Dead Man’s Waltz built their entire approach around a convergence that happened once and never repeated: the 1973 Summer Jam at Watkins Glen, where The Grateful Dead, The Allman Brothers Band, and The Band all shared a stage in upstate New York. On Friday, December 18, the band returns to Colony Woodstock to do what they do — run all three of those catalogs through the same night, with no obligation to stay in any one lane.
About the Show
Dead Man’s Waltz (formerly Steal Your Peach) is a six-piece collective from the Northeast festival scene that interweaves the classic songs and jams of the Grateful Dead, the Allman Brothers Band, and The Band. The arrangements move freely between the familiar and the deeper cuts: from “Jessica” into “Going Down the Road Feeling Bad” into “Don’t Do It,” or from “Up on Cripple Creek” into “They Love Each Other” into “Midnight Rider.” Three bands’ catalogs treated as one long conversation rather than three separate sets. The creative foundation is the long tradition of crossover among these three acts, a thread that came together most visibly at Watkins Glen in 1973, where all three performed on the same bill — the event the band cites as the wellspring of what they do.
Two drummers anchor the lineup, mirroring the classic configurations that defined both the Dead and the Allmans and giving the set a rhythmic density that pushes past standard tribute-act territory. Improvisation is built into the formula — arrangements evolve night to night, and the band is explicit about keeping things fresh and unexpected. What plays out December 18 will be particular to this room, this crowd. The shows are known for drawing a close-knit community of fans in the free-spirited tradition of the music that inspired them.
Venue & Logistics
Colony Woodstock, at 22 Rock City Road, opened in 1929 and has described itself ever since as “The Smartest Rendezvous in the Catskills.” The 150-capacity bar and music venue hosts concerts, open mic nights, and regular tribute performances throughout the week. For a six-piece band with two full drum kits, 150 people is about as direct as it gets — the kind of room where a three-hour set lands differently than it would anywhere bigger. It’s a natural pull for fans across the Hudson Valley, and Woodstock is the kind of town that earns the drive on its own. Doors open at 6 p.m.; the show runs 7 to 10 p.m. Attendees under 18 are welcome with a parent or legal guardian.
Tickets
Tickets are $23 to $29. Buy tickets