BOB WEIR at Balboa Theatre

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2. BOB WEIR

With a touring history that has made him on of the most traveled road musicians of all time and a restless music personality that has kept him occupied for over 50 years, BOB WEIR knows a thing or two about staying fresh and living in the moment. Although best known as one of the founding members of the Grateful Dead, adding Dead staples such as "Truckin'", Sugar Magnolia", and "Cassidy" to the band's catalog, Weir obtained a long and affluent music career that has allowed him to do what he loves and share it with others for nearly his entire life.

As a teen, he secured his spot as one of the youngest members of the burgeoning folk scene that centered on a Palo Alto club called the Tangent--home to such future rock legends as Jerry Garcia, Jefferson Airplane guitarist Jorma Kaukonen and Janis Joplin. In 1964, at the age of 17, Weir spent the majority of his time at a Palo Alto music store where Garcia taught guitar lessons. It wasn't long before Weir and Garcia, along with Ron "Pigpen" McKernan, formed a blues and folk outfit. Originally called Mother McCree's Uptown Jug Champions, the band was later renamed The Warlocks--adding Phil Lesh and Bill Kreutzman to the lineup--and eventually became known as the Grateful Dead.

In the mid 90s, Weir formed the band RatDog with Rob Wasserman, eventually adding Jay Lane and Matthew Kelly to the mix. In 1998 Weir reunited with several former Dead bandmates to tour as The Other Ones, and in 2009 he and Phil Lesh created the group Furthur, arguably one of the most successful Dead projects Weir has participated in to date.

While not consumed by music, Weir spends a great deal of his time as a social activist in environmental and political issues.