Dark Star Orchestra continued their Spring Tour on Thursday at The Orange Peel in Asheville, North Carolina. The Grateful Dead tribute act turned back the clock by 30 years to recreate the iconic band’s first of three gigs at Chicago’s Rosemont Horizon from April of 1989.
As it did three decades ago, the Brent Mydland-era show got off the ground with an expansive “Shakedown Street.” Guitarist Rob Eaton took the band through Willie Dixon’s “Little Red Rooster” highlighted by some standout slide-guitar work. The slow-paced “Friend Of The Devil” came ahead of a trio of tunes that would be included on the Dead’s final studio album, Built To Last with “Victim Or The Crime,” the title track and “We Can Run” The latter gave keyboardist Rob Barraco a chance to shine. Bob Dylan’s “Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again” and “Deal” closed out the opening frame.
While the original show took place on a Tuesday night, the Sunday sermon “Samson & Delilah” was tapped to kick off the second set. “Crazy Fingers” came ahead of a jam-heavy stretch as DSO dug in on “Playing In The Band,” which unusually segued into “Terrapin Station.” The much-beloved cautionary tale led into “Drums/Space” with The Spencer Davis Group’s “Gimme Some Love” working its way into a tender “Standing On The Moon.” Politically-charged rocker “Throwing Stones” was paired with Buddy Holly’s “Not Fade Away” to bring the stanza to an end. Like that night in Chicago, “U.S. Blues” was used as the lone encore.
Listen to the majority of Dark Star Orchestra’s recreation of April 11, 1989 thanks to RowJimmy Tapes:
Setlist
Set One: Shakedown Street, Little Red Rooster, Friend Of The Devil, Victim Or The Crime, Built To Last, We Can Run But We Can’t Hide, Memphis Blues, Deal
Set Two: Samson & Delilah, Crazy Fingers, Playin’ In The Band-> Terrapin Station-> Drums-> Jam-> Gimme Some Lovin’-> Standing On the Moon, Throwing Stones-> Not Fade Away
Encore: U.S. Blues
