Photos by Andy Argyrakis

Out of the many Grateful Dead band member combinations that have popped up over the years, it took more than 50 for a pairing of just Bob Weir & Phil Lesh to finally happen. Though there were a mere six extremely sold out dates on the books, the ornate Chicago Theatre managed to grab two of them, which given its central location, attracted Deadheads from all over America (if not the entire world) to catch the guitarist/singer and bassist/co-singer make their “Bobby & Phil Duo” Tour debut.

As the clock creeped closer to midnight, the surprises kept coming, and regardless of any imperfections that popped up in the prior three hours, the simple fact that Weir & Lesh were back on stage together kept them right on point when it came to paving the golden road to unlimited devotion.

But unlike the stadium-sized “Fare Thee Well” send-off, Weir’s Dead & Company offshoot or Phil Lesh & The Terrapin Family Band, this installment started off as a much more stripped down affair on closing night. Accompanied by drummer Wally Ingram, the legendary musicians centered exclusively around acoustic editions of “Cumberland Blues,” “Tennessee Jedd,” “Alabama Getaway” and “Lazy River Road” (amongst others).

Although each was enjoyable, if only for the different approach, it wasn’t exactly the kind of vibe that had everyone itching to spread out their arms and dance, plus the arrangements exposed the vocal limitations that have come with everyone’s advancing age. Yet in terms of playing, Weir (70) and Lesh (77) were practically unstoppable and can still read each other’s minds for improvisational interaction or set list shuffling, which was especially admirable considering they haven’t collectively jammed in any format since 2015 (right here at Soldier Field).

Those characteristics came to additional life in the latter half as the Dead co-founders and Ingram were joined by keyboardist Jeff Chimenti, guitarist Larry Campbell and vocalist Teresa Williams for a much richer, meatier and groovier sound. “Crazy Fingers,” “Mountains Of The Moon,” plus a wraparound of “Cryptical Envelopment” with “Let It Grow” and “The Other One” in between, were just a few highs from the deep exploration of the Dead’s vaults. As the clock creeped closer to midnight, the surprises kept coming, and regardless of any imperfections that popped up in the prior three hours, the simple fact that Weir & Lesh were back on stage together kept them right on point when it came to paving the golden road to unlimited devotion.

Click here for more photos of Bob Weir & Phil Lesh at the Chicago Theatre.

For additional information on Bob Weir & Phil Lesh, visit BobbyAndPhil.com.

Upcoming concert highlights at the Chicago Theatre include “Celebration Of The ‘70s” (Mar. 17); Brit Floyd (Mar. 23); Cedric The Entertainer (Mar. 24); WGCI Presents “Take Over Jam” (Mar. 29); The Decemberists (Apr. 10); Trey Anastasio Band (Apr. 20-21) and John Prine (Apr. 27). For additional details, visit TheChicagoTheatre.com.

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