|
Max Creek still makes the rounds. I used to see them at Lupo's as well!
If you've experienced the GD live, Dark Star Orchestra will give you goosebumps. There are certain moments during the right songs that you're there. I was never one to go check out GD cover bands, but first saw them on another longtime GD fan's recommendation down at Toad's in New Haven. Dropped my friggin' jaw.
"Orchestra" is the right word, too. They take a show in GD history and play it song for song the way an orchestra might play a classical composition. They even set the stage up in a way that's era-appropriate, and they play the tunes era-appropriate as well. They announce the date of the original show at the end of the night, after all the hardcores in the crowd try to guess, based off the setlist. All the little jams and nuances that mark certain time periods are in there. It's amazing. Best thing of all is that when they do 70's shows the "Donna" sings in tune and sounds great. If anything immediately separates them from the Dead, it's how smooth they are vocally and musically. It's the Dead without the mistakes!(but also without the musical chance taking that made the Dead so great).
I'm seeing the Dead on Sat. night in Worcester, thinking this might be the last time I see them all together. Though nowadays (and I feel weird saying this, but...) if I wanted to catch a show that best captured the GD experience in its heyday, I'd go see DSO. They're that good.
|