the world with Jerry Garcia and the band for 30 years until Garcia died in 1995. One of their most memorable shows was the infamous Watkins Glen (N.Y.) rock festival in 1973.
"There were a couple of million people in the surrounding area," said Weir. "I think it was the biggest crowd in the history of the Western Hemisphere - that's what I'm told it was. Only about half a million could actually hear and see us. It was declared a disaster area. It wasn't exactly a disaster, but it was a mess, I'll say that.
"There were only three bands there, (The Grateful Dead, the Band and the Allman Brothers). It didn't get all that much press. They were trying actually to downplay it. All you heard about afterwards was the Governor declared the area a disaster area and to stay away."
The Watkins Glen crowd estimate dwarfs the attendance for professional sporting events, including the 112,376 who watched the Dallas Cowboys play an exhibition game with the Houston Oilers in Mexico City in 1994 or the 92,706 who attended a World Series game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago White Sox in the L.A. Coliseum in 1959.
"Yeah, but those are stadiums," Weir said. "They're only so many people you can get in them. This was a great big field in the middle of nowhere, sort of a natural amphitheater - a bowl kind of deal. Half of them in the amphitheater you couldn't see or hear. But there were lots of people back there trying to get up in front."
Weir will be playing at smaller venues with RatDog through April. This summer he will reunite with the Dead, which is comprised of several former members of the Grateful Dead.
"I have no plans on retiring," said Weir, 56. "It's fulfilling, it's fun, it's all that kind of stuff."
Despite the demands of touring - or perhaps because of it - Weir maintains a steady workout regimen on the road. He works out daily, either at his hotel or a local gym.
"I do a lot of stuff," said Weir. "I run, I do weights. I do yoga."
When he's back home in Mill Valley, Calif., he follows sports just like any other fan. He likes to drive down to watch the San Francisco Giants play at SBC (formerly Pac Bell) Park, but his true passion is football. He plays every fall in a flag-football league, he's an avid 49ers fan, and he'll watch just about anything gridiron-related.
"I just love football," said Weir. "I'll watch high school football. I'll watch Pop Warner football."