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By Lisa Sanchez Gonzalez<\/p>\n
On Thursday, September 17, Dark Star Orchestra<\/strong> brought its faithful, communal Grateful Dead experience to College Street Music Hall in New Haven. The room felt more like a gathering than a concert, with fans in tie-dye trading smiles and settling in for a long night of unfolding music.<\/p>\n DSO<\/strong> recreated the Dead\u2019s June 29, 1976 show at Chicago\u2019s Auditorium Theatre, notable as the last time the band played \u201cMission in the Rain\u201d live. The night also included a final encore of \u201cTake a Letter, Maria\u201d \u2013 an unlisted Easter egg you won\u2019t find online, but I was there, dancing and shaking my bones.<\/p>\n As a lifelong Grateful Dead fan, I was thrilled\u2014and the evening turned out to be magical. The Dead experience has always been about joy, friendship, dancing, singing, and looking out for one another. Dark Star Orchestra<\/strong> captured that spirit completely.<\/p>\n I\u2019m superstitious, and when I arrived, I realized I had forgotten my jewelry \u2013 especially the necklace my Abuelo gave me before he passed, which I never leave home without. After a brief panic, I stopped at the merch table and told Meghan the story. She showed me a necklace with a pendant made from one of drummer Rob Koritz\u2019s retired cymbals. When I tried to pay, she refused: \u201cI think you need this. It\u2019s a gift.\u201d Her kindness moved me to tears. That was the Dead spirit in action.<\/p>\n Before the first notes, I took my spot in front of the stage and noticed two young women at the barricade. They were 18-year-old Fairfield University students whose parents were lifelong fans, and they had grown up with the music of the Dead. They were there on their own, and watching them enjoy the show among the older Deadheads was lovely.<\/p>\n