Dark Star Orchestra hosted their eighth annual Jam In The Sand destination event from January 14 – 18 at the Jewel Paradise Cove Resort in Runaway Bay, Jamaica. The Grateful Dead tribute act performed two shows based on GD setlists and a pair of elective setlists over the course of Jam In The Sand 2020.
The action started on Tuesday when DSO recreated the Grateful Dead’s February 17, 1979 performance at the Oakland Coliseum Arena. Best remembered as Keith & Donna Godchaux’s last Grateful Dead show, the evening included takes on such songs as “Passenger,” “Friend Of The Devil,” “From The Heart Of Me” and an exploratory “Playing In The Band” that contained “Drums,” “The Wheel” and “Shakedown Street” within. “Mister Charlie” was tacked onto the “One More Saturday Night” encore as a filler. Wednesday’s concert featured an elective setlist with material from various eras of the Dead’s career such as a run of “Corrina” > “Touch Of Grey” > “St. Stephen.” Pete Lavezzoli played drums on “Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues” and “Loser” as DSO’s Rob Koritz added congas to the sequence.
Thursday’s show was a one-set affair that was delayed by rain. After opening with “China Cat Sunflower” into “I Know You Rider,” the band delivered a rare rendition of “You Ain’t Woman Enough (To Take My Man).” Later, Tara Nevins on Donna The Buffalo contributed washboard to “Iko Iko” and a dream pairing of Traffic’s “Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys” into “The Music Never Stopped” featured Jill Simmons of Brown Eyed Women joining DSO on the latter. Finally, on Friday, Dark Star Orchestra recreated the Dead’s October 11, 1977 show at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Oklahoma. Lavezzoli returned on drums for the “Box Of Rain” as part of a filler that also included Bob Dylan’s “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35.”
Setlists
January 14
Set One: Greatest Story Ever Told, Don’t Ease Me In, Mama Tried > Mexicali Blues, Friend Of The Devil, Passenger, High Time, Looks Like Rain, Jack-A-Roe, Lazy Lightnin’ > Supplication
Set Two: Might As Well, I Need A Miracle > Bertha > Good Lovin’, From The Heart Of Me, Big Railroad Blues, Terrapin Station > Playing In The Band > Drums > The Wheel, Shakedown Street > Playing In The Band > Sugar Magnolia
Encore: One More Saturday Night, Mister Charlie
January 15
Set One: Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodleloo, New Minglewood Blues, Ramble On Rose, Black Throated Wind, Loose Lucy, *Just like Tom Thumb’s Blues, *Loser, Cassidy, She Belongs To Me, Beat It On Down The Line, Keep Your Day Job
Set Two: Corrina > Touch Of Grey > Saint Stephen, Alligator > drums > space > Dark Star > Standing On The Moon > Going Down The Road Feelin’ Bad
Encore: Brokedown Palace
* With Pete Lavezzoli on drums. Rob K on Congas.
January 16
China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider, You Ain’t Woman Enough (To Take My Man), Bird Song > The Other One > Iko Iko (w/Tara Nevins on washboard), Scarlet Begonias > Fire on the Mountain, Low Spark of High Heeled Boys > The Music Never Stopped (w/Jill Simmons from Brown Eyed Women)
Show was delayed by rain and condensed into one set.
January 17
Set One: Help On The Way > Slipknot! > Franklin’s Tower, Jack Straw, Peggy-O, El Paso, Sunrise, Deal, Let It Grow
Set Two: Dancing In The Street ; Dire Wolf ; Estimated Prophet > Eyes Of The World > Drums > Not Fade Away > Wharf Rat > Around And Around
Filler/Encore: *Box of Rain, Rainy Day Women # 12 & 35
* – w/ Pete Lavezzoli on drums. Dino on Tamborine.
