Dark Star Orchestra has spent nearly 30 years building a career around a specific, almost archival commitment: reconstructing actual Grateful Dead setlists from specific dates in the band’s touring history, or assembling original combinations from that catalog, and performing them for rooms full of people who understand the difference. On November 17, that exercise in collective memory arrives at Rutland’s Paramount Theatre.
About the Show
The Rutland date is a late addition to DSO’s Fall 2026 Tour, announced September 22 as part of a Northeast run that moves through Albany on November 13 and Boston on November 14 before arriving in Vermont. The seven-piece ensemble has now crossed 3,300 performances since the band’s founding in Chicago in 1997, and the core approach has stayed consistent: set lists drawn from actual Grateful Dead shows, rendered by musicians who have spent decades inside this material.
The current lineup — lead guitarist Jeff Mattson, described by the band as a student of Jerry Garcia’s guitar technique; Rob Barraco on keyboards; Rob Eaton on rhythm guitar; Lisa Mackey on vocals; Skip Vangelas on bass; and the two-drummer configuration of Dino English and Rob Koritz — carries the project forward from founding members John Kadlecik and the late Scott Larned, who co-founded DSO in Chicago in 1997. Larned died in 2005; Barraco joined permanently in 2007. Over the band’s run, six original Grateful Dead members have appeared as guests: Phil Lesh, Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann, Donna Jean Godchaux-MacKay, Vince Welnick, and Tom Constanten. Mike Gordon, Jon Fishman, Warren Haynes, and Steve Kimock have also joined them on stage.
As Barraco has put it: “For us it’s a chance to recreate some of the magic that was created for us over the years.” It is a measured thing to say for a band three decades into its run, and perhaps exactly why the rooms keep selling.
Venue & Logistics
The Paramount Theatre is an 838-capacity historic theater at 30 Center St. in downtown Rutland, one of the more substantial rooms in the north-country touring circuit. The band’s 2026 calendar has also included Berkeley’s Greek Theatre, which puts the Paramount’s scale in useful perspective. Lobby doors open at 6:30 p.m.; seating begins at 7:00 p.m. Showtime is 7:30 p.m.
Tickets
Tickets are priced at $40, $50, and $60 (plus tax and fees). A member pre-sale opens September 24 at 12:00 p.m.; the general public on-sale follows Friday, September 25 at 10:00 a.m. Complimentary vouchers are not valid for this performance. Paramount Theatre membership at the $125+ level provides early ticket access. Buy tickets