Photos by Mark Raker & Dan Rozman
Dark Star Orchestra took the stage at Freeman Arts Pavilion on August 1st, delivering something different for their fans in Selbyville, Delaware. Instead of recreating one of the Grateful Dead’s legendary shows from start to finish, the band decided to mix things up with an original setlist. This was a treat since Dark Star Orchestra usually sticks to performing complete historical Dead shows exactly as they happened.
The moment fans spotted Lisa Mackey at the microphone, they knew they were in for something special. Deadheads are natural detectives when it comes to Dark Star Orchestra shows. They count microphones to see if it’s a “Donna show” (named after original Dead vocalist Donna Jean Godchaux), check out the drum setup, and try to guess which historical concert the band will perform from the opening song. This time, though, all that detective work was useless since the band was playing their own show.
The evening began with a trifecta of “Help on the Way,” “Slipknot!” and “Franklin’s Tower,” establishing the ambiance for an extraordinary night of music that would encompass the Dead’s career. The first set moved through blues numbers like “Walkin’ Blues” and “Candyman” before diving into some deeper cuts that don’t always make it into the regular rotation. Songs like “Pride of Cucamonga,” which the original Grateful Dead never played live, and “Passenger” showed off the band’s knowledge of the Dead’s massive catalog.
What impressed the fans about Dark Star Orchestra’s performance was how they captured the different sounds and feels of various Dead eras. When they played “My Brother Esues” transported everyone back to the early 1970s when the band was still finding its psychedelic groove. The first set wrapped up with Eric Clapton’s “Lonesome and a Long Way From Home,” a song the Grateful Dead never played live, the Jerry Garcia Band did, reminding the audience that Dark Star Orchestra isn’t afraid to venture beyond traditional Dead material.
After intermission, the band came back strong with “Hell in a Bucket” before moving into “It Must Have Been the Roses,” a Robert Hunter song that gave them plenty of room to stretch out and improvise. The real highlight of the second set came with “Alligator,” which sandwiched the traditional “Drums” and “Space” segments that became such an important part of later Dead shows. These extended experimental sections let the band really show their chops and create something unique for that night.
Dark Star Orchestra has been doing this for over 25 years now, with more than 3,100 shows under their belt. Their keyboardist, Rob Barraco, puts it perfectly: “For us, it’s a chance to recreate some of the magic that was created for us over the years. We offer a sort of a historical perspective on 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.” That’s exactly what they delivered at Freeman Arts Pavilion, with their twist on things.
The band members have serious music credentials. Barraco played keyboards for “The Cosby Show” and later joined Phil Lesh’s various projects. Guitarist Jeff Mattson has played with original Dead members like Phil Lesh, Bob Weir, and Mickey Hart, giving him firsthand knowledge of how these songs should feel and flow. Lisa Mackey’s powerful vocals on songs like “Sunrise” and “It Must Have Been the Roses” showed why she’s become such an important part of the Dark Star Orchestra experience.
Freeman Arts Pavilion turned out to be the perfect place for this kind of show. The outdoor venue in Selbyville, Delaware, has that intimate feel that made original Dead concerts so special. With room for about 4,000 people spread between seats and lawn space, nobody felt too far from the action. The venue hosts more than 70 shows each summer and brings over 130,000 people to the area annually, making it a cultural hub for the region.
Michelle Freeman, who runs the Joshua M. Freeman Foundation that operates the pavilion, describes it as “a place to experience simple joy” where people can “be infused by music, art, humanity, connectivity and love.” That philosophy matched perfectly with what Dark Star Orchestra brought to the stage that night.
Playing their own setlist instead of recreating a historical show gave the band room to throw in some surprises. When Traffic’s “Low Spark of High Heeled Boys” popped up in the second set, it fit right into the evening’s jam-heavy groove. But the real shocker came with the encore: Warren Zevon’s “Werewolves of London.” Both songs had shown up in Dead shows before, but tonight they felt completely fresh. Those opening piano notes hit, and you could feel the crowd light up with recognition. People started laughing and cheering, and by the chorus, everyone was singing together. It was another moment that made this show one for the books.
Dark Star Orchestra proved once again that they’re more than just a tribute band. They keep the spirit of the Grateful Dead alive while adding their own musical personality to every performance. For fans who never got to see the original Dead, this is about as close as it gets to the real thing.
Setlist from setlist.fm
Set 1:
Help on the Way
Slipknot!
Franklin’s Tower
Walkin’ Blues (Son House cover)
Candyman
Pride of Cucamonga
Passenger
Dupree’s Diamond Blues
Sunrise
My Brother Esau
Lonesome and a Long Way From Home (Eric Clapton cover)
Set 2:
Hell in a Bucket
It Must Have Been the Roses (Robert Hunter cover)
Let It Grow
Alligator
Drums
Space
Alligator
New Speedway Boogie
Low Spark of High Heeled Boys (Traffic cover)
I Need a Miracle
Going Down the Road Feeling Bad ([traditional] cover)
Encore:
Werewolves of London (Warren Zevon cover)
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