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Last night, Feb. 2, Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros commenced their 2023 tour at North Charleston Performing Arts Center in North Charleston, S.C. The Thursday night performance saw the ensemble work through many Grateful Dead standards as well as a mix of covers and originals. Toward the end of the evening’s first half, Weir and his collaborators delivered a rendition of The Beatles’ “Come Together,” which represented a debut for this group of musicians, who had not performed the song as a collective unit for a live audience.

Weir and company’s Thursday night stand started with a fitting song choice, “The Music Never Stopped,” to rouse the audience, who warmingly received the opening number. A cover of Rob Wasserman’s “Easy Answers” came before The Temptations’ “Shakey Ground,” which ran back into the night’s first song. A tight display of musicianship continued on the ensuing “Me and My Uncle,” prior to a take on fan favorite, “Friend of the Devil.”

The Palmetto State concert continued with the Weir-penned “She Says” before a run-through of “Ramble On Rose.” Next, a high point of the night occurred when Weir and his band, Don Was, Jay Lane and Jeff Chimenti, as well as The Wolfpack, Alex Kelly, Brian Switzer, Adam Theis, Mads Tolling, Sheldon Brown and Barry Sless, delivered a debut of The Beatles’ “Come Together.” The song represented the first time this lineup of musicians had performed the number collectively. Notably, the last time Weir independently covered the John Lennon/ Paul McCartney classic was on Jan. 20, 2017.

“New Speedway Boogie” capped the first part of the night. Then, after breaking at the show’s midway point, the musicians arrived ready for their second frame which featured a quartet (Weir, Was, Lane and Chimenti) take on the Little Feat original, “Easy to Slip.” A selection of fan favorites rolled out next, beginning with “Greatest Story Ever Told,” which bled over into “Playing in the Band” and “Truckin’.” Then, after pausing, the band jumped into a soaring rendition of “Estimated Prophet.”

The show’s second half brought forth “The Wheel” prior to a triumphant take on “Wharf Rat.” The previously mentioned song merged into a massive display of the “Terrapin Station Suite,” comprised of “Fan” > “Terrapin Station” > “Terrapin Transit” > “At a Siding” > “Terrapin Flyer” > “Refrain” to conclude the second set. After leaving the stage, applause summoned the band back for their encore, a cover of the Robert Hunter-penned “Liberty.”

Following the Thursday night display in North Charleston, S.C., Weir & Wolf Bros will continue their 2023 tour at the Florida Theatre in Jacksonville, Fla., tonight. For those interested in attending tonight’s show, tickets remain on sale and can be purchased here.

Scroll down to view last night’s setlist.

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Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros

North Charleston Performing Arts Center – North Charleston, S.C.

Feb. 2, 2023

Set I: The Music Never Stopped, Easy Answers, Shakey Ground, > The Music Never Stopped, Me and My Uncle, Friend of the Devil, She Says, Ramble On Rose, Come Together+, New Speedway Boogie

Set II: Easy to Slip, Greatest Story Ever Told, Playing in the Band > Truckin’ > Estimated Prophet > The Wheel > Wharf Rat > Terrapin Station Suite*

Enc.: Liberty

Notes:

+ Wolf Bros debut, last time Weir played publicly: Jan. 20, 2017

* Terrapin Station Suite: Lady w/ a Fan>Terrapin Station>Terrapin Transit>At a Siding>Terrapin Flyer>Refrain

Members of North Charleston City Council spent the day trying to tour city schools in the Charleston County School District on Monday.

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Members of North Charleston City Council spent the day trying to tour city schools in the Charleston County School District on Monday. But they never made it inside.

Mayor Keith Summey made an announcement in February saying his city would explore breaking away from the county to create its own school district.

The councilmembers said they wanted to look at the “disparities” between schools in their city and other cities like Mount Pleasant, Isle of Palms and Sullivan’s Island to try to further prove that their schools aren’t receiving enough support from Charleston County School District.

Four members of North Charleston City Council, Rhonda Jerome, Mike Brown, Jerome Heyward and Virginia Jamison, drove around in a city vehicle to district schools across North Charleston, including North Charleston High School and the Charleston County School of the Arts. They were hoping that the school district would let them go inside the schools, but they were denied. Instead, they just looked at the exteriors of the schools and pointed out flaws from the outside.

“Ride around, you’ll see,” Jerome said. “When you ride over to Mount Pleasant and Isle of Palms you can see a big difference just from the outside. So, you can imagine what the insides look like, just use your imagination.”

