Grateful Dead Revisits Bruce Hornsby Era On ‘Dave’s Picks Volume 59’

Grateful Dead archivist David Lemieux picked the band’s September 26, 1991 show at Boston Garden for release as Dave’s Picks Volume 59. Limited to 25,000 numbered copies, the new collection features the most recent Grateful Dead concert date ever selected for the long-running live archival series..

Keyboardist Bruce Hornsby had been touring with the band for a year by the time the Grateful Dead arrived in Boston for a sold-out six-night run in September 1991. The two-keyboard iteration of the lineup — Hornsby and Vince Welnick along with bassist Phil Lesh, guitarists Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir and drummers Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann — would remain intact through Hornsby’s departure the following March.

‘Dave’s Picks Volume 59 features the complete, previously unreleased finale of the Dead’s Fall 1991 Boston Garden run. The show was recorded by Dan Healy and has been mastered to HDCD specs by Jeffrey Norman at Mockingbird Mastering.

David Lemieux, who also produced the set, had this to say about the latest Dave’s Picks:

The “new” Grateful Dead sound, now a year old, was powerful, with the two-keyboard iteration of the Dead pushing the music to fresh heights. Add to that the two new vocalists bringing the harmonies to soaring new places, and you’ve got one of the most exciting and inspired versions of the band. Setlists don’t usually indicate much about performance quality, but when the band’s song choices include “Dark Star,” “Attics Of My Life,” and “We Bid You Goodnight,” there’s a high likelihood that the band was feeling great, inspired, and confident, the things that usually lead to spectacular performances. On 9/26/91, this was certainly true, and on an outstanding night like this one, you can hear what a blast they were having, start to finish.

In addition to the second set highlights Lemieux mentioned, The Grateful Dead’s first set on September 26, 1991 was also strong. “Jack Straw” opened, a tender “Candyman” trailed shortly behind and Lesh’s beloved “Box Of Rain” punctuated the frame.

Watch the Dead’s “Jack Straw” performance without remastered audio below:

Pre-order Dave’s Picks Volume 59 via Dead.net. The collection ships this Friay, July 31. Watch Lemieux’s “Seaside Chat” on the release:

Dave’s Picks Volume 59 Tracklist

Disc 1

1. Tuning Intro
2. Jack Straw
3. Cold Rain And Snow
4. Wang Dang Doodle
5. Candyman
6. Mexicali Blues>
7. Cumberland Blues
8. Picasso Moon
9. Box Of Rain

Disc 2

1. Dark Star>
2. Saint Of Circumstance>
3. Eyes Of The World>
4. Drums

Disc 3

1. Space>
2. The Other One>
3. Dark Star>
4. Attics Of My Life>
5. Good Lovin’
6. Brokedown Palace>
7. And We Bid You Goodnight