Ratdog

Perhaps more than any other Grateful Dead offshoot band, Bob Weir and Ratdog, which return to The Riverside Theater for an 8 p.m. show tonight, closely guard the Dead’s legacy. With a rotating cast of touring musicians, Weir makes sure to include some choice Dead songs in each setlist, and peppers the rest of his sets with can’t miss covers (often of the very, very familiar variety) to ensure he wins over the crowd each night. This kind of unabashed fan service has made them one of the successful touring acts on the jam circuit, a reliable draw at any city they play.