A partial review of DSO...

...since I did not stay the entire time. (This had nothing to do with the music.)

I went to see DSO for the first time last night. I got to the Cabooze shortly after 8, so I didn't have a long wait before I got inside. I walked up to the stage and noticed a few things. There was one drummer, so I knew this was going to be from the period in which Mickey took a break from the band. (Here is a timeline.) This would make the show somewhere between 1971 and 1974.

I hung out with a couple of friends. One pointed out there were four microphones, so Lisa would be singing Donna Godchaux's part. This narrowed it down, and l guessed 1972 or 1973.

I am not an expert on these things, but my perusal of DeadBase did help me a bit with the identification of last night's setlist. Both the number of songs and some of the song selection verified that it was from this time period.

The show started out with:

Promised Land, He's Gone.

That was definitely early Dead, because by the time I started seeing them in the mid-80's, He's Gone was a second set song.

It continued

Box of Rain, Wave That Flag

(The lyrics were different than U.S. Blues, as it was an earlier version.)

By this time, one of my friends talked with a friend who had access to Deadbase, so he knew what show it was. I guessed February or March 1973.

The rest of the set went

Mexicali Blues, Bird Song, Beat It On Down The Line, Loose Lucy, Me and Bobby McGee, Stella Blue (!!!), El Paso, They Love Each Other, and Playin' In the Band (I'll give that another !!!)

The other friend I was hanging with had heard the show before, and he figured it was the St. Paul Auditorium show from February 17, 1973, which it was.

The band was quite good. The gents playing Bobby and Jerry's roles had very good voices reminiscent of the originals. They jammed well together, which is especially obvious in songs like Bird Song and Playin'.

I wish I had stayed through the remainder of the show, but that is how it goes sometimes. Either way, I am glad that I went, and I would definitely see DSO again.

Here is the info from DSO's site:

Show #1,347 - Wed, Jan 24, 2007 at Cabooze, Minneapolis, MN
Performing 2/17/1973 Auditorium, St. Paul, MN
1:Promised, He's Gone, L. L. Rain, Box Of Rain, Wave That Flag, Mexicali, Bird Song, BIODTL, Loose Lucy, Bobby McGee, Stella Blue, El Paso, TLEO, Playin
2:Truckin, Row Jimmy, Big River, You Ain't Woman Enough, H. C. Sunshine> China Cat> I Know You Rider, Around, NFA> GDTRFB> NFA, Saturday Night
Encore: Casey Jones
Filler: Race Is On*
with special guest Dan Klepinger - One drummer (Rob) - *with Dino on drums

Tags: Dark Star Orchestra, DSO, Grateful Dead, music, music review