Charleston County School District spokesman Andy Pruitt said the councilmembers were potentially violating district policies by using schools as “political forums” along with being unauthorized visitors on campus.

“Every single child that we serve, we feel dedicated and feel very passionate that we want to make sure we provide them with life-changing opportunities. It doesn’t matter where they live,” Pruitt said. “They’ve been entrusted into our care, and we believe that’s important to make sure they all get what they need.”

Councilmembers say leaving the district is something that’s been talked about for 15 years. But they say the time is now to work to actually achieve their goal of starting a new district.

“Nothing’s getting better, “Jerome said. “It’s time.”

After Summey made the announcement last month, State Rep. Marvin Pendarvis filed a bill that would remove North Charleston schools from the Charleston County School District and create a new district.

The council members say they want Charleston County School District to come to the table with them as soon as possible to talk because they say their kids deserve better. The school district said they have always been open to sitting down with the city.

“The goal here is collaboration,” Pruitt said. “We really want to work with the City of North Charleston to find a path forward so that all of our schools and for them, specifically the schools in the City of North Charleston, can move in the right direction. We believe they are moving in the right direction.”

Pruitt said they are working on that path forward for North Charleston schools that belong to the district by improving academics and upgrading facilities, including a new campus that will be in the works for Morningside Middle School.

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCIV) — North Charleston leaders are taking a field trip to their local schools on Monday. It's a move that organizers say will highlight the difference between schools within their city and outside North Charleston.

According to a press release provided to ABC News 4, the purpose of the unofficial tour is "to confirm the disparities in our North Charleston schools."

North Charleston leaders to tour CCSD schools to show disparities in opportunity

Representatives in the North Charleston City Council say they want leaders to see firsthand the conditions kids in North Charleston face every time they walk through the school doors and why there needs to be a change for the "good of the kids."

READ MORE: City officials exploring possible removal of North Charleston from CCSD

The school tour was organized by District 5 North Charleston city councilmember Jerome Heyward, who is also leading the tour with the help of three other council members.

The invite is addressed to members of the legislative delegation in the city of North Charleston.

The tour consists of six schools: four outside the city and two within the city.

Those schools are:

Heyward says by visiting schools in the Charleston County School District, he wants people to visualize the difference in athletic facilities and academic facilities and show the difference in opportunity North Charleston students aren't getting.

“How can you serve as an elected official and represent North Charleston and see the condition the kids have to go to school, but how can you sit there? The only thing I’m asking [is to] fix the schools up in North Charleston. I'm not trying to create no problems. I don't want [anybody] to lose no jobs, Heyward said. “We got schools in North Charleston, 70 years old. Do anybody still drive a car 70 years old? But we got schools in North Charleston, 70 to 80 years old.”

READ MORE: CCSD responds to North Charleston schools wanting to leave the district

It is unclear if Heyward is hosting this tour in conjunction with the school district. When asked, he said “We will show up and see what happens.”

Some North Charleston leaders are floating around the idea of leaving CCSD altogether.

A week and a half ago, Rep. Marvin Pendarvis filed a bill to allow North Charleston to create its own district separate from CCSD.

The idea quickly gained traction, garnering support from North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey and other leaders.

It also got the attention of the Charleston County School District.

Superintendent Don Kennedy was asked about the possible split. He says about 30 percent of the district’s students are in North Charleston schools, and he believes splitting the district will cause North Charleston students to suffer.

RELATED: CSU celebrates soft opening of $1.8M intramural field

In reference to the lack of funding for these schools, Kennedy says this year $622 million are allocated to all schools in the district, and a little more than a third (or $222 million) will go directly to North Charleston schools.

However, Heyward, who helped come up with the idea to leave CCSD, says there isn't enough change happening at schools in the city despite the money coming in. It’s something he hopes Monday's tour will reflect.

“If you go to North Charleston and you look at their campus, and [then] you go to Mount Pleasant and you look at that campus, you walk away with one understanding: 'We clearly do not care about the kids in North Charleston,'” Heyward said. “How would you like it? If we go to work every day, and we get our paychecks on Friday, and then here comes a guy to take all our pay, all our money we earn. That's what they do in North Charleston, because we take all the money right now and we just sit there like servants and let it go right back out the front door, and they fix up the schools outside the city limits.”

Kennedy agrees that there is a need to talk about the measure and says his staff will meet with Mayor Summey to discuss the future of North Charleston’s schools in the near future.

