Dark Star Orchestra, Shepherd's Bush Empire, 13/9/22

This review is sooo late. But in fairness it’s been a winter of illness and also of sorting the 5000 or so images I brought back from Utah/Arizona last October - see https://www.flickr.com/photos/tinfoilskies/albums/72177720306339356 if you’re interested.)

Got to the Empire in good time and purchased my regular pre-gig pint. Looked out for familiar faces but it was Liz who clocked me before I saw her. (She and Paul had come by car from Nottingham.)

When the band came on Liz wanted to stay in the raised area at the back of the theatre but I made my way to a spot left of centre, about 3m from the stage.

The band members all looked a bit older - well it is 10 years since they last came and we all do! When Lisa appeared, for 'Next time you see me', she got a huge welcome; we didn’t see a lot of her tonight but she got a big cheer every time she came on stage. 

It was clear that the audience were really up for an enjoying the band tonight; nothing was going to stop us having fun. Some young people behind me on the edge of the crowd were dancing exuberantly - spinning like Dervishes - a joy to behold. I can't think of a situation where you (I) can "dance like there's no-one watching" in the middle of a crowd, except in a crowd of Deadheads.

It’s exciting just to hear those songs played live and impossible to stand still. But the first few numbers were (to my ears) basic first-set numbers which don’t exactly lend themselves to fireworks. (Actually when a guy came past me, one hour into the set, asking how long they’d been on stage (because he thought the start time was 8pm not 7pm), I told him he hadn’t missed anything special.) But the hall came alive for an excellent China>Rider.

Thanks for the photo, Tony!

During 'Going down the road" I figured that the first set was going to close fairly soon so I slipped off to the bar for my second pint, using sign language since speech was impossible. At the break I really needed a sit down but the security were adamant that the steps at the side had to be kept free. Managed to sit on the floor for a few minutes. Some great GD shirts around. Spoke to a guy wearing a "The Dead" Summer Tour '04 shirt like mine back home.

The second set started well and went from strength to strength, ending with an upbeat 'Saturday Night'.

I came away happy but dearly hoping to see the Grateful Dudes in a venue this size one day. (Ideally with a “Donna”!) They would not be out of place by any means.

Set One: The Promised Land ; Sugaree ; Mister Charlie ; Black Throated Wind ; Loser ; Next Time You See Me ; El Paso ; Dire Wolf ; The Stranger ; Playing In The Band ; He's Gone ; Cumberland Blues ; Jack Straw ; Chinatown Shuffle ; China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider ; Not Fade Away > Going Down The Road Feeling Bad > Not Fade Away 

Set Two: Truckin' > The Other One > jam > Morning Dew > The Other One > Sing Me Back Home ; Me And My Uncle ; Ramble On Rose ; Sugar Magnolia ; Casey Jones Encore: One More Saturday Night