Comments on: Dark Star Orchestra @ the Oriental Theater

By: jason blevins

jason blevins — Wed, 14 May 2008 17:03:37 +0000

Thanks James, JW, Matt for commenting. I saw the Grateful Dead a bit, somewhere between 60-70 times between 90-95, including most of the w. coast’s 94 tour. I saw a fair share of half-a$$ shows. (Who can forget The Fat Man blowing the apex of Terrapin … how do you forget “Inspiration!” … at McNicks 11-30?)
You’re right,Matt, most people do forget the blunders and embrace the peaks. I prefer remembering over reliving because, really, there are no do-overs. Get it more than once and it loses that luster that left you near tears the first time around.

By: Matt S

Matt S — Wed, 14 May 2008 16:14:01 +0000

I saw the Grateful Dead 35 times.. believe me, 1995 wasn’t a tour filled year of mystical music.. a lot of it sucked. DSO has off nights just like the Dead did.. at their best they are wizards, and for spinners like me they are the only show in town.. I think they’re awesome, and when you meet the guys in the band you find out that they are some of the coolest people around and passionate tour heads. I’ve seen them blow shows (Park West 2007), but I’ve also left some of their shows stunned speechless (Nelson’s Ledges 2006). I saw the Dead blow shows, also (try 7/2/1995, or any 1995 tour from hell shows). DSO rocks out and at their best they transcend music. Other times they just don’t wake the beast and I leave the show early.. What’s different about this then when the Dead were on tour and the “Fat Man” was slurring 37.6% of his lyrics and just a gray ghost of a presence on the stage? People forget the quite a few Grateful Dead shows really sucked in the end, and it was awful/horrible to watch Jerry die right in front of your eyes, night after night.

By: JW

JW — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 22:09:23 +0000

Jason, thumbs up to you for your honest review.

As a 25+ year Deadhead, I’ve seen DSO a few times…and to be frank, while
they “play” the Dead well, their onstage mannerisms are a complete turn-off
for me. The first time I saw them, they played a show which I had attended — 4/9/1988 – Worcester Centrum — and once I figured out the show, all the adventure was gone because I KNEW where they were going every second.
What is the GD without the adventure? My answer is DSO.

While all musicians have a right to earn a good living, I have a major issue with a band whom as far as I am concerned are simply living off the coattails of the good old GD! I’ve seen many a cover band over the years — including GD cover bands — and for me, the bottom line is that DSO is simply not The Real Thing but a soulless facsimile!

The last time I saw DSO was JamGrass 2002 at the Harborlights Pavilion in Boston, where they “headlined” in a show that featured David Grisman, Sam Bush, Peter Rowan, Jorma Kaukonen and John Cowan. I was front row, dead center…and wound up leaving less than 30 minutes into DSO’s set. The fact they were a “headliner” was among the biggest insults ever to this 28+ year concert-goer. A cover band over *original* artists!

If you enjoy DSO, do so to the fullest. However, for me, it is simply not the Real Thing! In fact, after that first DSO experience, I played a Dick’s Pick in my vehicle. It was the first time I smiled that night because — warts and all — I was finally listening to The Real Thing!

By: James Reis

James Reis — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 14:56:48 +0000

This is a refreshing review. I have been to many DSO shows and have just a couple of comments. I think the DSO truly enjoys playing the Dead and although it may be a cover band, I tend to think of Dead songs as something with a life of their own that many bands could play. At the other end of the spectrum, some bands under or over interpret them, which is fine. I think the DSO is not nearly as stoned as the Dead were (and certainly not in the ’70′s bubble) and so every show is not influenced by (and neither am I) an outside psychedelic force. That being said, I’ve seen a few sets and even a few whole shows by these guys and was absolutely blown away. I’m a fierce critic and the first one to say that the Dead are GONE. I didn’t think it was the Dead, or a tribute, but it was the same s#*t pouring out of that stage into my brain and making me twitch with delight. Somebody gave them the keys to the Vista Cruiser, but on this night, they did not take you for a ride.

By: John Wenzel

John Wenzel — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 17:58:50 +0000

Oh, Blevins… thanks for being such a good sport about some of our readers’ distaste for jam bands. Diverse voices are good on Reverb. If every review was about Vampire Weekend, I’d probably ram my head through my computer monitor.