Academic performance in North Charleston schools has risen, according to district officials, which may be in part due to eight schools being in the district's Acceleration Schools program, which focuses on putting more academic resources in lower performing schools to improve test scores.

North Charleston officials have threatened to pull out of Charleston County’s school district and start their own.

That may be a tad extreme, but it’s hard to blame them.

Because, fact is, these days the real extremists are the people in charge of schools — locally and statewide — and it often seems they have absolutely no interest in improving education.

Consider last week’s Charleston County School Board meeting: Faced with a new report that thousands of their students aren’t reading at grade level, and the prospects of losing a city that provides a sizeable chunk of the district’s local revenue, what did board members do?

Debated the urgent need to start their meetings with a prayer. Which, just weeks earlier, parents and local religious leaders had urged them not to do.

Maybe because of Matthew 6:5-6.

North Charleston state Rep. Marvin Pendarvis, who introduced legislation Tuesday to form a separate city school district, says Charleston County’s school board is more focused on culture wars than test scores.

“It’s a dysfunctional board,” Pendarvis says. “There are good people on there, but they are in the minority. Injecting unnecessary politics is affecting the way we educate children. It’s distracting. This new board came in, and the first thing they’re talking about is banning books.”

A fair assessment.

Now, North Charleston isn’t talking about withdrawing from the county school district because the board is obsessed with dog whistles. But when folks inevitably argue schools shouldn’t be run by politicians (and they shouldn’t), there’s Exhibit A that they already are.

North Charleston officials are rightfully upset the city has eight schools on the state’s Orwellian-named “improvement designation” list, and three others that only recently dropped off — and there seems to be no consistent urgency to remedy that.

“It’s no secret that the quality of schools in North Charleston has not been good — the state report card shows that,” Pendarvis says. “Why is there such concentrated under-performance? We don’t see where the district has made North Charleston a priority. If they have, it has not manifested itself. People want to see change, and yes, that takes time. But if your child is of school age now, you don’t have time.”

North Charleston is booming, but city officials fear failing schools could hinder its economic outlook and hamstring its children. As Pendarvis notes, many families choose where they live based on the quality of the schools.

And, as Mayor Keith Summey notes, it doesn’t help that the district showers Mount Pleasant with amenities while the city that finances much of the district has one football stadium for four high schools. Which looks downright discriminatory.

Of course, even if North Charleston could run a better school district, it would still have to deal with radicals at the Statehouse. Republican lawmakers are so determined to unconstitutionally funnel public education money to private and religious schools, they want voters to change the state constitution.

Think about that. Officials charged with educating South Carolina students basically say the schools they control stink … so let’s give the money to private organizations we don’t regulate.

Which is the endgame of decades of talk about vouchers and school “choice.” They claim their motive is to give families of modest means the power to send their kids to the “best” schools. Yeah, right.

Giving $6,000 tuition vouchers to families that earn the state median income, or a little more, is no fix. Because the average private school tuition is close to twice as much, and many of those families likely can’t afford the difference.

So when much of that money goes unused, the Legislature will simply raise the income limits so their wealthy constituents who already send their kids to private schools get a tuition break. Watch.

Neither money nor (especially) the government can cure all of what ails education. Some of it is tied to outside factors, including poverty and family support ... or a lack thereof.

Those are serious problems that even well-meaning public officials struggle to address. Unfortunately, too many of the people controlling education policy today are decidedly unserious people playing Facebook politics with schools.

None of this bodes well for struggling schools. But if state lawmakers get their way, schools that are failing now will end up with even less attention and fewer resources. No wonder North Charleston officials are worried.

“My fear is what we see happen so often — the better students leave, and the ones left behind suffer, and those schools don’t get fixed,” Pendarvis says. “What are we saying to those kids?”

Well, at last week’s meeting, school board members seemed to suggest the best option for those kids is to pray.

Get a weekly recap of South Carolina opinion and analysis from The Post and Courier in your inbox on Monday evenings.

A state lawmaker is proposing a bill that would remove North Charleston from the Charleston County School District and create a new district.

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - A state lawmaker is proposing a bill that would remove North Charleston from the Charleston County School District and create a new district.

District 113 Rep. Marvin Pendarvis filed the bill Wednesday afternoon, saying that needs are not being met in the city of North Charleston.

