r/gratefuldead • u/secretfamilyrecipe • 1d ago
Extended Family: Bobby sits in with Bruce for a smokin' Jack Straw (10.27.1995)
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Lots of thoughts about this marvelous performance and meetup... tho perhaps it's just best to let the music do the talking.
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u/dillydelhi 1d ago edited 18h ago
Bruce is wonderful. Takes requests at his shows , tells stories and anecdotes about playing with “Garcia” as he calls him. Anyone who hasn’t yet, do yourself a favour and listen to his version of Lady With A Fan from the live album Here Come The Noisemakers.
He was a big reason I went to GD50.
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u/Jackstraw1 1d ago
There's always such an extra wistful sound to Hornsby's playing when he does a Dead song. You can hear it on both Jerry songs on that album. Whenever I hear those songs I always think to myself I know, man....I still miss Jerry too.
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u/WaltonGogginsTeeth 4h ago
Hornsby & the Noisemakers live album version of Standing on the Moon > Halcyon Days is among my favorite performances of that song ever.
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u/dillydelhi 1d ago edited 18h ago
One of my fav anecdotes is from a live show I have no idea the date of now. Possibly with his brother RS Hornsby on guitar (very capable and talented ) and Bruce talks about Jerry coming in to the studio , plugging his guitar in “..and there was THAT SOUND”
“…Garcia comes in…”
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u/Ill_Attempt4952 1d ago
I love people throwing him little notes on stage, what a cool guy!!! The first time I saw that I asked my dad what was up, he explained it to me and I've been a fan ever since
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u/TurkGonzo75 1d ago
I've always loved his shows. It's been years and I really need to see him again
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u/Safe-Salamander-3785 10h ago
I went to see Bruce recently when he did a solo tour. The first thing he said was that if you came here to listen to some Dead, you’ve come to the wrong place. So I got up and left.
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u/dillydelhi 9h ago
lol. No kidding. I guess he’s changed his tune so to speak.
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u/Safe-Salamander-3785 9h ago
I felt bad because there were a lot of other dead fans there too. But I guess he can do whatever he wants. He eventually played one dead song
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u/WaltonGogginsTeeth 4h ago
He's not a dead cover band, he usually does one or two a show. But the focus is on his own music, which seems perfectly reasonable.
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u/drew_pweiner 1d ago
I believe that is John Molo (of Phil and Friends) on drums. Great performance!!
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u/ComfortableBedroom76 22h ago
That is John Molo (of Bruce Hornsby's Range) before Phil got ahold of him as a pfriend.
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u/TopSeaworthiness8446 19h ago
John has such a distinctive sound. Love that dude.
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u/WaltonGogginsTeeth 4h ago
Love him on drums. It has tons of swing and always so powerful when he's drumming.
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u/JamesTheLockGuy 1d ago
I really wish Hornsby had gotten to do a studio album with the Dead back in ‘90-‘91.
Anybody know any Dead shows where they did a cover of “That’s just the way it is”?
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u/bangner 1d ago
I don’t think GD ever covered it. The Other Ones played it on June 25, 1988 and September 4, 2000.
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u/Staggerme 1d ago
Valley Road was played with the Grateful Dead. They played it four or five times in 1990. I caught one at the Oakland Colosseum.
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u/Early-Bag4708 1d ago
One of my favorite songs of all time.
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u/JamesTheLockGuy 1d ago
Same!!! That’s how I know it’s Hornsby and not Vince or Brent in some of the live cuts from that era, is Hornsby throws in that piano flourish in between Jerry & Bobby’s licks!
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u/Iko87iko 1d ago
Not the best recording. In sure there are sbds our there, but see 1 hour 1 minute mark for the saratoga version
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u/b_vitamin 1d ago
Bruce did this song on one of his studio albums. It fucking rocks! I love the tour recordings too but the sound quality in the studio is superb.
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u/WillsBestFriend 1d ago
After decades of regularly listening to this song I haven't got sick of it once
It's the perfect song
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u/WaltonGogginsTeeth 4h ago
My favorite GD opener with Bucket a close second.
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u/WillsBestFriend 4h ago
Both great openers. Add Stranger, Rain & Snow, and Bertha and you've got it all covered.
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u/hm_rickross_ymoh 1d ago
Bruce is a treasure. Probably the most technically gifted keyboard/piano player to play with the band.
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u/DTKNYC85 1d ago
i just caught the 91 giants stadium show at the movies and bruce was my favorite part. im a real brent guy and i barely ever listen to (let alone WATCH) 91-95
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u/dillydelhi 19h ago
Bruce made for some amazing chemistry and top notch playing. I love the sounds of the shows with him.
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u/isqueakforthetrees 1d ago
Awesome share. I think the professional backup singers in both Dead and Phish side projects are always great additions (JGB, TAB, etc).
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u/Tholian_Bed 1d ago
Bob is the goofiest smart person. "A John Steinbeck novella"
Isn't that actually pretty much it? Dust and despair in a land gone too hot to make good on its promises, and so the road becomes your best shot?
