John Mayer led 25,000 in a sing-along to the Grateful Dead‘s “Ripple” at a ceremony to honor former Dead member Bob Weir. “We have only begun to make sense of what has gone missing,” said Mayer in his eulogy.
“He taught me, among many other things,” Mayer added, “to trust in the moment, and I’d like to think I taught him a little bit to rely on a plan, not as a substitute for the divine moments, but as a way to lure them in a little closer. 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.”
After his tribute, Mayer picked up a guitar and kicked off the sing-along. Joining Mayer on stage were members of Weir’s family, fellow Grateful Dead member Mickey Hart; former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi; and musicians Joan Baez, Jay Lane, Jeff Chimenti and Oteil Burbridge.
Weir passed away on January 10th at age 78.
