1st Ave Minneapolis, Minnesota

[Row Timmy]

Great show lastnight in Minneapolis! Band sounded awesome and fun crowd. Super thankful they made their way back to Minnesota and we all have our fingers crossed for a Zoo show next summer...

 

Set 1

The weight
Stranger
Candyman 
Beat it on down the line
Broken arrow
Brown eyed women
Passenger 
Way you do the things you do
Corrina
Aiko

 

Set 2
Gimme some love
Greatest story
Uncle johns band
Estimated 
Drums
Space
Cosmic Charlie
Throwing stones
Visions of Johanna 
Truckin

E: Cats under the stars 

[Rude]

That’s a way to start a tour!!! Weight to open. Cats to finish. Lots of goodness in that setlist!!!

[Vic81]

Love this setlist

[BillK522]

I know it is a point of contention

around here, but our band has

earned the right to do anything

they want. That is a fantastic list

with tons of potential fun.

Mmm, Cats Encore.

 

Praise DSO.

[PoetryGirl]

Yeah, probably their thoughts exactly when setting this one up. 👍🏼

[Tea]

Visions and a Cats?  Just Wow ❤️

[BenM]

Have been getting increasingly into the Dead over the last five years or so and, knowing next to nothing about DSO, this was my first show. I didn't realize that they've often been playing original sets so I spent a good part of set one REALLY confused until I asked some folks what was going on. I think ultimately I enjoyed it more that way and the element of surprise made it a lot more fun, which there seems to be some debate about on here. Was particularly happy that they played Passenger and it absolutely smoked. Also, as a huge Donna defender, the woman doing Donna was amazing and I loved the crowd going nuts for the trademark "wailing". Anyway, couple thoughts from a first timer. Great gig. 

[DesertDead]

Nice opener, Ben.  

 

Welcome...

[Island Bro]

Wow, dig the setlist.

First time to open with The Weight I think?

[gr8fulpair]

Something for everybody in that list. I'd take it all! What a beauty. 

[Rude]

15 hours ago, BenM said:

Have been getting increasingly into the Dead over the last five years or so and, knowing next to nothing about DSO, this was my first show. I didn't realize that they've often been playing original sets so I spent a good part of set one REALLY confused until I asked some folks what was going on. I think ultimately I enjoyed it more that way and the element of surprise made it a lot more fun, which there seems to be some debate about on here. Was particularly happy that they played Passenger and it absolutely smoked. Also, as a huge Donna defender, the woman doing Donna was amazing and I loved the crowd going nuts for the trademark "wailing". Anyway, couple thoughts from a first timer. Great gig. 

 

Within a year you will be looking at the tour page thinking how you can do 2-3 in a row. Once u put together a run, it’s all over and the dead will invade your soul. Dark star is the way to really experience the dead as you will get such a diverse song list played in many different styles and era versions. Dso plays around 150 different dead songs per tour which is mind boggling how they can play them all so perfectly with that many different songs over a 3 week period. Compare that to the Grateful Dead that played 90-120 songs over an entire year. Once you really delve deep into older dead too, you will get so many of the songs that the dead abandoned or never played live, played by Dso. Dso has introduced me to countless dead songs that I’d never heard of. The dead played so many 1-4 timers, it’s hard to really learn all of those songs but Dso will play those rare ones which is really cool.  Keep coming back!!

[mvb]

Always fun to see any dead related group.  I've been seeing DSO for over 10 years, but this was the first elective show I have seen and it was my first disappointment.  First, I think the idea of any band starting any concert with a cover is not good, regardless of how good a song it might be.  Second, to lose a Franklin's Tower to Candyman to follow Stranger was a momentum killer and started setting the stage for more disappointment.  Third, some of their choices were a bit hard to take (Corrina, Broken Arrow, Visions of Johanna).  I never attended a dead concert hoping to hear those.  In fact, it was kind of like the opposite.      

