India, Feb. 6 -- One night last month, I think I had a melatonin-triggered dream (melatonin being notorious for inducing vivid, cinematic dreams) in which Bob Weir, with his wild white beard and thick moustache, sat on a high stool in the centre of a dark stage with a gentle spotlight bathing him in golden light. He was alone with just an acoustic guitar, singing an incredibly slowed-down version of Grateful Dead's West LA Fadeaway.

The dream was happy and soothing. Two days later, news broke of Weir's death, aged 78. The dream turned out to be sadly prescient.

A few days later, I watched his hometown San Francisco's touching farewell live on YouTube. It got me thinking about the other living legends of music that have been part of our ...