I’m going through Al‘s WELL posts as time permits, in between my real work ‘n’ stuff.
He was a big Bruce Hornsby fan. Here are some of his remarks on the subject:
gd.old.148.39: Alan Feldstein (fiddle) Wed 26 Aug 92 09:07
The Bruce/No Bruce question has, unfortunately, been answered by Bruce’s absence. For my ears, there is no comparison between the shows he was there and those he was not. Yes, Vince feels his oats and plays better when Bruce is not there. But, the shows with Bruce are infinitely more exciting and musically interesting. Of all the shows he played, I have still yet to hear a “turkey”. Compare that to the band’s batting average without him! Maybe his best contribution to the band was keeping Jerry awake………..
gd.old.148.127: Alan Feldstein (fiddle) Wed 16 Sep 92 13:43
Hey, I never said Vince wasn’t good. In fact, he’s probably integrated himself into the music faster than any of his predecessors. But I STILL WANT BRUCE BACK! And, if it ever happens, would it KILL the group to let him sing one of his excellent original tunes in place of the 2,444,763,696,8932th version of Me & My Uncle?
gd.old.148.144: Alan Feldstein (fiddle) Fri 7 May 93 14:53
Hey, why should Bruce be so consumed with gratitude. It seems to me that he helped out the GD more than they helped him…
gd.old.193.174: Alan Feldstein (fiddle) Wed 11 Aug 93 07:13
Another great Bruce moment (sorry, I don’t have atape to document it) was at the 5/91 Shoreline show, I believe Saturday, where they were doing a transition from something-> Uncle Johns… Jerry’s rack crapped out and Bruce did a 4 or 5 minute intro into UJB that was just breathtaking…
gd.old.617.24: Alan Feldstein (fiddle) Thu 12 Aug 93 17:53
I’ve said it before in other topics, but, for me, 1991 was one of the all-time Dead years and I attribute it to Bruce’s energy contribution and excellent playing…if anyone has a tape of a BAD show from 91 please let me know, cuz I haven’t heard one yet….I DO like Vince’s playing a lot, and I think the band has generally played better in 93 than in 92 (okay, a lot better!) but, IMHO, it hasn’t been the same since Bruce left the band… end of soapbox rental…