Forum MVP Supplicated Velvet Thunder Posted April 16, 2011 Forum MVP Report Share Posted April 16, 2011 this is what my phone's setlist says: DSO Boulder 4/15/11 Help>slip>frank Lazy lightning>suppl Ramble on rose Jack straw Chimes of freedom Cats Cumberland 2nd set Reuben> Greatest story Dark star> Eyes> Playin> Drums If I had the world Hey jude> Mr. Fant> Shakedown> Playin encore forever young will post review in daylight cause this is from my phone and it was sooooooooo good I had to share asap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forum MVP Mango Posted April 16, 2011 Forum MVP Report Share Posted April 16, 2011 Holy smokes! Looks like they meant business.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forum MVP VincentPuleo Posted April 16, 2011 Forum MVP Report Share Posted April 16, 2011 That's a beauty... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forum MVP John A Posted April 16, 2011 Forum MVP Report Share Posted April 16, 2011 I got a text from a friend who was at the show. Then I got a text from him asking if the Dead played Cats. So I said no, you have an elective show, which are my favorite kind, and hopefully you'll get something really great and rare like World To Give....how about that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimsulli1010 Posted April 16, 2011 Report Share Posted April 16, 2011 The Dark Star ate my brain....epic stuff for the ages. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forum MVP Supplicated Velvet Thunder Posted April 16, 2011 Author Forum MVP Report Share Posted April 16, 2011 DSO really is the living proof of the fact that grateful dead is the best music of all time. THIS show was amazing. I knew it would be an elective set (intuition is something I trust!) and planned accordingly, arranging a ride to and from the show since my man isn't here (that's some BS that we are engaged and have a girlfriend that lives with us and I was still alone at these shows lol- but this was the growing experience I needed this weeks, so, its a blessing). There truly is something special about DSO elective sets- not having any clue what could possibly come next has become more and more important to me when I am trying to do deep explorations with this music, so these sets really do that for me. KNEW this was gonna be a hell of a show by the crowd outside the venue. The night before was pretty calm in the line, but last night was BUZZING with energy. I got scooped up into magical conversations of old times, was given free stickers of my name all crazy silly art style this guy had made, and by the time I made it back to some of you guys at the front of the line (where I had been since 7:30 then stepped away to smoke and got caught up, lol) this nice guy standing there near the front took one look at me and was like, "excuse me, but what are you doing here, do you know someone?" and I was so damn excited to hear someone getting a little pissy over standing in line to get into DSO that I just smiled and said I knew all the people and pointed at those around me, and one of them turned and said hi to me by name so the guy would not hassle me (I have NEVER called out ANYONE for getting in front of me in line, only for taking my spot in front of Jeff and Rob B hehe) and I told the guy I would never just come up front and be one of those people and he politely smiled and nodded and that was it, I knew this was gonna be the show I was banking on. There was a line "scene" and that means it is gonna be special. Got inside, rushes of people to the front, Joseph beat me (we have such a good game going- we talked about it last night bf the show, that he used to really treat Jon like crap up there, because they wanted the same spot, then Jon brought me to the front and Joseph was like, "omg there are two of 'em!?!", and was meanish, but WOW then we became friends over the last year and he has really become one of my FAVORITE parts of going to DSO because we get to "fight" over who gets to stand closer to the center on that side and it is silly now, not hostile.... we were actually talking about all this, and just as we finished the convo, the bully from the night before found him and decided to come start problems bf the show started (again!) because he decided to target Joseph, so I stuck up for him and told the guy that Joseph has become one of the most respectful and kind concert goers that I have ever met- true story- and that he was targeting him, and that he could go be an energy vampire elsewhere (amazing how blunt you can be before the show starts and you can actually find words) and it dispelled the situation even though the guy was still throwing his drinks on the stage between us all angry throughout the night, whatever lol. OK, OK, to the music. Every single note played from start to finish seemed to climb with more energy than those before. I have to confess, I am head over heels in LOVE with every single member of this band, and every genuine fan that I have met at their shows. Maybe I was born too late to experience the Grateful Dead, but I wouldn't trade anything in the world for my experiences at DSO (haha, that's what past lives are for anyways lol). Opening the show with help>slip>franklin's had me almost strap my chin strap in during the first notes of the show, but I have to try and keep up and not let them make me defend myself in the first notes, so, I lasted until lazy lightning, but once