Hear Dave Matthews Band Honor Jerry Garcia With ‘Eyes Of The World’ Cover In 1995

On this date in 1995, the Dave Matthews Band made their debut at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley, California. The show came just two days after the death of Grateful Dead guitarist/vocalist Jerry Garcia, whom the DMB honored with their first and only “Eyes Of The World” cover.

The lone Dave Matthews Band version of “Eyes” came towards the end of the group’s 13-song main set at The Greek. Matthews handled vocals, while Boyd Tinsley and LeRoi Moore each took solos. Just a few songs later the band would work teases of “Eyes Of The World” into their own “Recently.”

Co-authored by Garcia and Robert Hunter, the Grateful Dead first performed “Eyes Of The World” in February 1973 and included a studio version on Wake Of The Flood later that same year. “Eyes” was a staple of the Dead’s live repertoire through their final shows in July of 1995.

DMB ended their Greek debut with an encore that saw Dave perform a solo “Typical Situation” before the rest of the band joined in on a cover of “All Along The Watchtower.”

Check out audio of DMB’s “Eyes Of The World” below:

Dave Matthews recently appeared on Questlove's podcast Questlove Supreme. Matthews recounted his experience walking around San Francisco just days after Garcia’s death. He spoke about his relationship with the music of the Grateful Dead and why he didn’t perform with Dead spinoffs. The interview was recorded before Dave Matthews sat-in with Dead & Company in Boulder on July 3, 2023.

[Originally Published: August 11, 2017 / Updated: August 11, 2023]