Pacific Northwest Crossover: Dark Star Orchestra Tap Members of Gov’t Mule and More

Photo Credit: Dino Perrucci

Over the weekend, a Pacific Northwest crossover occurred when Dark Star Orchestra turned up in Portland, Ore., for their West Coast tour finale, overlapping in the City of Roses with Gov’t Mule, who were in town ahead of their show at the Roseland Theatre, on Sunday, Feb, 11. The intersection allowed Warren Haynes and Danny Louis to join the Grateful Dead cover band on stage for three songs. Then, during Mule’s stand the next night, they brought up local residents: Los Lobos saxophone player Steve Berlin and B.B. King drummer Tony Coleman. 

After trucking up the coast from California and making the rounds in Washington state, Dark Star Orchestra arrived in Portland, Ore., on Saturday, Feb. 10. During the concert, the band packed in Grateful Dead-associated material, ranging from the San Francisco band’s original compositions to covers akin with the group’s live catalog. 

After pushing past the show’s latter half with sister tunes “Help on the Way” into “Slipknot!,” the band welcomed Haynes and Louis for an unbilled collaboration. Ignited by the first recognizable riff, Dark Star dipped into “Frankin’s Tower” alongside their guests. Next, the group turned their attention to the Traffic favorite, “Low Spark of High Heeled Boy,” before closing out the sit-in after completing “Not Fade Away.” 

To follow, on Sunday, Feb. 11, Gov’t Mule took part in their Portland, Ore. stand, adding in guests during the night’s second frame, beginning with Berlin, who added a layer of sax to the night’s rendition of Tom Waits’ “Get Behind The Mule.” With one guest on stage, it only seemed fitting to expand, with the addition of Coleman, who sat behind the kit on an ensuing cover of Bobby Bland’s “Ain’t No Love In The Heart Of The City.”

Dark Star Orchestra 

Roseland Theatre – Portland, Ore.

Feb. 10, 2024 

Set: Good Times, Might as Well, Feel Like a Stranger, Dire Wolf, Never Trust a Woman, Lazy River Road, Pride of Cucamonga, Truckin’, Pride of Cucamonga, Jack Straw, Help on the Way > Slipknot!, Franklin’s Tower+, The Low Spark of High Heeled Boy+, Not Fade Away+, Drums > Space, Corrina, I Know You Rider, Morning Dew, Not Fade Away 

Enc.: Take a Letter to Maria

Notes: 

+ With Warren Haynes and Danny Louis