The Grateful Dead live again
While some bands may fade away, music never ends.
On Wednesday April 17th, Fox Theatre was packed for the opening night of Dark Star Orchestra.
“Dark Star Orchestra is as close to The Grateful Dead as you can get,” said Roger Johnston. Johnston has seen Dark Star Orchestra four times now.
Dark Star Orchestra played The Grateful Dead show that was originally presented in Atlanta on April 2, 1990 and included some notable songs from the concert such as Weight and Good Lovin’.
The crowd consisted of a combination of students and older adults who filled the stage room of the theatre to its capacity.
“Brown Eyed Woman was my favorite song played. They did a really good job covering it,” said David Lohndorf, a sophomore open-option major who also was seeing Dark Star Orchestra for the fourth time. “The lighting combined with the massive colorful tie-dye backdrop was mesmerizing.”
Band members seemed to be having as much fun as the crowd. They laughed between songs and the entire show was an amazing jam session.
“It’s just like if Jerry (Garcia) were here. John Kadlecik (lead guitar and vocals of Dark Star Orchestra) has Jerry’s tone and style down,” said Jay Clark, a freshman open-option major.
The two drummers meshed seamlessly and gave a drum solo together that could make the Blue Man Group look like novices. Following solos did not draw so much attention from the crowd and even seemed to dull the mood until the band came back together, and students thought they sounded great as a group.
“Everybody filled the space properly and they are really harmonious. Nobody tried to dominate the music and they came together for a perfect performance,” said Jessica Ritter, a sophomore sociology major.
Dark Star Orchestra will play their last show at Fox Theatre on Friday, April 18.
Contact Campus Press Staff Writer Andrew Nute at Nute@colorado.edu.
