Before I developed my appreciation for the music of the Grateful Dead, I found it hard to understand the tape collectors with hundreds to thousands of hours of Grateful Dead shows. You’d hear them talking about that one version of “Dark Star,” recorded on that one night in Albany. (I’m still fascinated by Grayfolded, the 1994 release from John Oswald that brings over 100 different versions of “Dark Star” together into nearly two hours of music.)

And then I started collecting Bruce Hornsby shows, discovering that I rarely would encounter a Hornsby show that didn’t have at least one magical moment and on some nights (including luckily, my first Hornsby show in 1993 here in Cleveland), the entire show was a perfect experience where the setlist and energy for Bruce and the band all came together.

Put one Hornsby show out there for discussion and fellow Hornsby fans will fall quickly into the conversation, sharing their own favorite moments and shows – exactly as it should be among music fans.  Such was the case at the end of last week when I posted a couple of Hornsby shows over at Popdose.  My good Twitter pal @ozzybeef pointed me towards a Telluride gig from Bruce which ultimately led me to a snippet of a symphonic show from ’97 which I was COMPLETELY unaware of.

Gotta have it.  GOTTA HAVE IT.

A quick search of the internets led me to The Midnight Cafe, where I found a slew of Bruce boots including the one that I’ll share with you here today.  The Cafe has become one of my favorite late night joints on the internet in recent months and they’ve been kind enough to throw us some link love on occasion, which of course we appreciate greatly.  This Bruce show, recorded in Salem, VA with the Roanoke Symphony, features lots of great tunes (including the best version of “White Wheeled Limousine” that I’ve heard this week) and plenty of great insights from Bruce himself about the songs (I like this analysis of Bruce’s performance of “Harbor Lights”).  His dialogue with conductor David Stewart Wiley (newly installed at the time) brings it all home and makes this show a must hear for Hornsby fans.

We’ll save you the Megaupload experience and serve the files directly to you using the convenient linkage below.  (P.S. – the download appears to be missing “Mandolin Rain.”  I’ll work on getting that track online here ASAP.  In the meantime, you’ll enjoy what’s here…I promise!)

BTW – there’s lots on tap for Bruce, including a new live album titled Bride of Noisemakers that will be out early next year (and I am mega-stoked to find out what the track listing will be on that).  Hornsby recently inked a new management deal with Red Light Management (Dave Matthews Band, etc.) and continues to work on his debut musical SCKBSTD, which is set to debut in January of next year.  There’s an interesting fundraising project currently in the works, with quite a few different incentives available if you donate to the cause.  (Shameless plug:  I spoke with Hornsby about the musical last year during an interview for the Riverfront Times.)

Also in Bruce news, you can purchase a newly available live rendition of the Grateful Dead chestnut “Lady With A Fan” as part of a charity collection marking the 15th anniversary of Jerry Garcia’s passing.

Jam on!

Bruce Hornsby with the Roanoke Symphony
10/09/97
Salem Civic Center
Salem, VA

complete zipped download (forthcoming)

Roanoke Symphony:

Glinka: Overture to Russlan & Ludmilla
Rossini: Allegro From William Tell Overture

Bruce, Band, & Symphony:

Intro
Across The River
Long Tall Cool One
White Wheeled Limousine
The Valley Road
The Way It Is
The Red Plains
China Doll

Set II
Harbor Lights
End Of The Innocence
The Road Not Taken > (Working in a Coalmine)
Look Out Any Window

Encore: Night on the Town

Hornsby image via FergFoto