In the midst of celebrating Their 29th anniversary, Dark Star Orchestra made a November stop at Albany’s beautiful Palace Theatre. The band known for recreating actual Grateful Dead concert setlists got freaky on Friday The 13th, choosing to craft their own setlist.
The show opened with the Grateful Dead‘s dark anthem “New Speedway Boogie,” a song that was inspired by the tragic events of a 1969 concert at Altamont Speedway with the Grateful Dead and The Rolling Stones. In recent years, the song has taken on more of a political meaning with it’s repeated chorus of “this darkness got to give”. After a lengthy jam, the party kicked into gear with Bob Weir’s “Hell in A Bucket,” delivered by rhythm guitarist Rob Eaton with passion and reverence. Keyboardist Rob Barraco took over lead vocal duties next on The Dead classic Mr. Charlie.
The first rarity of the night came with the song “Passenger,” delivered duet style by Singer, Lisa, Mackey and Rob Eaton. One of the true highlights of the show was Bob Dylan‘s “Just Like Tom Thumb‘s Blues.” This song was a fan favorite of Deadhead’s when sung by bassist Phil Lesh with the Grateful Dead. Dark Star Orchestra bassist Skip Vangelis took the lead and paid tribute to the creativity of the song and Phil Lesh by changing lyrics as Phil would often do. There are many variations of this line between Bob Dylan and Phil Lesh. Skip‘s take on this Albany night was “I started out on Krispy Kreme‘s but soon hit the harder stuff”, He finished the line with “I’m going back to Dunkin’ Donuts. I do believe I’ve had enough.”
DSO next pulled out the very rare “Believe It Or Not,” a song that was recorded in the sessions for the Grateful Dead’s studio album Built To Last but never made the cut. The first set finished strong with the Grateful Dead‘s powerful duo “Lost Sailor/Saint of Circumstance,” and a smoking cover of Bob Dylan‘s “Tangled Up in Blue.” Lead Guitarist Jeff Mattson led the band through a lengthy jam of “Tangled Up In Blue” and brought it all back home with the song’s chorus to close out the set.
It was clear when the second set opened with the Grateful Dead’s “Shakedown Street” that the party was on. The band was having fun and so was the packed house at the Palace Theatre. Grateful Dead hits like “Uncle John’s Band,” “I Need A Miracle” and “Sugar Magnolia” anchored the second set along with rarities like “Corrina” and “The Stranger (Two Souls in Communion)”. Dark Star Orchestra has given “The Stranger” their own arrangement, featuring a beautiful vocal shared by Rob Barraco and Lisa Mackey.
Drummers Dino English and Rob Koritz were rock solid all night and excelled during “Drums and Space”, incorporating electronic samples and something very similar to Mickey Hart’s famous “Beam” instrument. After nearly four hours, the band’s final encore had the entire band and most of the folks in The Palace Theatre singing together on The Jefferson Airplane classic “Volunteers of America.”
2026 has been a tough year for Deadheads. The death of Bob Weir in January gave way to the first summer in over 60 years with no original member of the Grateful Dead performing music. There is solace in Dark Star Orchestra. There is fun in Dark Star Orchestra. It’s there – all of it, and on Friday, November 13th, Dark Star Orchestra brought the spirit of Grateful Dead to life in Albany.
Dark Star Orchestra – Palace Theatre Albany, NY – Friday, November 13, 2026
Set 1: New Speedway Boogie > Hell in a Bucket, Loser, Mr Charlie, Passenger, Just Like Tom Thumb Blues, Believe it or Not, Lost Sailor > Saint of Circumstance, Tangled up in Blue
Set 2: Shakedown Street > Corrina > Two Souls in Communion > Uncle John’s Band > Drums > Space > Dark Star Tease > I Need a Miracle > Dear Mr Fantasy > Mission in the Rain > Sugar Magnolia
Encore: Uncle John’s Band Reprise > Volunteers
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