As a lone hawk circled above, thousands gathered under the bright blue sky at Civic Center Plaza in San Francisco on Saturday to honor the late Grateful Dead guitarist and vocalist Bob Weir.
The memorial event, dubbed “Homecoming,” brought together fans, friends, family members and dignitaries to honor the artist, and highlight his legacy as a musician who built community with his art and hoped to make the world a better place.
Weir, a founding member of the Grateful Dead and one of the defining figures of psychedelic rock and the jam-band movement, died on Jan. 10 of lung issues after battling cancer, according to a statement from his family. He was 78.
Weir co-founded the Grateful Dead in 1965 in Palo Alto. Over the years, the band built the most famously devoted fanbase in rock history – known as the Deadheads – mainly through constant touring and a commitment to changing up the setlist on a nightly basis so that no two Dead shows were the same.
Bob Weir’s wife Natascha Münter, center, with daughters Chloe, left, and Monet, right, along with others, including bassist Oteil Burbridge, left, sing the Grateful Dead song “Ripple” as Dead & Company guitarist John Mayer plays during her dad’s memorial at Civic Center Plaza in San Francisco, Calif., on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. Thousands of people gathered to say goodbye to the Grateful Dead’s co-founder and guitarist, who passed away on Jan. 10. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) Grateful Dead fans attend the Bob Weir memorial at Civic Center Plaza in San Francisco, Calif., on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. Thousands of people gathered to say goodbye to the band’s co-founder and guitarist, who passed away on Jan. 10. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) Grateful Dead fan Alexis Lacivita, of San Francisco, center, and others attend the Bob Weir memorial at Civic Center Plaza in San Francisco, Calif., on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. Thousands of people gathered to say goodbye to the band’s co-founder and guitarist, who passed away on Jan. 10. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) Bob Weir’s wife Natascha Münter, blows a kiss to fans from his hearse as they arrive for a memorial at Civic Center Plaza in San Francisco, Calif., on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. Thousands of people gathered to say goodbye to the Grateful Dead’s co-founder and guitarist, who passed away on Jan. 10. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) Grateful Dead fans attend the Bob Weir memorial at Civic Center Plaza in San Francisco, Calif., on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. Thousands of people gathered to say goodbye to the band’s co-founder and guitarist, who passed away on Jan. 10. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) Dead & Company lead guitarist John Mayer speaks at the Bob Weir memorial at Civic Center Plaza in San Francisco, Calif., on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. Thousands of people gathered to say goodbye to the Grateful Dead’s co-founder and guitarist, who passed away on Jan. 10. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) Grateful Dead fans console each other at the Bob Weir memorial at Civic Center Plaza in San Francisco, Calif., on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. Thousands of people gathered to say goodbye to the band’s co-founder and guitarist, who passed away on Jan. 10. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) Grateful Dead fans Arlon Owensby, of Seattle, and Andrea Harold, of Sacramento, dance at the Bob Weir memorial at Civic Center Plaza in San Francisco, Calif., on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. Thousands of people gathered to say goodbye to the band’s co-founder and guitarist, who passed away on Jan. 10. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart speaks at the Bob Weir memorial at Civic Center Plaza in San Francisco, Calif., on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. Thousands of people gathered to say goodbye to the band’s co-founder and guitarist, who passed away on Jan. 10. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) Grateful Dead fans Anthony Terranova, of San Diego, and Tessie Whitemore, of Los Angeles, attend the Bob Weir memorial at Civic Center Plaza in San Francisco, Calif., on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. Thousands of people gathered to say goodbye to the band’s co-founder and guitarist, who passed away on Jan. 10. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) Dead & Company lead guitarist John Mayer plays “Ripple” during the Bob Weir memorial at Civic Center Plaza in San Francisco, Calif., on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. Thousands of people gathered to say goodbye to the Grateful Dead’s co-founder and guitarist, who passed away on Jan. 10. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) Grateful Dead fans John Peknik, and his daughter Scarlet, 4, of Sacramento, attend the Bob Weir memorial at Civic Center Plaza in San Francisco, Calif., on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. Thousands of people gathered to say goodbye to the band’s co-founder and guitarist, who passed away on Jan. 10. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) Bob Weir’s daughter Monet, flanked by her mom Natascha Münter, left, and sister Chloe, right, speaks at her dad’s memorial at Civic Center Plaza in San Francisco, Calif., on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. Thousands of people gathered to say goodbye to the Grateful Dead’s co-founder and guitarist, who passed away on Jan. 10. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) A hawk flies over the Bob Weir memorial at Civic Center Plaza in San Francisco, Calif., on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. Thousands of people gathered to say goodbye to the Grateful Dead’s co-founder and guitarist, who passed away on Jan. 10. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) Grateful Dead fans are emotional as they attend the Bob Weir memorial at Civic Center Plaza in San Francisco, Calif., on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. Thousands of people gathered to say goodbye to the band’s co-founder and guitarist, who passed away on Jan. 10. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) Grateful Dead drummer, Mickey Hart, musician and activist Joan Baez, and keyboardist Jeff Chimenti, from left, attend the Bob Weir memorial at Civic Center Plaza in San Francisco, Calif., on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. Thousands of people gathered to say goodbye to the band’s co-founder and guitarist, who passed away on Jan. 10. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) Grateful Dead fans attend the Bob Weir memorial at Civic Center Plaza in San Francisco, Calif., on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. Thousands of people gathered to say goodbye to the band’s co-founder and guitarist, who passed away on Jan. 10. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) Bob Weir’s wife Natascha Münter, center, with daughter Chloe, left, bassist Oteil Burbridge, and daughter Monet, far right, along with others, watches a hawk fly as Dead & Company guitarist John Mayer plays the Grateful Dead song “Ripple” during her dad’s memorial at Civic Center Plaza in San Francisco, Calif., on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. Thousands of people gathered to say goodbye to the Grateful Dead’s co-founder and guitarist, who passed away on Jan. 10. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) Grateful Dead fans attend the Bob Weir memorial at Civic Center Plaza in San Francisco, Calif., on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. Thousands of people gathered to say goodbye to the band’s co-founder and guitarist, who passed away on Jan. 10. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) Buddhist monks chant at the Bob Weir memorial at Civic Center Plaza in San Francisco, Calif., on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. Thousands of people gathered to say goodbye to the Grateful Dead’s co-founder and guitarist, who passed away on Jan. 10. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
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