About Dark Star Orchestra
Dark Star Orchestra is a Grateful Dead cover band formed in Chicago, Illinois. They serve now as an international touring tribute band to the rock group the Grateful Dead. Since 1997, the band has been "celebrating the Grateful Dead concert experience."
Dark Star Orchestra performs shows from among the nearly 2,500 concerts of the Grateful Dead during their 30-year tenure performing improvisational rock. On most, though not all of their performances, Dark Star Orchestra presents the complete original set list, song by song, and in order, while adapting their phrasing, voice arrangements and specific musical equipment for the various eras of the Grateful Dead shows in which they perform.
Members of the Grateful Dead themselves, including rhythm guitarist/singer Bob Weir, bassist Phil Lesh, drummer Bill Kreutzmann, vocalist Donna Jean Godchaux and keyboardists Vince Welnick and Tom Constanten, have all appeared on stage and performed with Dark Star Orchestra. In November 2011, the group played its 2,000th show in Ithaca, New York.
Dark Star Orchestra has been playing live shows together since 1997, after guitarist John Kadlecik contacted keyboardist Scott Larned with a concept : performing complete Grateful Dead shows out of history. When Scott mentioned having the same idea, John knew they were on to something. Since forming, the band has performed 3,243 shows as of the recent shows at the Hawaii Theater in Honolulu in April 2024 and the band plays on....
On lead guitar and vocals, John Kadlecik used amp rigs and equipment to imitate guitar tone of Jerry Garcia from the show being recreated. When a 70s show is being performed, vocalist Lisa Mackey provides Donna Godchaux's female harmonies and now too, since 2012, plays Harmonica on the Ron "Pigpen" McKernan tunes.
Dino English delivers the rhythmic drumming sounds of Bill Kreutzmann. On the other drum set, Rob Koritz, fills the Mickey Hart role. Skip Vangelas provides a style of bass playing similar to that of Phil Lesh. Rob Eaton performs rhythm guitar and vocals in the style of Bob Weir.
In November 1998, on the eve of their first anniversary, Mike Gordon and Jon Fishman of Phish joined DSO at Martyrs' after their own show. Fishman sat in for the majority of the evening, which included a drum section with four percussionists. The ensuing buzz caused national interest in the band. That winter, their Colorado tour sold out almost every stop and soon after, The Washington Post declared them "the hottest Grateful Dead tribute act going"; USA Today claimed DSO was "channeling the Dead" but what they do is not just a tribute to the Grateful Dead but a testament to the enormous number of unique set lists the band performed in their long career.
Map & Directions To Venue
