John Mayer sheds tears during emotional tribute to Grateful Dead legend Bob Weir
John Mayer broke down in tears as he paid tribute to "icon" Bob Weir during a public memorial for the Grateful Dead musician in San Francisco, California on Saturday (17.01.26).
John Mayer broke down in tears as he paid a heartfelt tribute to Grateful Dead legend Bob Weir during a public memorial in San Francisco.
Fans of Grateful Dead gathered at Civic Center Plaza on Saturday (17.01.26) to honour the late guitarist, who died on January 10 at the age of 78, just months after being diagnosed with cancer.
Among those addressing the crowd was Mayer, who formed a close bond with Weir through their work together in Grateful Dead offshoot Dead and Company.
Opening his speech, the musician revealed a personal connection, telling the audience that he and Bob Weir shared the same birthday, with Weir born 30 years earlier.
He said: “In the 30 years that preceded me, Bob had become a countercultural icon. I was a child of the 1980s. I come from a world of structural thinking, the concept, the theorizing, the reassessing, the perfecting.”
The rock star continued: “Bob learned early on that spirit, heart, soul, curiosity, and fearlessness was the path to glory. We both found success with each of our templates, and then we found each other.”
Mayer went on to reflect on the decade they spent working side by side.
He said: “Over the course of a decade, we came to trust each other. He taught me, among many other things, to trust in the moment… I guess maybe what I was really doing was showing him he could rely on me. Bob took a chance on me. He staked his entire reputation on my joining a band with him. He gave me musical community, he gave me this community.”
According to Rolling Stone, Mayer became visibly emotional as he recalled how Weir welcomed him into the Grateful Dead’s musical world.
He said: “He lent me his songbook, invited me into the worlds he’d constructed, and taught me what the songs meant and what it meant to perform them. In return, I gave him everything I had night after night, year after year.”
Fighting back tears, Mayer concluded with a lyric from Leon Russell’s A Song for You, saying he imagined Weir speaking through the words.
The memorial opened with a prayer from four Buddhist monks and also featured a speech from folk icon Joan Baez. Mayer later returned to the stage alongside Weir’s family, Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart, and Dead and Company musicians Jeff Chimenti and Oteil Burbridge to perform Ripple. Fans laid red roses at an altar adorned with candles and photographs, bringing a moving tribute to a close.
