Dark Star Orchestra

Chicago, IL · formed 1997

Dark Star Orchestra built its reputation on a simple, audacious premise: rather than assembling a greatest-hits set, the band performs the setlist of an actual Grateful Dead concert from a particular date, chasing the arrangements, the tones, and the personnel of that era. The band comes through the Bay Area most winters — its 2026 run included two nights at Oakland's Fox Theater — and the fall 2026 tour stays east of the Rockies.