A Long, Strange Trip for the Dark Star Orchestra

It’s been a rough couple of years for followers of the Grateful Dead, with the loss of founding members Phil Lesh and Bob Weir, and beloved singer Donna Godchaux. With only one remaining member, percussionist Micky Hart still playing gigs, Deadheads get their live fix at shows from several more than capable tribute bands, chief among them, the Dark Star Orchestra (DSO), who will be stopping by Foxwoods Casino’s Premier Theater on Saturday, March 7, for a show that is “part celebration, part healing.”

DSO is more than a tribute band – it’s a living, breathing recreation of one of rock’s most influential live experiences. Formed in 1997, the group has built a devoted following by channeling the spirit, sound, and spontaneity of the Grateful Dead, performing thousands of shows over almost 30 years. The band is known for re-creating entire Dead shows, playing the complete original setlist. “We do that about 70% of the time,” says Rob Koritz, percussionist since 1999. “About 30% of the time, we'll make up a show on our own – combining songs from different eras that might not have been played at the same time, or we play some songs that we really like, that the Dead only played live a few times.”

With the passing of original Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir last month, the Dead world has, no doubt, changed. DSO was touring in California when Weir’s death was announced, and the shows there immediately took on a different meaning for the band and fans. “First and foremost, we were reacting as Grateful Dead fans,” notes Koritz, “because that's who we are. It's devastating for us the same way it is for the fans. Bobby had become a friend of ours; he sat in with us numerous times. We'd all had a chance to just sit on a couch and rap with him, so it hurt on a personal level.”

“The crowds came out because they needed the therapy, the healing, whatever you want to call it,” adds Koritz. “So it was nice to kind of be a gathering point in San Francisco (where the Dead got their start), and then we played two nights in Oakland. We're friends with a lot of the crew and many of the people in management. So a lot of them came out that night.”

Space/Jam

The Dead were known for many things, among them, putting percussion at the center of their shows. Their two permanent drummers, Micky Hart and Bill Kreutzmann, famously improvised their way through Space/Jam on a nightly basis. It was a highlight of the concert for many Deadheads. “It's an honor to do what we do when it comes to drums every night,” says Koritz.

“In recreating a show, we'll listen to it first, but not so that we play (exactly) what they played, as far as the notes they played and the grooves, but more, what their instrumentation was that night, because it changed so much. Were they using a talking drum or a hand drum that night?” So we'll structure it that way, just kind of our movement around the beast. That's the best time of night. I mean, it's all great, but those 15 minutes or whatever it is, he and I have absolutely no rules. We can just do whatever we want and be ourselves.”

“I was classically trained for a couple of years, but I quit and ended up getting my degree in jazz studies,” says Koritz. “I've studied a lot of different styles of instruments, whether it's African, Brazilian, or American. That's the beauty of that section of the show for me, the freedom to play Latin percussion or African percussion or drum set or electronics.”

The band keeps on Truckin’, notes Koritz. “We just put on our 3400th show, and we're coming up on our 30th anniversary. None of that happens without the fans, obviously. I really want them to know, and I think they do, that we never dial it in. We're just giving them a thousand percent every single night.” Find tickets and further information about the show here.