Words by: Howard Weiner Photos By: Chad Anderson

One of the joys of seeing Dark Star Orchestra is playing the “Try to guess what Dead show their playing game.” Being that they were playing the Capitol Theatre on the 40th Anniversary of the Grateful Dead’s historic Fox Theatre show from May 19, 1977, in Atlanta, the guessing game was over when DSO opened with “Promised Land.” You didn’t want to be late to this show, because the second song from 5-19-77 Is one of the legendary performances in Dead history.

The Fox “Sugaree” is the stuff Deadhead dreams are made of. The band was performing in peak state, and Garcia and company reeled off three sensational jams. If DSO missed the mark on one jam, nobody would have cared, but these cats take their jobs seriously. Lead guitarist, Jeff Mattson, set the stage with a spiraling first solo. Rob Barraco’s keyboard solo led the band into battle for the second furious solo, and the thundering chord fanning of the third jam had the theatre shaking. This was as long as the original Fox Masterpiece. The second song of this concert was like a great show onto itself.

In addition to “Sugaree,” the strength of this opening set was the Garcia tunes, “Peggy O,” “Row Jimmy,” and “Loser.” Rob Eaton, legendary Deadhead taper, and Bob Weir imitator extraordinaire, led the band through a long, funky “Dancin’ in the Street” to close the set. DSO skillfully maneuvered through all the twists and turns of a ’77 “Dancin’.” All this was impressive, but as any ’77 Dead student knows, the best was yet to come.

Experiencing set two of this show, in a place where the Grateful Dead gigged seventeen times between 1970 and 1971, made the evening extra special. The Matson solos in “Samson and Delilah” and “Ramble on Rose” smoked. When Matson sang “Just like New York City,” he tapped his heart twice. A warm buzz engulfed the theatre as the post “Estimated Prophet” daze was parted by “Terrapin Station.” On 5-19-77, this was a new song for the audience. Forty years later everybody in Port Chester swayed and sang to the sanctified anthem as if they were taking part in a religious ceremony. Matson and crew hammered the ending refrain like a royal symphony.

The final segment of the show was the immortal mind-bending “Playin’ in the Band” loop. It was a thrill for the audience, and the band, to experience the transition of the “Uncle John’s Band” reprise heading back into the beginning of “Uncle John’s Band.” Wo, oh, what I want to know, how does the song go? It was a one-of-a-kind moment for the Dead, and DSO lovingly nailed the unique transition.

Mattson copped a seat at the side of the stage and watched the drum solo before “The Wheel,” which was followed by a chilling “China Doll” making for an unprecedented Garcia triple shot, as interpreted by DSO. The joy in the audience was palpable. The “Playin’ in the Band” reprise made for a spectacular ending. The Dead took their sweet time noodling into the reprise, and DSO did the same. Everything was as long as it was in ’77. Dark Star Orchestra propagates the spirit of the Dead and Garcia, and there’s nobody better. They took a classic show and hit all the right notes, and then some.

The Capitol Theatre Photo Gallery Photos By: Chad Anderson [gallery columns="4" link="file" ids="|"]