Dark Star Orchestra’s NYE Show Spans Three Decades of Dead

At quintessential Grateful Dead tribute act Dark Star Orchestra’s three-set New Year’s Eve performance at the Wellmont Theatre in Montclair, New Jersey, the band offered a set a piece from different eras in Grateful Dead history.

For their first set, DSO tipped their proverbial hat towards the Live Dead era by playing a setlist based on the Dead’s February 21, 1969 performance at the Dream Bowl in Napa, Calif. The group’s second set was based on the Grateful Dead’s first set at Campus Stadium in Santa Barbara on June 4, 1978, while the third set was taken from the Dead’s July 18, 1989 performance at Alpine Valley. On December 30, Dark Star Orchestra came up with a setlist of their own, complete with an acoustic first set.

Here’s a look at the setlists from the DSO NYE Run…

Dark Star Orchestra New Year’s Eve Setlist:

Set One: 2/21/69 – Dream Bowl, Vallejo CA – Friday
Good Morning Little Schoolgirl ; Doin’ That Rag ; Dark Star > St. Stephen > The Eleven > Turn On Your Love Light ;

Set Two: 6/4/78 – Campus Stadium – University Of California, Santa Barbara CA – Sunday Set 1
Bertha > Good Lovin’ ; Dire Wolf ; Me And My Uncle > Big River ; Brown Eyed Women ; Looks Like Rain ; Tennessee Jed ; Jack Straw

Set Three: 7/18/89 – Alpine Valley Music Theatre, East Troy, WI – Tuesday Set 2
Sugar Magnolia > Scarlet Begonias ; Man Smart (Woman Smarter) ; Eyes Of The World > Drums > Space > China Doll ; Dear Mr. Fantasy > Hey Jude ; Throwing Stones ~ Sunshine Daydream
Encore: Quinn The Eskimo

Dark Star Orchestra 12/30 Setlist:

Set One [acoustic]: Oh Boy ; Rosa Lee McFall ; Wake Up Little Susie ; Black Muddy River ; Big iron ; Strange Man ; Yes She Do, No She Don’t ; Deep Elem Blues

Set Two: Hell In A Bucket ; West L.A. Fadeaway ; Greatest Story Ever Told ; Loser* ; Passenger ; Waiting For A Miracle ; Feel Like A Stranger

Set Three: Foolish Heart > Samson and Delilah ; Terrapin Station > Playing In The Band > drums > space > Wharf Rat > China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider

Encore: Around & Around

Notes: Set one acoustic
* – Power outage during ‘Loser’

2012 looks to be a busy year for DSO as they kick off the first of two cross-country tours already scheduled on Feb. 1 in Minneapolis. They’ll also head overseas for Jam in the Dam 2012 in March.

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