that was happening, I gave up and decided to let the band just obliterate and fine tune my senses all at once, despite the destabilizing effect, and it was a good decision, so I strapped in for the rest of the night. called our girlfriend so she could here ramble on rose, (it's her song, ya'll know how it is), and it was both beautiful and bold and fiery. Jack Straw started and I was starting to get a little worried that just maybe this show was gonna cause my energy to forcefully explode through my head. They were soooo on it... every song so far had been stretched and rainbowed and deeply textured, and the cats they did had SUCH a groovy, funky feel (bit diff from when i saw em do it in ATL in feb 2010, much more satisfying this time) that I was having trouble dancing on beat. But, I am getting ahead of myself, I skipped chimes of freedom. because it deserves its own paragraph. Lisa moved my soul across the universe and back again, and as I had never heard this song before, I was beside myself with excitement because unfamiliar territory is becoming more and more cherished. Very beautiful moments between the crowd and the band by the end of this one! totally raging cumberland, the whole place was falling over themselves and the "buzz word" in Boulder both nights WAS "Jeff Mattson". people kept asking other people what his name was, older guys kept looking over girl's heads at each other saying his name to each other, nodding in stern approval, and that made me really happy to hear and see. at set break there was NO way I could go smoke and still get my spot back, so I just sat myself down and talked with all the people that were now pushing to the front because they just couldn't be as far away from the stage as they were during first set... hehe. I've gotten good at being polite to these people but not letting them jolly their way into my spot or space, cause they usually come up all nice and then before you know it, you are crunched like a sardine, lol. but Boulder is cool, so glad I am a CO resident now. I wanted to hear reuben n cherise but it really surprised me, and was totally welcome and needed! very rustic, bold and high vibration rendition. whenever I see greatest story, I really get going, so it was a great way to prepare us for what was about to happen. Dark Star. Dark Star. Dark Star. I always feel like the lights and music are plotting against me when DSO busts this one out, and I don't think I am paranoid. I tried really hard to pretend I had my shit together, but I didn't, this song made that apparent, I couldn't smile or cry, all I could do was stare in amazement and try to keep my body moving to make it through. I called Jon for probably the third or fourth time at that point, and he listened for about 6 minutes... over the phone it was THAT captivating! Was wondering what it would go into, didn't even let myself hope for Eyes, but when it started, Jon was trying to call me (like he KNEW they were shifting and wanted to know what it would be) and I could not for the life of me make my touch screen work properly (my crystals and sweat, and the vibrations from the music do oddly annoying things to a cell phone, not to mention personal energies and timing making it a hassle) but I was able to make it work eventually with much patience after waiting a bit because sometimes you have to take a hint from the universe and stop sharing and just pay attention to what's happening. The Eyes and the Playin were just straight second set monsters growing and weaving in all directions... I really like my little hand motions I do to Playin, but I was overwhelmed and could barely understand the beauty I was hearing, so it was a struggle just to stand and dance and twirl once or twice... this music was NOT cutting anyone breaks last night, climbing and soaring over us. DSO drums is one of my favorite parts about elective sets, because I really do enjoy their style when they are free to do it "their way" and it NEVER disappoints. once they all got back on the stage the space jams just reverberated around the room (um, KEVIN has been sounding like a freakin' bass monster at these last few shows! thank you!) and I guess if they had the world to give was very much manifested, then, because I had been thinking about that song and wanting to hear em do it since the day before and as they were shifting out of that epic DSO drums/space jam Joseph turned to me and said "what if they play if i had the world to give" and then it went straight into it and he was REALLY excited (wasn't much of a musical tell, he really was just saying what he wanted not what he was hearing) and it made me happy, too. Jeff growled special lyrics throughout the night, this was delicious for my heart. best hey jude>dear mr fantasy>hey jude I have EVER seen. DSO always manages to take some of my preconceived notions and opinions and make me toss em out the window. Rob B just knows how to get inside these songs and turn em inside out so we can see exactly what they are made of, and by the time they went back into hey jude, the whole room was partaking in a deeply spiritual moment, I could feel end times becoming the beginnings and old worlds blooming anew, and it was spectacular, one of my favorite moments of the night..... into SHAKEDOWN? good lord! and a shakedown that had SO MUCH personality! sometimes shakedown is plain loud and dirty, (which I love!) but this one was groovy and swinging and