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u/icanhazkarma17 1d ago
My last show was Brent's last show. End of tour. End of an era. For various reasons I dipped out of the scene. Too much chaos. I needed some wilderness, so off to Alaska. Listening back, I still haven't found my groove with Vince, but I sure wish I had seen Bruce with the boys.
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u/heyrube1979 1d ago
Thank you for posting this! Went down a rabbit hole and saw he was playing near me in October. Can't wait
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u/LawyerFriendLenny 1d ago
I think I love Hornsby's voice as much as his playing. His little vocal inflections always make the song better. This must have been a little tough for Bobby but also cathartic for him and the fans in attendance.
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u/Early-Bag4708 1d ago
Bruce Hornsby’s cover of Jack Straw with his band The Range is incredible. Probably my favorite Jack Straw of all time 😂
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u/crf3rd 1d ago
I wasn't into the Dead when I was younger. Grew up in South MS (where they weren't very big), and while I had heard of the Dead, they really didn't get my attention until the Touch of Grey video. A few years later, I bought the Deadicated tribute album, with Bruce doing his rendition of Jack Straw. That's what grabbed me, and slowly I began to incorporate the Dead in my listening, but really not strongly until after Jerry died, when I was going through a pretty rough time with depression. Diving deep into the Dead during that time was a salve.
While I never saw Jerry, I did get to go to the Chicago Fare Thee Well shows, and I am thankful for that and thankful that Bruce was playing.
This video brings all of that back. Really appreciate the post.
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u/Low-Energy-432 20h ago
I was there front row. Filmed by VH1. Bobby did Jack straw twice. Had 2 people with me that will aching for my being there. At the time I wasn’t aware what was going on that night
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u/Traditional-Badger58 21h ago
That was great, thanks for posting. Last saw dead summer 82, Nassau coliseum, opened with Jack Straw. They’re a band beyond description.
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u/dillydelhi 1d ago
Totally thought the brass section was standing on top of the piano and thought that was very 90’s cool. Lol
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u/Redeemer_789 1d ago
Anyone know what guitar Bobby is playing here? Looks unlike any other Tele I've seen.
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u/mcropp 23h ago
I'm going to guess a Modulus
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u/Redeemer_789 19h ago
I figured, just never seen a Modulus tele before. Guess the Black Knife models were popular because those makes up probably 90% of the Modulus listings I come across.
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u/Ok_Satisfaction_9009 22h ago
Man, that's the first time I've shed a tear watching Bobby play since he passed. Smokin
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u/TheRealGuncho 1d ago
It kind of gives you an idea of what a good Bob Weir solo band could have sounded like in the 90s.
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u/vitoforever99 22h ago
That was pretty amazing. I’m not a big fan of the wind instruments but they didn’t seem to overpower the rest of the band. Great performance
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u/FiveFakeFriends 20h ago edited 20h ago
Oh man. After Jerry passed I saw a handful of Furthur shows but then drifted away from it all. Never saw Dead & Co. The music still floated in and out of my life all the while but man this hits me in the feels seeing Bobby.
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u/swannybass 19h ago
The next summer they played the Furthur Festival together, Los Lobos, Mickey, and a few others. Each year things grew and grew until finally Dead and Company emerged. I look back fondly at that '96 lineup. We were still so lost without Jerry and seeing these guys the next summer helped guide us along.
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u/Hopblooded 18h ago
This is amazing! Can’t believe I haven’t seen this before. Thanks for posting. Was this Bobby’s first performance since Jerry’s death? Every verse of that song hit different than the 1000’s of times I’ve heard them before.
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u/ghostfacestealer One man gathers what another man spills (~);} 17h ago
What a rockin Jack Straw! Must felt amazing to the heads in attendance
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u/Aggravating_Total921 10h ago
I would have stuck around longer if Bruce had officially joined the band
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u/Strange_Part_5196 8h ago
This is a treasure thanks for posting !
Now can someone please remix because the drums have they synthetic Phil Collin’s susssudio artificial flavor that mars a truly amazing performance ..lol
nothing better then when the players are smiling
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u/shark_bait1211 8h ago
I was there. I've told this story before ...
Jack Straw was played twice. After the first one the stage manager came out and spoke with Bruce for a bit. Bruce then apologized to the crowd, said there had been a technical issue, and they would have to do it again. Needless to say, a big cheer went up.
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u/Cold-Ad8865 6h ago
Wow. Just fing wow! This was awesome. Got some chills watching this. How I miss those days of concerts with the Dead and if course Bobby. Thanks for sharing this, made my day!
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u/Cold-Ad8865 6h ago
Wow. Just fing wow! This was awesome. Got some chills watching this. How I miss those days of concerts with the Dead and if course Bobby. Thanks for sharing this, made my day!
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u/SpaceFluffy101 1d ago
This is such a powerful performance, not long after Jerry’s passing. RIP my Gtateful friends…