Dark Star Orchestra was Fabulous
by rac1060 on 6/28/11Erie Canal Harbor - BuffaloRating: 5 out of 5this was the first time I have seen Dark Star and Ioved the concert. I would recommend the concert to all my friends.

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Dark Star Orchestra on Tour
More than just a tribute band, the seven members of the Dark Star Orchestra are dedicated to the Grateful Dead live experience, best known for playing full setlists picked from their 2,000+ concerts. The Grateful Dead's live show is legendary, a catalog of improvisation traded and celebrated across decades. The Dark Star Orchestra re-creates the Dead's intra-band interplay and pastoral guitar soloing. Remarkably devoted and true to the source material, DSO tailors their arrangements, gear and tempos to the era of the evening. Some nights find the DSO creating original setlists, playing sets from the Jerry Garcia Band or even jamming with members of the Dead themselves.
Dark Star Orchestra in Concert
Formed in Chicago in 1997, Dark Star Orchestra provides generations of fans with the chance to experience entire Grateful Dead sets, song by song. Named after "Dark Star," a part of the Dead's set known for exploratory jams, DSO rose to national prominence in 1998 when Mike Gordon and John Fishman of Phish joined them for a performance of the Dead's 1983 Halloween show. DSO promptly became a touring sensation: At 2,800 shows and counting, DSO have played more shows than the Grateful Dead themselves. They ultimately enlisted keyboardist Rob Barraco of Phil Lesh and Friends, the Other Ones and the 2003 touring version of the Dead. The DSO have played Bonnaroo and Milwaukee's SummerFest, and they've been hosting their own annual fests for years - the Dark Star Jubilee in Ohio and the Jam in the Sand in Jamaica. Perhaps the most important honor for DSO, though, is enlisting actual members of the Grateful Dead, having performed on stage accompanied by Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Bill Kreutzmann, Donna Jean Godchaux, Vince Welnick and Tom Constanten. A 2018 show even found guitarist Jeff Mattson playing Jerry Garcia's custom-made guitar, "Wolf," which the Dead founder used for two decades.
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this was the first time I have seen Dark Star and Ioved the concert. I would recommend the concert to all my friends.
Nothing like a Dead show.........well almost the Dead..U know what I mean. A wonderful nite of music and the PEOPLE. U always meet GOOD people at a MERRY PRANKSTER EVENT.. I danced alL NITE in the RAIN. DSO is better than a tribute band....their a band within themselves of talented musicians who so happen to love THE DEAD.....A great nite and Buffalo Rocks the Harbor is very well organized piece of the pie. A great nite and I needed it. I look forward to hearing them again..........PEACE!!
It rained but we didn't care at all. The music was great as usual. Kinda of missed Rob on keyboards, he does an insane job...... But they filled in nicely. Another great show by DSO. Glad they buffalo and keep coming back each.
The open space was awesome and everything ran smoothly. Plenty bathrooms too. Dark star was incredible like usual!
Another great performance by Dark Star at a very nice venue with plenty of room for all the spinning deadheads. Really enjoyed the selection of tunes . Reminds me so much of the old dead shows where the band played a solid 4 hour show. Bands these days rarely make it 2 hours. Again,Great show !
Enjoyed the show immensely! They played and sang their hearts out. A very talented group of musicians. Took my 13yr old daughter and she was dancing up a storm, in the rain no less! Awesome show!
First set enjoyable. Venue great. Not a good balance of Jerry
rockin loose lucy, that gave away the timeframe for us. Little too much space and drums for me, but hey they are recreating a dead show, so have to blame the dead not them. They always put on a great show and love this venue.
Dark Star was amazing, and the show was great.... I would have given it a 5 star, but I am disappointed in the Hampton Beach Ballroom Casino, and don't think I will go back there again. So... huge kudos to DSO, but serious thumbs down the Casino, and it's RUDE staff! The manager (Adam) is on a massive ego trip, and I feel he was LOOKING for trouble, and was dismayed when he couldn't get me to "take the bait".... I just wanted to hear some great music, and be with some great people, and that was accomplished... except of course for the staff at the Casino!
WHAT A LONG STRANGE TRIP IT WAS.......AS ALWAYS......AN EXCELLANT SHOW FELLAS.......REMINDS ME OF BEING THERE FOR THE SHOWS THAT I DID MAKE IT TO IN THE LATE 80's .....EARLY 90's........LOVING THE RIDE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I just saw Dark Star Orchestra at the Electric Factory last Friday night and they really are continuing the Grateful Dead experience. The lead guitarist is really nasty and tore it up on songs like "Dear Prudence" and "Viola Lee Blues". The Weir role was filled admirably and he sang great songs like "Hell in a Bucket", "West LA Fadeaway" and "Memphis Blues". They really were true to the Dead, but at the same time I felt they took the songs in their own direction and allowed them to breath and take on a new life. Usually, DSO will cover a setlist from the 30 years of touring the Dead did but on this night they did an original setlist which also included classic Dead covers such as "Big River" and "Mama Tried". This show was well worth the price of admission and I plan on going to see them anytime they come to town.
What a fantastic show! These guys are phenomenal in their ability to recreate the Grateful Dead experience!
The Electric Factory once again has been the setting for an amazing display of talents as the Dark Star Orchestra continues to provide Grateful Dead lovers; old and new, with tunes to soothe the soul...such a peaceful and enjoyable vibe as the band performed a wide variety of tunes from all different years...Some a very unexpected pleasure...true throwback to shows gone by...The light show and sound were perfect and all came together for one real good reason...nothing left to do but smile, smile, smile...
This is the closest you will get to a Dead show. The musicianship is spot on. The new Jerry is there best yet. Thank you DSO, you have to come here more often!!
Great songs. Even some Dylan. They played till 1am and I was dancing the whole time.
This was the best DSO concert that I have been to. The original setlist was awesome. The band was crisp and crackling with energy. Very tight and simply put....HOT! HOT!
First time to the Crystal ballroom. Love the floating dance floor. Usually my feet and legs ache after standing and dancing for three hours. But, not at this venue. The moving dance floor was a comfort. As far as DSO goes...it was a mediocre performance. They totally sucked when they played The Wheel. It sounded like someone had their finger on a record as it was playing....too slow
Wow. Just wow. I went to three Dark Star Orchestra shows -- Seattle, Portland, and Eugene. The band was on every night, and actually seemed to get better throughout the week. If you enjoy the Dead, do yourself a favor and go see DSO. It will remind why you fell in love with this music in the first place. It is so much fun!
These guys never fail to deliver a fantastic show! The show was perfect. As always, the Crystal Ballroom is the best place in Portland for these guys to play. The sound was great, atmosphere lively and you can always feel the love of the die-hard Deadheads!
The Dark Star Orchestra show was fantastic! The band played with a combination of technical proficiency and genuine enthusiasm that was both impressive and quite enjoyable. I was standing in the "center" of the room with all of the tapers, and the sound quality was first rate. During the jams, you could pick out each of the individual players with absolute clarity. Each song was performed at a high level, but Eyes of the World went to an even higher level which pretty much blew my mind. I have been listening to this music for over 20 years now, and last night ranks high on my all time experience list which includes meeting Bob Weir.