whirling in and out of musical textures (you can always tell it is REALLY good when no one knows when to yell, at the second the music hits that spot, or the second after, or the second after that, because it has just gotten everyone too caught up to know, but I'll always stick to "whoooing" at that first point you are able to, cause that's what old tapes sound like, lol). So we bobbed and boogied thru it, greatly rewarded for our ability as an audience to keep a grip as they went back into the playin reprise and washed all the stacked layers of emotion and energy away like a wave upon the sand, and we were born again, rejuvenated and fresh from the womb of the universal language of music, ready to all melt together in camaraderie for the encore, which I will always love standing in front of Jeff hearing. got the setlist from Jeff, again, but only cause no one was paying attention when he came out, and I am really observant, but I instantly gave it to a kid we'd met around the scene all year that was my buddy for the night because he was SO thoroughly blown away (he had a way worse time keeping his shit together, but in a REALLY GOOD way! lol) and he deeply appreciated it, so thanks, Jeff, made Vince's night, he'll be back to see you guys A LOT. lol. after the show my ride was indeed there, right outside the venue, waiting for me. I was bubbling over with excitement, reading her the setlist, and she was really sorry she had skipped out. Jon was REALLY REALLY upset he missed this one, too. oh, and CO DSO family is AWESOME! thanks for being amazing fans! The future is so bright! TONIGHT! love and kisses, Mrs. D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forum MVP Evangeline Posted April 16, 2011 Forum MVP Report Share Posted April 16, 2011 Once again, thanks for the great review Mrs. D-E! You make me feel as though I had been there. Reading your reviews make me smile and laugh and just put me in a terrific mood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forum MVP Supplicated Velvet Thunder Posted April 16, 2011 Author Forum MVP Report Share Posted April 16, 2011 it's the band's fault my reviews are so good.... they really get me going just right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Holub Posted April 16, 2011 Report Share Posted April 16, 2011 JM has some serious chops and his playing seems effortless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forum MVP Evangeline Posted April 16, 2011 Forum MVP Report Share Posted April 16, 2011 Just read a really nice review of this show on philzone.com by John J. Wood who loved the show last night. You can see the entire link at 4/15/11 - DSO @ Boulder Theater and here is the text of John's review: Let's start with the obvious: I had a real good time last night. For real! The band played very well all the way -- tight and locked in throughout, and flowing with plenty of enthusiasm and heart. I'll start by saying that as a player, Jeff Mattson has come a seriously long way since the days I saw the Zen Tricksters back in the 90s. He had Garcia channeled in beautifully, and there were plenty of occasions where he clearly added some ideas of his own via his phrasing, and they all worked. The band played their own setlist, which I really enjoyed because last night was truly a DSO interpretation of the GD via their own list. What I saw from this band last night was focus, heart, sound musicianship and verbe. Not to mention from the numerous smiles shared onstage that these folks were also having fun; and most important...inspiration moved them brightly! So, humbling speaking, and in the spirit of my old DeadBase days -- Hi, Factman! -- here's the list from last night. 4/15/2011 - Dark Star Orchestra @ Boulder Theater, Boulder, CO DSO Setlist SET ONE: Help On The Way > Slipknot > Franklin's Tower Lazy Lightning > Supplication Ramble On Rose Jack Straw Chimes Of Freedom Cats Under The Stars > Cumberland Blues SET TWO: Reuben & Cherise Greatest Story Ever Told Dark Star * > Eyes Of The World > Playing In The Band > DRUMS > Jam If I Had The World To Give Hey Jude > Dear Mr. Fantasy > Hey Jude Reprise > Shakedown Street > Playing In The Band reprise Encore: Forever Young * - first verse only A key aspect of last night's list was that I felt this allowed the band to add some unique twists that you know you would not received from the Real McCoy of years ago. Plus, it gave them the freedom to explore each song on their own terms instead of being forced to stick with a given GD show setlist. It was nice to not know where they were going; and that's part of the adventure that drew me to the good old Grateful Dead in the first place. One example of the benefits was the truly inspired and heart-filled cover of Dylan's "Chimes Of Freedom" in the first set, where Lisa Mackey genuinely surprised me. Her singing was nicely on key, and for the last verse, she mustered all the heart and soul she could and nailed it. Even Mr. Barraco stood to applaud her at the end, and the applause was well deserved. I'm imagining the gasps some of you are having now! But hey, I always call 'em as I see and hear 'em on that given night. While getting a bit ahead of myself here, the quality of interplay in the first set was impressive and focused, right from the first notes of Help On The Way. Also liked the choice of the Lazy Supplication combo as a follow up; numerous vehicles for improvisation, interplay and interpretation! Hmmm...the