A cross-generational mix of musicians, politicians, fans, family members and close friends gathered in San Francisco this afternoon for a free, public memorial for Bob Weir. Billed as the Grateful Dead co-founder’s Homecoming, the celebration of life took place in Civic Center Plaza, which is nestled between Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, City Hall and other important government buildings, drawing an estimated crowd of around 25,000. The program came together in the days following Weir’s passing on January 10 and was organized by promoters Another Planet and Live Nation, the musician’s current management team Activist Artists and the Dead-aligned sound company UltraSound. Derek Featherstone of UltraSound served as the event’s lead producer.

The Homecoming began with a three-block procession down Market Street between 7th and 9th Streets. Fitting for a man who spent his life on tour, a hearse followed by a tour bus that featured the Steal Your Face logo prominently displayed. Weir’s trademark cowboy hat and guitar also rested on stage during the Civic Center Plaza event.

Weir’s interests famously ranged from music to politics and spots, and the gathering celebrated his rich connection to all those varied facets of popular culture. Fittingly, throughout the Homecoming, images of Weir, his family, various friends and his different bandmates were projected on the screens as a range familiar faces discussed his lasting impact.

Most notably, Weir’s wife Natascha and their daughters Chloe and Monet offered an emotional tribute, with Chloe–a photographer who has documented her father and many other acts in concert–proudly proclaiming that, in 30 years, a 60-year-old fan will brag to someone in their 20s about seeing the Dead when Weir was “in the band.” At one point, Natascha also commented on a hawk flying over the crowd, which later appeared while the crowd sang “Not Fade Away.” In another spiritual moment earlier in the program, the Gyuto Foundation Monks touched on meeting the Dead when they first arrived in America and, at the request of Grateful Dead percussionist Mickey Hart, offered healing prayers.

Nancy Pelosi–the former Speaker of the House, a longtime Bay Area politician and an outspoken Deadhead–noted Weir’s efforts to preserve Democracy and encourage voting, and San Francisco mayor Daniel Lurie offered a few words about the lifelong Bay Area resident. (On the political front, Weir inspired the creation of HeadCount and has served on its board since shortly after its inception.)

Joan Baez, a direct tie to the Dead’s formative, folk-inspired roots and the counterculture that they helped carry into the 21st century, joked that both she and Weir used to play on stage barefoot and performed a stirring rendition of Odetta’s “Oh, Freedom.” And Hart, the only surviving member of the Grateful Dead able to appear in person, emphasized Weir’s hope that their music would continue to be performed and enjoyed for another 300 years, tapping into his own love of rhythmic vibration by leading the expansive crowd in a group clap.

Guitarist John Mayer, a later-in-life Dead convert who has performed with Weir in Dead & Company since 2015 and has been instrumental in bringing the Dead’s music to new generations, offered the event’s climax, admitting that “we have only begun to make sense of what has gone missing” in the wake of the guitarist’s passing. Mayer’s impassioned speech reminded the audience that he and Weir were born on the same day 30 years apart, admitting that they lived very different lives, during very different eras, before finally connecting. In addition to highlighting Weir’s continued influence on his own music and cultural outlook, the guitarist explained that, at this time, the song that is providing him with the most comfort is actually Leon Russell’s “A Song For You,” as he imagines Weir saying the lyrics, “But now I’m so much better, so if my words don’t come together/ Listen to the melody, ’cause my love’s in there hiding.”

At the end of his eulogy, Mayer picked up an acoustic guitar and led the crowd in a sing-along version of the American Beauty classic “Ripple.” A chorus comprised of Weir’s close friends and family members, including Hart, Baez, Natascha, Chloe and Monet all took the stage to aid the guitarist in the moment. Dead & Company’s Jay Lane, Jeff Chimenti and Oteil Burbridge also all attended the memorial and Chimenti, who likely played more gigs with Weir than anyone since Jerry Garcia’s passing, could be prominently seen on stage during “Ripple.”

Throughout the Homecoming, several over notable names who touched Weir throughout his storied career sent in video reflections, including the 49s’ George Kittle and Nick Bosa
, Bruce Hornsby, 
Grace Potter, Dead archivist David Lemieux, Primus’ Les Claypool and Larry LaLonde
, Wynona Judd, Jack Johnson, Don Was, Rhino Records’ Mark Pinkus, Sammy Hagar, Dave Matthews, Trey Anastasio, Ramblin’ Jack, Warren Haynes and Willie Nelson. Bill Kreutzmann, the only remaining member of the Dead’s original lineup, also contributed a reflection, noting that he was celebrating his musical brother close to home in Hawaii.