Jerry Garcia probably would have enjoyed himself.

In front of a packed Thomas Wolfe auditorium, Bob Weir, former singer, songwriter and guitarist of the Grateful Dead, dished out a selection of his blues-type compositions plus two covers on March 4 in downtown Asheville.

In a floppy Stetson, the 72-year-old Weir, backed only by a drummer and upright bass, sang with a solid voice and moaned like a pained dog on “Midnight Rodeo” and played slide licks a la Asheville native Warren Haynes on the tune “Sailor Sale.”

Prior to playing Marty Robbin’s “El Paso,” Weir said he was going to play it in the people’s key of D. Backed only by his drummer and bassplayer, Weir also played Bob Dylan’s “She Belongs to Me.”

Jerry Garcia, the Dead’s other singer-songwriter-guitarist, died in 1995. Legend has it he and Weir met one New Year’s Eve. It was about to turn1963 when Weir, acoustic guitar in tow, walked into a music store to find Garcia with a banjo awaiting his next student. The twosome gave it a whirl and the rest is cultural history.

Weir, with the other Dead originals — bassist Phil Lesh and drummer Mickey Hart — still perform on occasion. Weir, with his current line-up, spent the summer playing outdoor festivals.  

Nearly all of the 2,200-person capacity crowd at the Asheville concert stood up during the entire nearly two-hour set — and many were decked out in a manner identifying them as still-active Deadheads. After the show, many stood outside drinking beer and smoking various substances.

In the original band, Garcia played most of the lead guitar lines and supposedly he and other bandmates chided Weir for playing his electric guitar like an acoustic. Half a century later, it’s evident he’s caught on. Weir often made it sound like two guitars were playing. At one point, he made his Stratocaster sound like a piano.

Several times, Weir has performed in  Warren Haynes annual Chrismas Jams in Asheville. In turn, Haynes has played alongside Weir in various incantations of the Dead and has also performed with Allman Brothers Band. 

Various circumstances canceled the Christmas Jam this past year, but, reportedly, the tradition will resume this year.