If Jerry Garcia and the rest of the Grateful Dead had chosen to throw the towel in after the overdose death of keyboardist/vocalist Brent Mydland in 1990, I don’t think anyone could have blamed them. This was, after all, the first death of an active band member in their history; Ron “Pigpen” McKernan needed to step aside due to his health issues, and Keith Godchaux was killed after he had left the band.

So, imagine how difficult it had to be to pick up the pieces and keep moving forward, this time with former Tubes keyboardist Vince Welnick. Now, imagine you’ve also added Bruce Hornsby to the lineup, and your live set—only about your seventh since re-launching the band—that is being recorded is only the second time Hornsby has performed live with the band.

There is so, so much that could have gone askew with this particular show, which was captured and released in 1997 as Dick’s Picks Volume Nine. But this set, recorded at Madison Square Garden on September 16, 1990, shows the resilience that the Grateful Dead had to almost constantly show—and while this isn’t a stellar outing, it’s hardly a failure.

It would have been asking a lot for this show to have been one where Welnick was able to break out into his own musical persona, or if Hornsby could have put his distinctive mark on the Dead. But, to expect this so early in their time with the band would be an unfair ask. There are areas, such as on “Little Red Rooster,” “No MSG Jam” and “Space” for them to leave their mark on the music. Interestingly, it sometimes seemed like there was a vocal pattern in “Drums” and “Space,” which kind of had the vibe of Mydland speaking from beyond to let everyone know that things were going to be okay.

The one area that this particular show is lacking in would be the overall energy. “Stagger Lee” has never been one that exuded real power, while “Standing On The Moon,” coming out of “Space,” seems to drag the proceedings down a bit. But for each moment like this, there is a decent version of “Deal” presented, or even a slightly slower number like “Tennessee Jed” that get the crowd excited about what’s going on in front of them.

Look, I get it, having listened to lots of Dead concerts over the years. As the band got older, and especially after Garcia’s surviving the diabetic coma that nearly claimed his life, they did seem to take their foot off the gas musically and cruised through their career. There were plenty of great shows in that time, as well as definite clunkers. Dick’s Picks Volume Nine is hardly a clunker; there are plenty of moments that kept my interest as a listener. It’s definitely one that you’ll want to check out from this particular series of live releases—if only to hear how the Grateful Dead was able to rebound from the loss of Mydland and work in two keyboardists for the first time since McKernan and Tom Constanten shared the duties in the late ’60s.

There’s plenty from this show to please the long-time Deadhead, as well as any newcomers to the scene. And, there always was a sense that something about Madison Square Garden was special to the Grateful Dead and their fans. Dick’s Picks Volume Nine tries to capture some of that lightning in a bottle—and while it isn’t the full-fledge jolt one might have wanted, it’s still got plenty of power in it.

Rating: B-

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