Dark Star Jubilee Back For Year No. 2

Celebrating the music and spirit of The Grateful Dead and helmed by ultimate Dead tribute band, Dark Star Orchestra, the second annual Dark Star Jubilee is set for Memorial Day Weekend in Ohio.

Photo: Mike Thut / Gathering of the Vibes

Gathering of the Vibes Music and Arts Festival, Seaside Park, Bridgeport, Conn.

Actually, Dark Star Orchestra isn’t your typical tribute band, Grateful Dead or otherwise, in that the group recreates the spirit of the Dead as well as its music. By basing its performances on setlists from past Grateful Dead concerts, Dark Star Orchestra strives to give the audience the best Dead experience possible.

Dark Star Jubilee No. 2 will also feature a couple of Grateful Dead vets on the lineup, having booked the Mickey Hart Band and Donna Jean Godchaux Band. Godchaux sang in The Grateful Dead during the 1970s while her husband Keith played keyboards.

Scheduled for May 24-26 at Legend Valley near Thornville, Ohio (30 minutes east of Columbus), Dark Star Jubilee will also host Yonder Mountain String Band, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, The Wailers, New Orleans Suspects Featuring Paul Barrere & Fred Tackett of Little Feat, Greensky Bluegrass, John Brown’s Body, Marco Benevento, Elephant Revival, The Pimps Of Joytime, Rumpke Mountain Boys, BigEaR, The Folkadelics, The Ark Band, Matt Reynolds and local favorites The Werks.