Outside the Lowell Auditorium, a makeshift shakedown street is set up. “Fire On The Mountain” is blasting from a speaker behind the table while all manner of fan art is sold, and the nights attendee’s mingle excitedly, trying to guess tonight’s setlist. At about 8:10, the theater was filled up, and the house lights went down.

Dark Star Orchestra walked out on stage, thanked the fans for a great tour, expressed relief that the last show was here, and without further ado, launched into “Shakedown Street.” The lights dazzled and the crowd roared, obliging the band with the appropriate “woo’s” and singing and dancing. The group tore through “Me And My Uncle” and “Big River” before setting into a phenomenal, emotional take on the lovely “Peggy-O” that was simply stunning.

After a bouncy “Beat It On Down The Line,” and a wonderfully mellow “Stagger Lee,” DSO blasted into a growling, fierce “New Minglewood Blues” as good as Bob Weir’s better performances of the tune. The energy carried over into a classic “Brown-Eyed Women” that had the whole room singing along, louder than ever.

Next up was a bit of an oddball, “From The Heart Of Me,” penned and performed originally by Donna Jean Godchaux, one of few direct contributions to Grateful Dead canon. It was a bit slow moving for its place in the set, which is no fault of the DSO, and it was very well performed for what it was. To close out the set, and totally change the mood of the room, a loud and fast “I Need A Miracle” was in order.

After an exciting first half, the group had their work cut out for them, and they certainly delivered. Without speaking a word, the band tuned up, and launched into “Scarlet Begonias.” The crowd, of course, went ballistic, which only fueled the action on stage. The long, jammed out segue into “Fire On The Mountain” was masterful, and a joy to listen to, but it was the furious guitar solo in the center of the song that set it apart from everything else. The emotional peaks reached for and grabbed were thrilling. At that moment, you could close your eyes and be transported back in time. For that small moment, it was as if Jerry was right there before us on the stage.

To follow that up is hard, but the “Estimated Prophet” that was next in line was a valiant shot, and massively enjoyable in it’s own right. Rob Eaton sounds shockingly close to Bobby Weir at times, and this (as well as the earlier “I Need A Miracle”) is a great example of that. A typically fun and groove driven “Eyes Of The World” came out of the end of “Estimated Prophet,” and kept the crowd moving.

Out of “Eyes” came an, unfortunately, overlong and disjointed “Drums” section, which saw Rob Koritz playing clean and strong, but Dino English seemed to be lost much of the time, gesturing off stage a few times. Perhaps an issue with his kit had arisen. However, the jam section that blossomed out of “Drums” was a quick improvement in mood and sound, and another wonderful winding journey musically.

“Not Fade Away” was bright and funky. “Black Peter” was a vibey, bluesy way to cool things down, getting to the end. One last slow tune to groove to before we go. “Around and Around” brought the energy back up again, and was solid if unremarkable. “Good Lovin’” closed things out with a burst of energy, perfect for calling on the encore.

The band took the stage once more and rolled into “Casey Jones,” a nice way to ease into that post-show glow. After another thank you to the crowd, and a moment of shilling the DSO Jamaican vacation, Jam In The Sand, the band closed up with an extra tune, the JGB tune “My Sisters and Brothers” before saying goodnight.

The show, as much of the crowd had sussed out on their phones during the set break, was 1979/01/17 in New Haven, CT. This was the show, Rob Eaton informed us, that was the makeup for the 1978/11/25 show that Jerry was sick for. The setlist was unreal, and the musicianship was unparalleled. At points, you could have closed your eyes and been back in ‘79, it sounded so good. The Dark Star Orchestra comes through fairly regularly, and are an experience that is certainly worth seeking out.