The 12th annual Dark Star Jubilee rocked Thornville, OH’s aptly named Legend Valley as host band and Grateful Dead tribute Dark Star Orchestra welcomed moe., Warren Haynes, Daniel Donato, and many more for another stellar installment of its Memorial Day festival last weekend. The venue has seen more than its share of epic shows, including some impressive ones from the Dead themselves in the late ’80s and early ’90s when this hallowed grassy amphitheater was still known as Buckeye Lake, so it was a fitting spot for the vibes and laid back grooves that filled Memorial Day weekend. Here’s a rundown of the highlights from the weekend.

Friday. May 23rd

Melvin Seals & JGB (w/ Jennifer Hartswick)

Organist Melvin Seals, along with the rhythm section of bassist John-Paul McLean and drummer Jeremy Hoenig,  plus one of the best Jerry Garcia recreators, John Kadlecik (Furthur, DSO) on guitar and vocals, welcomed songstress and trumpeterer Jennifer Hartswick (Trey Anastasio Band) for a full set of Garcia’s best Jerry Garcia Band originals and covers. Thanks to Seals, Kadlecik, and Hartswick, the set was dense and rich with incredible musical interplay and raw energy. It was the perfect taste bud tease for the Dead smorgasbord to come.

Dark Star Orchestra

Dark Star Orchestra didn’t become the longest-running Grateful Dead tribute band out of nowhere. The relentlessly touring act has been recreating the Dead experience for so long that the jukebox tribute act has become widely considered the next-best thing for generations of Deadheads. With Lisa Mackey on vocals, Skip Vangelas on bass, Rob Koritz keeping the beat on drums alongside Dino English, and the frontline trio of Rob Eaton on rhyhtm guitar and vocals, Rob Barraco on keyboards and vocals, and Jeff Mattson in the “Jerry Garcia” slot, they have the personnel to make magic happen all over again.

The band’s spot-on mimicry was on full display on the opening night of the festival, as DSO recreated the Grateful Dead’s entire April 9th, 1982 concert at the Community War Memorial in Rochester, NY. This show from the dawn of the ’80s showcased the Dead’s evolving style, with classics “Dire Wolf”, “Bird Song”, “Loser”, “The Other One”, and “Stella Blue” alongside Go To Heaven cut “Alabama Getaway”, “Lost Sailor”, and “Saint of Circumstance”, plus a cover of The Rolling Stones‘ “(I Can’t Get No Satisfaction)” which the Dead in 1980, hit its stride with nine performances in ’82, and disappeared for six years following a single performance in ’86, per Setlist.fm.

Dark Star Orchestra — Dark Star Jubilee — Thornville, OH — 5/23/25 — First Set Preview

Though the Dead’s Rochester show technically ended with a moving “Brokedown Palace” encore, DSO threw in a little extra with Derek and the Dominoes‘ “Keep On Growing” and Stephen Stills‘ “Love The One You’re With”. The hour grew late before the DSO finally relented, but the band sent fans to camp with the promise of “Lots more to come!”

Saturday, May 24th

Organ Fairchild

When the instrumental trio of “All things keys” player Joe Bellanti, drummer Corey Kertzie, and guitarist Dave Ruch took the stage together, it was another notch in an extremely long belt for this four-decade strong Buffalo, NY-based collaboration. Organ Fairchild takes its music-making seriously, and its chugging, jammy grooves and intricate guitar play stand testament to that. That’s a good thing because, as a trio, it is practically impossible to hide any lack of chops. Luckily, Organ Fairchild has those in spades. With a plethora of catchy hooks, organic (pun unintended) vibes, Organ Fairchild does a lovely job of giving fans more than they knew they wanted until that very second.

Somehow, Organ Fairchild manages to throw off some Allman Brothers Band vibes with only a fraction of that legendary classic rock act’s onstage manpower. For any band or even friendship to last for four decades is an impressive achievement in its own right, but to still be making music that matters after all these years together shows that Organ Fairchild has all the heart of a group of any size.

