Don Was & the Pan-Detroit Ensemble
On what would have been Bob Weir’s 79th birthday, his longtime friend and Wolf Bros bandmate Don Was led the nine-piece Pan-Detroit Ensemble through the Grateful Dead’s 1975 jazz-fusion masterpiece, Blues for Allah, from start to finish. It was a fitting send-off for the guitarist, who died on January 10, 2026.
“Just Be Yourself”
Before the band dove into the album, Was told the crowd about co-founding Wolf Bros with Weir in 2018. Stepping into the bass chair in Grateful Dead music, he admitted, he first struggled with the urge to copy Phil Lesh. Weir set him straight: Phil was only ever being himself, so the best way to honor Phil was for Don to be himself too.
“Playing with Bobby Weir and The Wolf Bros drew me deep into the music of the Grateful Dead,” Was has said, and he calls Weir’s “The Music Never Stopped” his favorite Dead song.
Blues for Allah, Detroit-Style
With Was anchoring on bass, the band fused the Dead’s exploratory psychedelia with Motor City jazz, soul and funk, horns blazing.
I Ain’t Got Nothin’ but Time · You Asked, I Came · Midnight Marauders
Help on the Way > Slipknot! > Franklin’s Tower · King Solomon’s Marbles · The Music Never Stopped · Crazy Fingers · Sage and Spirit · Blues for Allah
Insane · Shakedown Street · This Is My Country
The Pan-Detroit Ensemble
Don Was · bass Dave McMurray · sax Vincent Chandler · trombone John Douglas · trumpet Wayne Gerard · guitar Phil Whitfield · keys Jeff Canady · drums Mahindi Masai · percussion Steffanie Christi’an · vocals
Take It Home
This live album captures the band’s full Blues for Allah performance, from “Help on the Way > Slipknot! > Franklin’s Tower” through the closing title track.
“We hope that this record conveys our deep respect and love for this music.” — Don Was
Pre-Order the LPHappy Birthday, Bobby
The music never stopped.
Don Was Tour DatesBrought to you by The Grateful Dead Live
