Bob Weir and RatDog | RatDog.Org

In 1966, Mark Karan attended his first Grateful Dead concert -- as a fan.

In 1976, after returning many times, the San Francisco Bay area native's musical taste changed and he saw his last Grateful Dead concert. In 1997, he was once again walking among the Dead, though circumstances had changed dramatically.

Two years prior, the Grateful Dead disbanded after the death of guitarist Jerry Garcia. But in 1997 the surviving members regrouped as The Other Ones and asked Karan to join them on tour.

This veteran of such bands as The Rembrandts had left the Golden Gate for Los Angeles, but on the recommendation of John Molo, former drummer for Bruce Hornsby, soon to be Other Ones band mate and future drummer for John Fogerty, Karan was back in the Bay Area, back with The Dead.

Later that year, Karan (pronounced Karen) went on to join Ratdog, the band fronted by former Grateful Dead and Other Ones guitarist Bob Weir.

Sold-out show tonight

Weir, Karan and Ratdog tonight kick off a sold-out, two-night stand at the Beacon Theater in Manhattan. After RatDog's show tonight, Karan is scheduled to head over to B.B. King's Blues Club & Grill in Manhattan and perform with G-13, a band with a psychedelic twist and earnest approach.

This weekend's shows are a short hop for Hudson Valley Deadheads accustomed to driving hundreds of miles to see music. And these concerts have an added air of anticipation, as RatDog canceled its 2004 fall tour when Weir -- a forefather of the contemporary jam band scene -- succumbed to exhaustion.

During a telephone interview with the Journal, Karan described as ''cyclical'' his evolution from teenage garage band, ''When we would pick a key and go for an hour,'' to performing quick, tight songs with Dave Mason of Traffic and bands like The Rembrandts, then on to the world of the Grateful Dead and all its many permutations.

Karan said performing in 1997 with the surviving members of the Grateful Dead as The Other Ones, 30 years after attending his first Dead show was ''like coming home. It just felt like coming home.''

Ratdog performs many Grateful Dead songs as well as original material and covers of blues standards that have always been a staple of Weir's repertoire, whether performing with the Grateful Dead or solo.

Anyone who attended Ratdog's October 2003 performance at the Bardavon 1869 Opera House in Poughkeepsie witnessed a truly explosive performance that never once used the Grateful Dead as a crutch.

Karan's talents on the six-string have been a driving force for Ratdog. He describes Weir's approach to guitar playing as ''reactive and interactive,'' one that keeps Karan and the other band members on their toes.

G-13 is scheduled to perform at 1 a.m. Saturday at B.B. King's. Tickets cost $10.