Back in 2017, I was fortunate enough to see Bobby play at Etown music hall in Boulder for a crowd of 200ish people. We were all getting excited for the Garcia birthday bash at red rocks when it was announced that Bob would be doing the Etown music hall Radio Show hosted by Nick Forester.
Tickets sold out before I could even look but, as any determined deadhead would do, I called the venue and plead my case. Sure enough they rang me back later that day and offered me a ticket. The lady apparently liked my name lol.
It was GA seating so I got there super early and snagged a seat in the second row. It was a magical evening. Bob played a ton of music including a bunch of the newly released Blue Mountain. He also did a nice long interview with Nick. It was awe-inspiring to be like 15 feet from Bobby listening to him talk about his life.
After the show they were lingering a bit on stage getting pictures. I tried to get closer to say hi to Bob and snag a picture but he gave us a wave and left the stage.
I saw AJ, his guitar tech, starting to break stuff down and so I just shot out "he AJ, could I get one of Bob's picks" AJ replied "sorry man but those aren't mine to give out".
In a moment of quick thinking I said "what if I trade Bob one of my picks?" And pulled my Jazz III out of my pocket. AJ thought for a moment and said "that seems like a fair trade".
He grabbed Bob's pick and handed it to me in exchange for mine. What happened to my pick? Who knows! Maybe Bob got a kick out of it and plucked some tunes with it back stage.
This pick has stayed on my altar since the day I got it. What a beautiful gift that man has given us.
I just thought tal may enjoy the story.
Here's a link to the Etown event if anyone wants to listen.
https://www.etown.org/broadcasts/bob-weir-john-fullbright-pt-2/
great story, im sorry but its also very funny to me that you specified you use jazz iii's lol
lol honestly I don't even use them anymore. I was def a fan boy for a while. I got into the V-picks GOAT they designed with Bobby but they stopped producing them I think.
This sub almost went a whole 5 minutes without mention of jazz 3's until this post!
the ONLY pick for mixolydian scale noodling
He probably gets paid a royalty every time he says it publicly.
I wish... you know a guy?
the mentioning of jazz iii picks is essential to the story because it’s the same kind bob used, apparently. i mean, is that not a jazz iii with a hole through it in the picture?
My understanding was the Jazz III was Bob's pick of choice and basically why I mentioned it. I'm a firm student of Bob down to his pick choice lol. I've moved on to other picks but I do think this style of pick helps trying to sound like Bob.
edit just double checked the pick. It's a Jazz I
there ya go. 🙌 “close enough for jazz”
amazing story though and thanks for sharing. i love that the tech accepted an egalitarian trade.
Ha same. Dunno what sparked me to offer my pick but it seemed reasonable and apparently AJ thought the same!
Did he drill a hole in it for better grip?
I would guess a combo of grip and just feeling the fingers touch. As I said in a comment above, Bob helped design a pick with V-picks called the G.O.A.T which also had a hole in the middle. So whatever it was, he liked it. I also enjoyed the feeling and bought many GOATs but lost them all and dunno if the make them anymore.
Yup. It's not uncommon.
I’m stealing that idea.
Better grip and air circulation (dryer finger tips) if you drill a few small holes.
https://preview.redd.it/icfdvaspescg1.jpeg?width=1079&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7a85d4d40c0af55cd691489237b13a1eb0e3f382
And you can use them as cool buttons!
https://preview.redd.it/udpwq25rescg1.jpeg?width=551&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=acb4c6eab229f7a09b280d6e450da387f34e4ef3
It sucks when you drop a pick during performance
That's great, thanks for sharing.
Thanks for reading. Glad people enjoyed it. Brings me some joy in these challenging 24-ish hours.
Thanks for the story friend.
I love hearing stories like this. It's like, if we can forever hear stories about Bobby that we've never heard before, he's not really gone because there's still something new to learn and love. ♥️
That’s sweet! Didn’t know he had done Etown again, or that it was still going.
I lived in Boulder 88-98. The only time I met Bob directly was at the 93 Etown rainforest benefit. I worked at Alfalfa’s and we had donated catering, and my Deadhead boss knew to tap me as one of the volunteers. During a break Bob was hanging with his manager (can’t remember his name) in the lobby, and I finally said F it and went up to say hi and thank you. A little surreal, I kept it short and sweet. Cool music that night including the Bob and Rob mini set, worth a listen.
sweet story…precious memory 🙏
Thank you for that. And that is an awesome story.
Fuck yeah
So epic! I'm glad you got to experience such a beautiful moment with a beautiful human! Thanks for sharing your story and the link. I will be listening to this tonight.
Awesome awesome awesome
https://preview.redd.it/lb90mdmv6vcg1.png?width=720&format=png&auto=webp&s=792ca848ff37de67a72cacefd8712978f90a9eec
Just got this after liking your comment. I know ✌️💟♥️☮️💐☯️🙏💀🥀
May there be comfort & peace. Much love with God Speed!
Great story!
Thanks friend!