“We’re here because we care about the quality of education in our schools,” Pendarvis said. “We’re here because the city of North Charleston, there’s a number of underperforming schools that lie within the City of North Charleston. We’re here for good reason, and I hope through collaboration and continuing the conversation we’ll be able to get something done.”

State law lays out how school districts can be formed and broken up.

According to 59-17-20, only an act from the state legislature or by authorization of the county boards of education can break up a district. Even then, the boards of education still need to meet certain conditions.

In a statement from the office of Attorney General Alan Wilson those conditions are as follows:

In (b), both districts involved would have to have a petition signed by at least four-fifths of the registered voters in the district. In (c), the districts would need only one-third of the voters to sign a petition but would then also have to have a vote on it called by the county board of education.

Earlier in the day, North Charleston’s mayor confirmed the city is exploring what would be required to withdraw schools in the city from the Charleston County School District.

Mayor Keith Summey said on Wednesday morning North Charleston City Council will explore breaking away from the school district to create their own.

“I think council is concerned about the number of failing schools that we have and what we can do generate more opportunity for the kids coming up in North Charleston,” he said. “It’s not anything that’s in concrete. It’s something that we’re looking at the possibility of.”

The effort, he says, is in a research phase to determine if the idea of pulling schools from the Charleston County School District is feasible, adding it would not be a “fast-paced” project.

Summey said he believes the city contributes more than what they are getting from the school district. He said the majority of failing schools in the district are in North Charleston.

“A community, at the end of the day, is only as strong as the education we can provide for our children, and we just want to make sure that our kids are getting the top chance that they can to get that education,” he said.

Summey said his vision would be for the schools to become a department within the city. He says he believes it would ultimately take a voter referendum, likely in 2024, for the change to happen.

North Charleston Mayor Pro Tem Jerome Heyward said he does not see one member on council not standing behind mayor in support of this.

“The city of North Charleston has been left out of the equation,” Heyward said. “Academic wise, we suffered over here because 30 of our schools are failing. It’s time for us to fix our schools.”

Summey said he has not yet heard from the school district, adding he would like to sit down with them.

“We’re just interested in making sure that children in North Charleston have the same opportunities as children in the entire county to get the best possible education that they can, and that’s not to say that the school district is not making effort,” Summey said. “It’s saying we don’t believe that effort to date has been successful.”

Charleston County School Board Chair Pam McKinney says she has not heard a single word from Summey or the city since she took office. She claims she learned of the mayor’s plan from news coverage.

“CCSD is proud to serve students from every corner of Charleston County,” McKinney said. “It is a priority for the board to ensure every child has access to a high-quality education. North Charleston students deserve a great education and that is exactly what we are working to deliver.”

The Charleston County School District provided a response to the city’s plans, saying the proposal to withdraw would duplicate administrative costs and result in less funding per pupil.

Mayor Keith Summey’s proposal to withdraw North Charleston schools from the Charleston County School District (CCSD) and instead house them in a department within the City of North Charleston would fail students. Such would duplicate administrative costs and result in less funding per pupil for both academic support and capital improvement.

Mayor Summey’s assertion that the City contributes more than what it receives from CCSD is untrue. In fact, North Charleston has historically received well above the CCSD average funding for construction and facilities maintenance.

North Charleston’s schools currently account for 30.32% of the District’s total student population yet receive approximately 35.6% of funds allocated for schools. In addition, the average budgeted per-pupil allocation in FY2023 for North Charleston schools was $16,645.18 compared to that for all other CCSD schools at $14,171.06; isolating North Charleston’s schools served through Acceleration Schools boasts a $19,532.61 per pupil allocation.

Claims that academic efforts in North Charleston schools have not been successful are also misleading. Most recently, for example, three North Charleston schools were removed from the state improvement designation list while others made significant gains.

Rather than benefiting students, withdrawing schools from CCSD would exacerbate educational disparities between geographic areas that CCSD has worked to address. Likewise, the assertion that creating a smaller district would ensure children in North Charleston have greater opportunities is simply misguided. Smaller schools and smaller districts have historically been less-able to offer such access and opportunity.

The District calls on Mayor Summey to address his concerns directly with CCSD leadership so that adults can avoid negative outcomes for students, parents, and educators. The Mayor has not reached out to the District directly since February 2022, after which he and Superintendent Kennedy met with other District and City officials.

The city refutes this, claiming the mayor reached out in May 2022 about an educational program.

Summey reaffirmed Wednesday morning he has not yet decided if he will seek re-election but expects to do so within the next 30 days.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.