Leftover Salmon

Next up, the finest, and only, “poly-ethnic slamgrass” band in the land, Leftover Salmon, delivered an as-always crowd-pleasing set, fronted by 30-year veteran co-founders, multi-instrumentalist Drew Emmitt and the epitome of feel-good festival figures Vince Herman. From the opener, the irresistible “Eliza” and its Caribbean-bluegrass feel reinforced by Alwyn Robinson‘s drums, Salmon delivered a set of songs that perfectly fit the sunny afternoon setting. It’s a well-known fact that Leftover’s presence on any lineup ensures the positivity of an entire day, and Saturday was a perfect example of why.

Leftover Salmon gave the crowd a full hour of happy vibes and danceable grooves that ultimately felt like an Americana “Break glass in case of PARTY!” performance. Banjo specialist Andy Thorn’s announcement that it was Emmitt’s birthday elicited a fun crowd serenade before Thorn dazzled the crowd with his mystifying five-string prowess. Bassist Greg Garrison kept the boogie backbeat alive through the entire set while Leftover’s newest addition, Jay Starling, filled in all the cracks with his work on the keys and dobro. By the time Salmon’s turn on stage was done, the energy was sky high and as upbeat as possible, which is all anyone could ask for from a midday festival act.

moe.

Two-plus decades of hosting Summer Camp Music Festival over Memorial Day weekend have made the jam band godfathers of moe. unable to play anywhere else, so the Dark Star Jubilee organizers took full advantage of that festival’s hiatus this year to bring the band in for a stellar penultimate main stage Saturday set. moe., to its credit, wasted no time putting its own stamp on the day’s mood, opening with an extended “Tailspin” and never looking back.

Guitarists Al Schnier and Chuck Garvey are a deadly pair of truly complementary players, and their ability to bob and weave between each other was on blast during the opener. Bassist Rob Derhak utilized his unique mix of four-string slapping and passionate vocals on tunes like “Billy Goat” and “Brent Black” to wonderful effect. Pocket partners drummer Vinne Amico and percussionist Jim Loughlin made themselves heard with their signature mix of rock-solid backbeat work and thrilling turns as song leads.

Newest member Nate Wilson continued to seamlessly insert himself, his keyboard, and flute skills on new tunes like “Giants” from the band’s latest album, Circle Of Giants, and classics alike with insidiously simple charm. moe. closed its set out with an extended triple play of “Shoot First” into “Puebla” before closing with the aforementioned “Black” that left the crowd musically dazed and confused.

DSO

Night two of the Dark Star Orchestra’s headlining duties had plenty more of its spot-on Dead renditions as well as some fun visuals and even a visit from Leftover Salmon “Birthday Boy” Drew Emmitt for a rousing final encore of Bob Dylan’s “Quinn The Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn)”. Saturday saw the band recreate the Dead’s October 7th, 1977 show from the University of New Mexico, featuring a rare performance of Terrapin Station‘s “Sunrise”, played only 30 times between May 1977 and September 1978. Rounding out DSO’s already impressive musical aspect were some spectacular high-stakes high-wire silk dancers far above the stage—a Jubilee tradition at Legend Valley—and stellar light work from the rafters. Fans were smiling from ear to ear as they headed back to camp after the set.

Dark Star Orchestra — Dark Star Jubilee — Thornville, OH — 5/24/25 — First Set Preview

Dark Star Orchestra, Drew Emmitt — “Quinn The Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn)” (Bob Dylan) — 5/24/25

[Video: Tony Terrapin]

Sunday, May 25th

Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country

Guitarist Daniel Donato, one of Nashville’s finest, brought his whip-smart Cosmic Country banking band—Nathan “Sugarleg” Aronowitz on keyboards, guitar, vocals; Will “Mustang” McGee on bass and vocals; and Will “Bronco” Clark on drums and vocals—to the DSJ for the second year in a row, and in appreciation DDCC gave fans young and old a firecracker of a Sunday set to start the fest’s last day with a shot of adrenaline.