 

Of course, DSO is unmatched in the Dead cover department, and can choose to play whatever they like.  But, what puzzles me is why they are moving to an elective format.  Their strength is recreating the live show as it was originally played.  And, without that it feels more like just another cover band, regardless of their musical expertise which is absolutely amazing.  What made seeing the dead so special was not just one incredible song or another, it was the entire concert package, with all its highs and lows.  The sequence, the novelty, the surprise, the start to the finish.  And, what makes seeing DSO so special is getting to experience other dead shows you were not able to attend.  DSO is losing that with their elective approach.  Prior to Thursday at First Ave, I expected to continue seeing DSO for as long as they are around at every possible opportunity, including travel.  Now, not so sure...So much more enjoyable when they stick to the "real thing!"  

[Rude]

The dead opened 20% of their shows with covers. Half of the deads repertoire was covers. You can’t pick and choose what songs you want to hear or you will be disappointed. They play songs that the dead and Jerry played.  If you like the part of the dead not knowing what would be played, the. Dso originals seem to be what you would want. Dso is going deep into the catalog to give as much variation as possible. And vision of Johanna is a song I wish to hear at a show.  It’s a fantastic song and the only one that Jerry did well at the end. 

 

Dso does around 40% of their shows original setlists and have for years. It’s how they fill the gaps so you don’t get repeats when you see several straight shows. 

 

And you actually aren’t experiencing the dead show in a recreation. You are getting the setlist. Dso only plays it in the style of that period. Check the song lengths from the dead show then the Dso show and u will see how it’s not the same.  They may take a few unique parts of a few songs but it’s hust Dso improvising like the dead and maybe the same tempo, but it’s nowhere near a duplication. I think that’s one of the biggest misconceptions of Dso is that they recreate the shows. 

[PoetryGirl]

DSO has been doing electives for years. In fact, my 4th show  was an elective  ( maybe I've seen DSO 60 times now) and there were things there that didn't work for me that time, but to tell you the truth, there were times the Grateful Dead had that it wasn't working for me either. Sometimes, it was me probably and not them-lol, . That elective in 2014 featured Pride of Cucamonga and I thought I might commit hari-kari right there;  however knowing Skip's personality having seen more shows since then, when he does that song, which btw he does really, really well imho, I enjoy it because of him. That same show featured " The Last Time" and I enjoyed the hell out of it. DSO helped heal a wound around that one as Jerry started singing it, it made me bonkers. I just knew it was going to BE the last time I saw them and that was troubling. Now I am a little confused...... typically Feel like a Stranger and Franklin's are not traditionally coupled, like China Rider came to be, so really no loss there. Your show has some atypicals. I know a guy who'd give his next month's paycheck to hear Visons.....Maybe you just didn't get what you were expecting. Your description of the Dead show- the highs the lows the novelty and whole concert package sounds like to me you got at this show. Maybe you didn't get what you wanted, but maybe in the end you got what you need. Glad you are posting and hang around....Iko Iko

[PoetryGirl]

And to DSO’s own credit-  they are a group of very accomplished musicians. They should have some room for self expression. 

[Hardpan]

Everyone likes different things. Can't fault you for not enjoying elective sets. I prefer recreations, as well, but I have had rip roaring times at elective shows, as well. DSO can wield the power and build up a head of steam on either type of show. I really enjoy the guessing game at year, next songs, etc at a recreation, which goes out the window at an elective. A lot comes down to song choice. Everyone has their snoozers, and DSO will play them, too. Check out the setlist and recording for 7/27/18, elective set which included a  saint Stephen > tmns > drums/space > tmns > saint Stephen > dew.

[gr8fulpair]

If you've ever gone to your GD audio catalog while sitting around having a beer, and played a 69 schoolgirl, a 76 eyes, a 71 hard to handle, a 74 Bertha, etc etc. Well you just made yourself an elective. And I bet you had a damn good time doing it. 😄😃 Hang in there MVB.