I-Threes (in the spirit of Rita Marley, Marcia Griffits and Judy Mowatt). Ramble On Rose was the fun singalong you would expect, and a late-70s styled Jack Straw was compact and to the point. The first set closed with a Cumberland where the band truly cooked! Several inspired musical conversations between Jeff and Rob Eaton took place, and the rhythm section kept driving like a steam locomotive, rolling off the track. It made for a fine closer for what was a genuinely strong first set. The second set -- with the obvious exception -- was primarily a trip from 1972 through 1978. First was a visit with Reuben & Cherise, nicely sung by Jeff, and with some interesting synth lines by that Headband dude. JoeFreak turned to me as Greatest Story started, wondering of the approach they would take with Jeff (since it was his first time seeing DSO with Jeff, as was I). The rendition was sheer 1972, with Jeff's tone and playing on target. Very tasty all the way around, with that freewheeling spirit that I often found missing in latter-day GD renditions. Then there was "Dark Star"; and suffice it to say, they did a heckuva job. The excursion they took smacked of 1973, and was graced with numeorous uptempo flourishes -- way to keep 'em swinging, Dino!! -- as the band took several intergalactic flights through the cosmos. It was of the quality that I'd actually like to listen to the recording -- what? Listen to a recording of GD cover band?! BLASPHEMY!!! -- because there was plenty of psychedelicious directions taken, and every player was deeply listening to each other and clearly locked in, each shift changs executed with focus and care. More, even with the obvious tones, the ideas brought to the table were clearly their own, with no regurgitation to be found. It had to be at least a dozen minutes before they finally reached the first verse, but every second counted! Bottom line. It was totally natural for the Star to fall into Eyes, with a 1974 feel. The second instrumental break was particularly inspired, as Jeff hit a spiraling crescendo, with the band -- particularly Rob Eaton -- providing a driving accompaniment. The transition into Playing was loose in the right way: Casually working their way in changing from the keys of E7 to D and slowly coaxing their way into the familiar opening lines without forcing the issue. Once gelled, Playing was focused and a bit compact, but what mattered was the points made during the instrumental conversations, eventually gave way to the DRUMS segment. Dino and Rob Koritz did some very nice work on DRUMS, using subtle textures instead of resorting to mere bombast to create some neat soundscapes. No showing off, and focusing on overall feeling. In addition, the sound was particularly excellent during this segment, with numerous sound effects that added crispy, less-is-more details. A truly nice surprise was after the post-DRUMS jam -- I could not call it Space since the drummers remained onstage and were clearly involved in its direction. The notes dissipated into Dear Air -- rimshot! -- then Jeff started what turned out to be a superb rendition of If I Had The World To Give. Again, one of the benefits of playing their own setlist with the lone exception of six shows the GD only played this criminally-shelved ballad. Jeff sung tastily and with sheer emotion, and the band was gracefully on top of every change. If there was one surprise to me, it was that Rob Baracco didn't do any singing until DSO decided to take a side trip to Hamilton 3/22/90; as most of the vocal harmonies had been primarily handled by Eaton and Lisa. (Of course, CO folks, please correct me if I am wrong). Needless to say, Mr. Headband's playing was excellent all night and was clearly a pro! Headband literally growled his way thorough Hey Jude, clearly channeling his inner Brent Mydland. The Jude reprise was quite soft and understated, slowing building up the "Na Na Na Nas" until the song quietly dissipated back into a bopping take of Shakedown; with a slinky groove that gave way to a few neat ideas, from Jeff's solo-like phrasing before taking his initial solo to the vocal harmonies provided by Jeff, Rob and Lisa. Whereas I expected the set to end there with a end-of-Shakedown bang, the band gradually went soft and nicely utilized hushed dynamics in executing a nice, casual transition back to the Playing reprise to cap a fully enjoyable second set. This grizzled & grumpy pain-in-the-ass Garcia/DylanHead personally smiled at the choice of encore: An elegant, glowing reading of "Forever Young", played and sang with boatloads of heart by Jeff, augmented with strong & emotional vocal harmonies from Headband and Lisa. The solos by Jeff and Headband were tasty, pretty and -- there's that word again -- inspired; and Jeff's final solo after Rob's handoff provided a superb exclamation point. It wasn't the real thing, but I'd be utterly foolish to deny that it was definitely close enough to pretend...and the bottom line is that Dark Star Orchestra did a great job last night. It will be much sooner the next time I take a visit; but what this old Pick E. Bastard learned is that the legacy of the good old Grateful Dead is indeed in good hands with Dark Star Orchestra (prior to my many misgivings and grumbles -- hey, I freely admit it!). The care, grace, enthusiasm, and impressive attention to details -- along with the freedom of doing their own setlist -- made for a GD tribute that genuinely worked for me. Oh yeah...as Dino knows after I told him last night after the show...THEY FORGOT TO FINISH THE !@#@!ING DARK STAR!!! Thank you, DSO, for a real good time! 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Forum MVP VincentPuleo Posted April 17, 2011 Forum MVP Report Share Posted April 17, 2011 Wow, psyched to listen to this one... Found this cool picture on the Philzone, taken in some cafe in Colorado: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forum MVP Teacher Matt Posted April 17, 2011 Forum MVP Report Share Posted April 17, 2011 somebody get the peanut butter..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P2inboulder Posted April 18, 2011 Report Share Posted April 18, 2011 Another stellar two shows. I always say this.....but, these guys get better every time I see them. How is this possible? It is a problem I love ruminating about. Well played DSO!!! Thank you, for a real good time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forum MVP Mango Posted April 20, 2011 Forum MVP Report Share Posted April 20, 2011 It would be a crime to not release this show for download. So good! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forum MVP Vortex Posted April 21, 2011 Forum MVP Report Share Posted April 21, 2011 http://www.archive.org/details/DSO2011-04-15 Show recorded by zoner Patrick H aka Phil er up. Thanks Patrick! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forum MVP Mango Posted April 22, 2011 Forum MVP Report Share Posted April 22, 2011 http://www.archive.org/details/DSO2011-04-15 Show recorded by zoner Patrick H aka Phil er up. Thanks Patrick! And it's a good recording, i'm listening to the dark star right now... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GermanShepherd Posted April 25, 2011 Report Share Posted April 25, 2011 http://www.archive.org/details/DSO2011-04-15 Didn't make it to the show, but listened to the encore through the links. Another Dylan tune. Snoozefest. Definitely not a tune to leave the audience pumped and wanting more. More like making the audience just want to leave. zzzzzzzzz Wake me up when it's over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forum MVP Mango Posted April 25, 2011 Forum MVP Report Share Posted April 25, 2011 http://www.archive.org/details/DSO2011-04-15 Didn't make it to the show, but listened to the encore through the links. Another Dylan tune. Snoozefest. Definitely not a tune to leave the audience pumped and wanting more. More like making the audience just want to leave. zzzzzzzzz Wake me up when it's over. Well buddy not everyone necessarily wants to leave the show humming 'gloria' 'sugarmag' or 'usblues'. I'm sure a lot of people thought that "forever young' was the perfect encore to end an amazing, blowout show. Did you listen to any of the rest of the show? To each his own... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forum MVP Tea Posted April 25, 2011 Forum MVP Report Share Posted April 25, 2011 http://www.archive.org/details/DSO2011-04-15 Didn't make it to the show, but listened to the encore through the links. Another Dylan tune. Snoozefest. Definitely not a tune to leave the audience pumped and wanting more. More like making the audience just want to leave. zzzzzzzzz Wake me up when it's over. Hard for me not say that you are totally out of your tree when bashing any Dylan tune performed by DSO. But I guess its like Jerry once said: "The GD is like black lichorice.........either you really like it or you really don't." In this case, Forever Young does not float your boat. That's cool. For me, 'Another Dylan tune' leaves me giddy like a schoolgirl - At least you capitalized Dylan........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forum MVP Tom Banjo Posted April 25, 2011 Forum MVP Report Share Posted April 25, 2011 Snoozefest. I like that term. Not sure it applies here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forum MVP Dstone5553 Posted April 26, 2011 Forum MVP Report Share Posted April 26, 2011 http://www.archive.org/details/DSO2011-04-15 Didn't make it to the show, but listened to the encore through the links. Another Dylan tune. Snoozefest. Definitely not a tune to leave the audience pumped and wanting more. More like making the audience just want to leave. zzzzzzzzz Wake me up when it's over. Seriously. I was thinking the same thing. Bring on a US Blues. That would have rocked the shit out of a Forever Young. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lisacat Posted April 26, 2011 Report Share Posted April 26, 2011 Seriously. I was thinking the same thing. Bring on a US Blues. That would have rocked the shit out of a Forever Young. I hear ya.... I would have taken a Saturday Night over that swill Thank god it wasn't Baby Blue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forum MVP Tom Banjo Posted April 26, 2011 Forum MVP Report Share Posted April 26, 2011 In all seriousness, we need a postively 4th st. break out. Just make sure I'm there if and when it happens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forum MVP Mango Posted April 26, 2011 Forum MVP Report Share Posted April 26, 2011 Well you've got a lot of nerve, my friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forum MVP chuckvegas Posted April 26, 2011 Forum MVP Report Share Posted April 26, 2011 You know it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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