Last month, David Nelson of New Riders of the Purple Sage announced that he had been diagnosed with colon cancer and would be taking time off the road, causing him to miss some upcoming shows with his David Nelson Band. Today, the band announced that their impending three-night run in Alaska will feature Nelson’s old friend Bob Weir filling in for the bandleader.

Weir will join the band for each of their three sold-out shows at The Sitzmark in Girdwood, AK, on March 16–18. The Grateful Dead guitarist will be playing with DNB members Barry Sless, Pete Sears, Mookie Siegel and John Molo, along with Katie Skene.

Nelson and Weir’s history goes back to the founding of their iconic band in San Francisco in the ’60s, as Nelson and Jerry Garcia played together before they each created NRPS and the Dead, respectively. Garcia and members of the Dead were also a part of the early lineups of NRPS.