Grateful Dead Open With Euphoric ‘Eyes Of The World’ 25 Years Ago Today

Twenty-five years ago the Grateful Dead were back in the groove nearly a year after the sudden death of Brent Mydland. Keyboardist Bruce Hornsby provided a spark that lit a fire under Jerry Garcia and the band finally started changing up the familiar patterns in their setlists. One such change took place 25 years ago today at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey where the Grateful Dead opened with “Eyes Of The World” for the first time.

The Dead played many shows at Giants Stadium, but June 17, 1991 stands out from the rest. After a long rain shower that broke just before the band took the stage The Dead opened up firing on all cylinders with a powerful version of “Eyes Of The World.” “Eyes” had always been a second set tune, but Hornsby urged the band to try something different. Thankfully, the show was captured for ABC’s In Concert series. Here’s incredible pro-shot footage of the first “Eyes Of The World” opener: