Last night, Bruce Hornsby’s one man tour landed at Zellerbach Hall, in Berkeley while touring across the nation, next stop Austin City Limits. Hornsby is an established classical pianist, composer, and singer songwriter perhaps most well known in the 80s for his hit, “The Way It Is” that won him a Grammy. In the 90s, after opening for the Grateful Dead, Hornsby informally and later officially, became a staple keyboard and vocalist for the Dead. He is playing at their Fare Thee Well performances in Chicago and recently added, Santa Clara, all performances sold out within minutes.

Under the crisp acoustical sound of Zellerbach Hall, Hornsby showcased his diverse range, playing chords from ragtime, jazz, country, pop, classical. His icons were Leon Russell and Keith Jarrett, two of my favorite musicians and he has played with such greats (and my favorites) Phil Lesh & Friends, Pat Metheny, Sting, Bonnie Rait. Of course, he played his hit, “The Way It Is” but added a classical rift in the middle of the song. He played edgy classical pieces, superimposing Donovan’s “There is a Mountain.” His tribute to Jerry Garcia, was to play a brilliantly executed bluesy, moody ballad written by Garcia. Even pop songs like Mandolin Rain possessed an emotional range and fullness that brought the audience to their feet.

In addition to a magnificent concert, Hornsby was anything but complacent, he was interactive, funny, taking requests from the audience and to make the evening more memorable, his performance included a free copy of Solo Concerts, his new 2 CD live album.