Dark Star Orchestra approach 2,100 performances, takes The Grateful Dead’s live experience worldwide.
Band makes international appearances in Alaska, Japan, Europe & Central America, perform Tue Jul 3 at Crossroads KC.
417 E 18th St. Kansas City, MO | 785-749-3434 | 8:00 p.m. | All ages
For more than 13 years and more than 2000 shows, Dark Star Orchestra has embodied the Grateful Dead’s live experience for fans both old and too young to have ever seen their own Grateful Dead show.
To understand Dark Star Orchestra, it’s imperative to first understand the Grateful Dead, who performed over 2300 shows over their four decades as a band. Their lasting impact on American culture cannot be overstated – particularly in our music, with artists in genres as diverse as metal and Americana citing them as a major influence.
Over their many years together the Grateful Dead only ever released 13 studio albums, but countless live recordings are still rabidly sought after, traded and collected for reissuing. It was always about the live performance, the euphoric blurring of the line between audience and band, and Dark Star Orchestra is doing its part to keep that alive.
Recreating historic Grateful Dead set lists, and intermittently crafting their own, Dark Star Orchestra offers a continually evolving artistic outlet within the Grateful Dead’s musical canon. Matching equipment, stage layout and even members (various eras could included female vocals or multiple drummers), Dark Star Orchestra’s determined commitment to ‘raising the Dead’ has earned them high praise…
Numerous guest musicians have sat in with Dark Star Orchestra, including Phish’s Mike Gordon and Jon Fishman, Steve Kimock, Peter Rowan, Ramblin’ Jack Elliot, Keller Williams, Gov’t Mule’s Warren Haynes and many original members of the Grateful Dead themselves.
“I can close my eyes and go back 30 years and have it be every bit as rewarding and satisfying.” – Dan Healy, Grateful Dead sound engineer 1966 -1994, toured as DSO’s sound engineer in 2008
While recreating set lists song for song, Dark Star Orchestra does not try to match Grateful Dead songs note for note. Anything so formulaic would be of a great disservice to the free spirit of The Dead’s live performances.