[Greg from Chestertown]

Grateful Dead music is an experiment. Always has been. Improvisation. I think electives are an ingenious way for Dark Star Orchestra to keep the music moving forward. (Yea, I said it again) if they are not improvising, pioneering, then they are stagnating. I don’t think they are recreating the Grateful Dead experience so much as they are taking the concept that the Grateful Dead is rooted in and growing it, evolving it. Dark Star Orchestra are the only ones who do what they do. Oh by the way, cosmic Charlie, throwing stones, visions. Self explanatory. Wow. Is anyone keeping track, noticing if the band has taken songs out of the line up, maybe on purpose? Are there certain songs that are noticeably absent from the set lists? Curious.  Should we be preparing for them bringing stuff off the shelf and reintroducing it, or have they been doing that all along and I just haven’t been doing my homework. 

[Blindman]

Stranger > Frankilns = common place

 

Here's one example:

 

https://archive.org/details/gd1981-09-11.fob.nak300.walker.scotton.miller.95743.sbeok.flac16

 

 

[PoetryGirl]

I guess 87-89 maybe 20- 25 times definite favorite! Noted and appreciated 😀 looks like FOTD was a perennial favorite too coming out of Stranger over the years.... 

[sml]

Cull the nonbelievers - Elective only tours now!

[Greg from Chestertown]

That could work. GD set lists are predictable, DSO set lists are not.

[gr8fulpair]

My primary motive for going to a DSO show is to hear Grateful Dead music played live with fucking stellar execution. I really don't care recr or not, preannoun or not, damn rain or shine, DSO is going to plug a hole in my soul no matter what. I'm not going to shows because of what they do, I'm going because of how they do what they do. It's necessary. Thanks.

[John A]

13 hours ago, mvb said:

Second, to lose a Franklin's Tower to Candyman to follow Stranger was a momentum killer and started setting the stage for more disappointment. 

To "lose" a Franklin's following Stranger? As if Franklin's is the divine right of all concert goers after Stranger? Or that there's anything whatsoever wrong with Stranger -> Candyman?

 

Come on, man. That's the kind of ridiculous statement that invalidates your entire thesis.

[PoetryGirl]

So prompted above, I decided to delve into my dead base. 

 

There are some tunes that are classically coupled, of course.  Scarlet Fire, China Rider, Fantasy-> Jude, Estimated-> Eyes, Alligator-> Caution and Mama Tried-> Mexicali. I thought I would share what other trends I saw and feel free to dispute, discuss, add among yourselves. 

 

Alabama ->Promised Land or GSET.

Early 80s Althea-> Sailor, LLR or ETLY.  

For 73-74, RIDER_> Around and Around  often. 

Bertha:

   71-72 Bertha -> MAMU 

   78-79 saw MIR-bertha-GLOV

   77-79 Bertha-> GLOV

Big River

  78-83 MAMU-> Bertha

Cryptical Suite->Cosmic Charlie 69-71

Dark Star-> Steven trend 68-71

While Estimated Eyes is popular, 2nd most popular Estimated-> He's Gone. 

Half Step-> Franklin's

NFA-GDTRFB-NFA of course

                   Stones-NFA

GSET

80-82 ALA-GSET-FOTD popular trilogy

           Also BER- GSET-> PEG or FOTD

 89s Touch-> GSET

Terrapin: TERR-> DRUMZ

 but 78-79 TERR-Picasso Moon

Sailor-Saint

 86-95 stand alone saints

Sailor always became a Saint ( How about that answer for Terrapin of choosing wisely lol)

SCARLET   SCAR-TOUCH mid 80s

SHIP: SAMS-> Ship and WOMS-> Ship popular

Spoonful evolved out of Truckin or He's Gone

STEPH-> Eleven or NFA

O1-> Stella popular

SUGAREE

   72-73 PROM-> SUG

    popular 85-94 combo BUCK-> SUG

DRUMZ-> Wheel pretty much is the Wheel.

ELEVEN-LOVL

GONE- Truckin

Playing-UJB

 

 

I think I'd really like to see 6/20/74 for that Eyes-> Slip_>Doll