SLCene Suggests: Bob Weir & Ratdog at Red Butte Garden

BOB WEIR & RATDOG, RED BUTTE GARDEN, Thursday, July 10, 6:30 p.m., $55

You don’t need to be a Grateful Dead fan to appreciate the scene that has supported that band and its members’ various side projects. When Jerry Garcia died, those projects became the primary means for the surviving members to keep playing music, and for the fans to keep their connection to the Dead alive. For singer/songwriter/guitarist Bob Weir, the primary outlet has been Ratdog, a remarkably skilled clan of players who join Weir for songs old and new, including some mean cover tunes. Suffice to say, Red Butte Garden will be a serious party zone Thursday night when Weir and Ratdog take over for a full night under the stars–no opener necessary.