Don Was and The Pan-Detroit Ensemble Celebrate ‘Blues for Allah’ at Blue Note NYC (Gallery + Recap)

Rob Moderelli on January 14, 2026

Don Was and The Pan-Detroit Ensemble, photo by Dino Perrucci

Don Was and his expansive Pan-Detroit Ensemble took the stage at New York’s Blue Note Jazz Club on Monday, Jan. 12, for two shows celebrating the Grateful Dead and the 50th anniversary of their groundbreaking eighth studio album, Blues for Allah. The acclaimed bassist, producer and Blue Note Records president led his band through back-to-back sets that introduced audiences to their 2025 debut album, Groove in the Face of Adversity, alongside a litany of Dead covers. The evening’s tribute took on a greater gravity after the passing of Bob Weir, Was’ longtime collaborator and Wolf Bros bandmate, on Saturday.

“I assume most of you have heard that Bob Weir passed away tonight,” Was said in a fan-recorded video from his Saturday night tour kickoff from Ann Arbor, Mich.’s Blue Llama. “I don’t know, how do you deal with that when you’re putting on a show? I think of the night that Jerry Garcia died, and Bobby told me they were playing in New Hampshire. Bobby went out there and said, ‘The way to deal with grief is to play good music and celebrate Jerry’s life together,’ and we’re going to do the same thing for Bobby tonight.”

Was and The Pan-Detroit Ensemble kept that spirit alive in New York, where they took the stage with a moving treatment of Blues for Allah’s endlessly poignant centerpiece “The Music Never Stopped.” After the Was (Not Was) classics “Hello Operator” and “Carry Me Back to Old Morocco” and their recent avant-funk tune-up of Yusef Lateef’s “Nubian Lady,” the nine-piece ensemble returned to the Dead’s repertoire with Jerry Garcia’s solo original “Loser.” Blues for Allah cuts rolled in again with the “King Solomon’s Marbles” instrumental passage and Was’ live debut of the title track; from an intricate and propulsive “Shakedown Street,” the band closed on their version of The Impressions’ rousing political anthem “This Is My Country.”

Was first joined Weir and Jay Lane in the Wolf Bros trio in 2018, and the bassist regularly performed with the roots-jam project in the years that followed, including several stagings at Blue Note. After the legendary guitarist, singer and songwriter’s death was announced on Saturday, Was wrote, “I can’t believe that Bobby’s gone – it seemed like he’d outlast all of us.”

“Playing with him in the Wolf Bros over the past 7 years has been one of the most meaningful and rewarding experiences of my life. Night after night, he taught us how to approach music with fearlessness and unbridled soul – pushing us beyond what we thought was musically possible. Every show was a transcendent adventure into the unknown. Every note he played and every word he sang was designed to bring comfort and joy to our audiences.

The music he helped create over the last 60 years will continue to be felt for generations. As he sang in one of my favorite Dead songs: the music will never stop.

It was an honor to play in his band and to be his friend. Heartfelt condolences go out to Natascha, Monet and Chloe and to all of the fans who considered him to be next of kin. We’ll miss him forever.”

Get an inside look at Monday’s show in the gallery below, courtesy of photographer Dino Perrucci. Don Was and The Pan-Detroit Ensemble will return to the stage tonight at Ardmore, Pa.’s Ardmore Music Hall, then continue their anniversary celebration for Blue for Allah with 22 further dates through Feb. 15. Find tickets and more information at donwas.com.

Read the recent Relix feature on Don Was and The Pan-Detroit Ensemble here.