Throwback Thursday | Grateful Dead Open With Eyes In Jersey

Following the death of Brent Mydland the Grateful Dead recruited Bruce Hornsby to help out on a number of tours while new keyboardist Vince Welnick was getting acclimated with the hundreds of songs in the band’s repertoire. Hornsby urged Jerry Garcia and the other members of the group to mix things up more than they had in the past. While many of his ideas fell on deaf ears, there was one fantastic suggestion in particular the Dead utilized.

On June 17, 1991 the Grateful Dead opened with “Eyes Of The World” at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ; marking the first time in an unbelievable 1,083 shows the song was performed in the first set. Not only did the band play “Eyes” that night, they also delivered one of the finest versions of the era. As if that wasn’t enough, later in the evening they treated fans to three “Dark Star” jams including one that connected “Brown Eyed Women” and “When I Paint My Masterpiece” in the opening stanza.

“Eyes” was featured on the ABC program In Concert allowing us to view sensational pro-shot footage of the mesmerizing opener: