Grateful Dead Opens With Euphoric ‘Eyes Of The World’ On This Date In 1991

On this date in 1991 the Grateful Dead was 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 29 years ago today at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey where the Grateful Dead opened with “Eyes Of The World.”

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 been a second set tune since 1975, 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 euphoric “Eyes Of The World” opener:

The Grateful Dead released both audio and video of their June 17, 1991 show in 2019. Each format is included in the Giants Stadium 1987, 1989, 1991 box set. Additionally, audio of the concert is available without the other Giants Stadium shows as Saint Of Circumstance: Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ, 6/17/91.

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[Originally Published: June 17, 2016]