Musicians salute Bob Weir in Aspen performance

On a midwinter night in Aspen, Detroit legend Don Was will turn the Wheeler Opera House into a Grateful Dead sanctuary.

Don Was and the Pan-Detroit Ensemble will perform the entire “Blues for Allah” record, marking the album’s 50th anniversary and paying tribute to the Dead’s founding member Bob Weir — along with music from the ensemble’s 2025 release from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Jan. 30 at the Wheeler Opera House.

Honoring Bob Weir

The multifaceted Grammy-winning record producer Was has performed in Aspen several times over the years, including with Grateful Dead guitarist Weir, who passed away unexpectedly on Jan. 10. They were both part of the current band Wolf Bros, founded in 2018 with Was on bass and Weir on guitar. Weir was aware the Ensemble was performing “Blues for Allah.”

“Bobby had heard it and thought it was a great idea,” Was said.

Since Weir’s death, the Ensemble’s tour audience has shifted, drawing in more Deadheads and turning performances into what he called “mini wakes for Bobby,” Was said.

“I had talked to him about the night Jerry Garcia died. He had a gig with his own band, and he went out and played based on the premise that the best way to soothe grief is with good music,” he said. “It’s true to his spirit.”

Weir passed away 11,111 days after Garcia.

By 2025, Weir had beaten pancreatic cancer, and his future looked bright, so it was a shock for Was when Weir died of a lung complication.

“I got the call that he was gone about 30 minutes before our first show of this tour in Ann Arbor, Michigan,” he said of the Ensemble’s sold-out Jan. 10 show. “I had to go out and tell the audience. I really didn’t feel like playing, to be honest. I remembered what he did, and I had his voice in my head saying, ‘Get out there, and f’n play!’ So that’s what we’ve been trying to do. We talk about him and try to celebrate him in the show.”

Was is a force in the music industry. He’s won six Grammy Awards as a record producer, including the 1989 Album of the Year for Bonnie Raitt’s “Nick of Time” and the 1994 Producer of the Year. He’s a musician, record producer, music director, film composer, documentary filmmaker, and radio host. He has been president of Blue Note Records since 2011.

In 2024, the Americana Music Foundation honored Was with a Lifetime Achievement Award at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. 

The Ensemble’s new album

At the Wheeler, Don Was and the Pan-Detroit Ensemble will perform selections from their 2025 album, “Groove in the Face of Adversity.” Prior to Weir’s passing, Was shared the following with The Aspen Times:

“It’s what our band is trying to do today, in times of chaos, confusion, and stress,” Was said. “We’re going from city to city. We know at the end of the day, people will feel better at the end of the show than when they walk in.”

Debuting in 2024, the Pan-Detroit Ensemble is his latest group of top-tier jazz musicians from his hometown of Detroit.

The Pan-Detroit Ensemble includes Dave McMurray on saxophone, Oscar-winning keyboardist Luis Resto, trombonist Vincent Chandler, drummer Jeff Canady, percussionist Mahindi Masai, guitarist Wayne Gerard, and vocalist Steffanie Christ’an.

When asked what song on the 2025 album changed the most from initial form to final track, he highlighted the Hank Williams song, “I Ain’t Got Nothin’ But Time.”

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“If you listen to our version of it and Hank Williams’ version, you have to listen really closely to see what it’s got to do with Hank Williams,” Was shared. “We kept the lyrics. Everything else is pretty different — certainly, a strong transformation.”

If a listener only has time to listen to one track on the album, the Hank Williams song is it.

“It’s kind of like our handshake. Nice to meet you, and we’re going to take it somewhere,” Was said. “The band has already evolved since the album. The conversation on stage has gotten more interesting. I’m excited to see where this band goes.” 

He has not played at the Wheeler Opera House before.

“I know it’s a great old place,” he said, looking forward to the opportunity.

“Every show is an adventure because they are all different because the audience becomes part of the band, really,” Was said. “When you get that flow of energy going, there will be a couple of times during the course of the night when you can blow the roof off the place.”

The Wheeler Opera House is located at 320 E. Hyman Ave. For more information, visit wheeleroperahouse.com/event/don-was-the-detroit-pan-ensemble-blues-for-allah-50th-anniversary-tour.