Performing to critical acclaim for nearly 30 years and over 3300 shows, DARK STAR ORCHESTRA continues the Grateful Dead live concert experience. The seven-piece band performs shows based on actual Grateful Dead set lists from their 30 years of touring, or creates unique sets from the Dead’s extensive catalog. This approach allows fans both young and old to share in the experience while offering a continually evolving artistic outlet within this musical canon.
DARK STAR ORCHESTRA offers much more than just the sound of the Grateful Dead—they truly encapsulate the energy and experience. It’s about that sense of familiarity and contagious energy that creates the complete concert experience fans expect.
The band has featured guest performances from six original Grateful Dead members: Phil Lesh, Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann, Donna Jean Godchaux-MacKay, Vince Welnick, and Tom Constanten, plus longtime Dead soundman Dan Healy. Other notable guests have included Mike Gordon and Jon Fishman of Phish, Warren Haynes, Steve Kimock, and many more.
“For us it’s a chance to recreate some of the magic that was created for us over the years,” explains keyboardist and vocalist Rob Barraco. “We offer a sort of historical perspective at what it might have been like to go to a show in 1985, 1978 or whenever. Even for Deadheads who can say they’ve been to a hundred shows in the 90s, we offer something they never got to see live.”
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