Don Was and the Pan-Detroit Ensemble are conducting their Groove in the Face of Adversity Tour around the USA at this time, and they recently played a sold-out concert at The Atlantis to a very festive and receptive audience, who were there to hear some Grateful Dead-style music and great jazz from the new band by Don Was.
By happenstance, the audience also was there to hear some healing music as the world grieves the loss of Grateful Dead legend Bob Weir. Don Was and the Pan-Detroit Ensemble released their current album, Groove in the Face of Adversity, back in October, and they are promoting that album with a planned tour of 26 US cities from January to February.
On Jan. 15, the night was very eclectic, providing some Detroit-style sound with some fantastic musicianship and lead vocals by Stefffanie Christi ‘an. Was chose great musicians who played the style of music he grew up with in Detroit, and it’s very easy to witness how tight the group are together but laughing and enjoying the music all at the same time. The clarity of Christi’an’s voice is heard throughout the performance, and the band are highly successful playing some of the finest jazz you will hear anywhere.
The band also consists of Luis Resto on Keyboards, Dave McMurray on saxophone, Vince Chandler on Trombone, Wayne Gerard on guitar, John Douglas on trumpet, Jeff Canaday on drums, and Mahindi Masai on percussion.
After the recent passing of legendary musician Bob Weir, who played with Don Was for years in Wolf Brothers, I was not sure if this show would occur or be postponed ’til later in the year. However, it was soon apparent that while everyone in the band and in the concert hall was still very sad, it was still important to continue to play the music that everyone loves.
Don Was and band walked onto stage at The Atlantis, and Was immediately paid respects to Bob Weir telling the crowd how they first heard of Weir’s passing and that they felt compelled to get back on stage and continue playing the music that people love. Was told the audience that playing good music actually helps soothe the grief that people are feeling, and that’s exactly what they did for the next two hours. Was explained that it was nice they could all be together and rejoice in good music and emphasized that the Grateful Dead were never about obtaining super-stardom but were the catalysts for creating great music that can bring people together.
The band kicked off the show with a great version of “Hello Operator” followed by “You Asked I Came,” both songs which highlight the abilities of the band and quickly got the crowd into the set. People were rejoicing, singing, and dancing throughout the evening pretty much non-stop. It was a night where there was a groove to be felt by everyone.
Watch the official music video for “You Asked, I Came” by Don Was and the Pan-Detroit Ensemble on YouTube:
Another highlight from the show was a great version of “Elvis’ Rolls Royce” a song Was recorded with Leonard Cohen and Iggy Pop many years ago that definitively helped set the groove that would be heard throughout the show.
As promised, the band played the complete Grateful Dead’s 1975 album Blues for Allah, paying homage to this classic album by the Dead 50 years ago.
Early in 2026, this is definitely a show you will want to see live to get the full feel of the music combining a new album with live music of classic songs from the past. It was a great night of music and very fitting to paying respects to the late Bobby Weir. Was is totally correct: The music does help with the grieving process fans may be experiencing at this time. The entire concert was an outstanding night of jamming leaving the audience dancing and wanting more.
Don Was and the Pan-Detroit Ensemble are on tour across the USA through February.
Here are some photos of Don Was and the Pan-Detroit Ensemble performing live at The Atlantis on Jan. 15, 2026. All pictures copyright and courtesy of James Todd Miller.