Donato’s runaway rockabilly brand of fretboard fireworks matches his nasally twang well, and the driving nature of the band’s sound is matched by its originals and covers from the likes of Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard, and more. By the end of the galloping showcase, the crowd needed some respite after the fire and fury Donato & Co delivered.

Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country — Dark Star Jubilee — Thornville, OH — 5/25/25 — Partial Video

[Video: Tony Terrapin]

Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country — Dark Star Jubilee — Thornville, OH — 5/25/25 — Full Audio

Warren Haynes Band

Speaking of guitar heroes, Warren Haynes stepped out on his main band, the beloved Gov’t Mule, to support his most recent solo effort, the much-loved Million Voices Whisper. With his eponymous solo band featuring Mule bassist Kevin Scott, drummer Terence Higgins, saxophonist Greg Osby, and keyboardist Matt Slocum, Haynes utilized his stadium-sized Southern blues sound which served him so well as a decades-long centerpiece of the Allman Brothers Band. Dropping some blistering renditions of his own tunes, Haynes also found time to welcome members of his host band, DSO keyboard wiz Barraca and guitarist Mattson, for a sweet three song sit-in that included some Phil Lesh & Friends (“Patchwork Quilt”) and Little Milton (“That’s What Love Will Make You Do”) as well as an obligatory Dead track, “Black Peter”.

Warren Haynes Band — “That’s What Love Will Make You Do” (Little Milton) — 5/25/25

[Video: Tony Terrapin]

Haynes, no stranger to playing special guest himself, loves to return the gesture and brought out Daniel Donato for his own set’s closing tune, a ripping version of the Allman’s classic “Soulshine”. The two guitarists previously joined forces on the track at the 2024 Daze Between New Orleans festival during Jazz Fest. Though Gregg Allman originally recorded the song’s vocals, Haynes’ version has become the industry standard, and this one’s dual guitar leads made it an overwhelming crowd hit to end Warren’s appearance as the penultimate act on Sunday’s lineup.

DSO

Dark Star Orchestra closed out its festival with one last heaping helping of classic Dead tunes and a couple more impressive guest star turns in the first set. Daniel Donato came out early for some fun with insightful and inspired takes “Cumberland Blues” and Easy Wind” while Warren Haynes, no stranger to the legendary Dead songbook thanks to his time as a member of the post-Garcia incarnation of The Dead, came out for “Shakedown Street” and Traffic’s “Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys”. Blues guitar legend and much sought-after guest player that he is, Warren understood the assignment and gave another of his trademark Earth-shaking sit-ins, lifting all around him with his amazing talent and ability to play with anyone.

Dark Star Orchestra — Dark Star Jubilee — Thornville, OH — 5/25/25 — First Set Preview

Dark Star Orchestra, Daniel Donato — “Cumberland Blues” (Grateful Dead) — 5/25/25

[Video: Tony Terrapin]

A second Traffic tune, “Dear Mr.Fantasy”, was a gem in the final set of the weekend, as was the obligatory “Drums” > ”Space” two-fer that was particularly otherworldly. Closing out the weekend with a Joni Mitchell “Woodstock” cover was a particularly apt choice for both DSO and the event itself. Though the crowd wasn’t nearly as big as that long-lost weekend, the intent of both events, to bring together fans of all kinds for a weekend of musical bliss, remains the uniting factor. It is a lofty goal, to be sure, but one that Dark Star Orchestra, the hard-working crew, and the fans themselves will happily attest is one worthy of striving for.

Dark Star Orchestra’s summer tour is in full swing with shows this week in North Carolina, Georgia, and South Carolina. Find tickets and tour dates here.

words: Rex Thomson