Furthur Cancel BottleRock Festival Gig After Bob Weir’s Stage Fall
Furthur have canceled their headline appearance at the inaugural BottleRock Napa Valley on May 9th, news that comes less than a week after singer and guitarist Bob Weir fell down mid-song onstage while the Grateful Dead offshoot performed April 25th at the Capitol Theater in Port Chester, New York.
With his crew quickly assisting him into a chair, Weir was able to finish the song but then exited the stage with his bandmates. After a short pause, the band returned without Weir. Bassist Phil Lesh told the crowd that Weir had suffered from a strained shoulder earlier in the day and would not be able to finish the concert with them. The band played on, eliciting a mixed response from fans.
Bob Weir Falls Onstage During Furthur Show
Weir returned at full capacity for Furthur’s following show on April 27th in Atlantic City, New Jersey. That night, Weir reportedly sang and played with force, as if to demonstrate his health and vitality.
On Monday night, though, Weir’s TRI Studios announced the BottleRock cancellation with a Facebook status update that read in part, “Grateful Dead and Furthur co-founder Bob Weir is unable to perform in any capacity for the next several weeks. Bob looks forward to resuming his ‘Weir Here’ broadcasts from TRI Studios in mid-to-late June and performing his solo acoustic shows June 26th-30th.”
Meanwhile, Furthur released an official statement saying that they expect to return to the road – with Weir – on July 11th at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. That show will kick-off an extensive tour that will trek across America through early October.
BottleRock, a first-year festival that features the Black Keys, Kings of Leon, Jane’s Addiction, the Shins, the Flaming Lips, Primus and dozens more will still go on as planned. There is no indication yet whether organizers plan to find a replacement band to fill Furthur’s slot.