Terrapin Nation

Outside of having a really good acid trip while listening to a bootleg, Dark Star Orchestra is about the closest thing to a Grateful Dead resurrection that most Deadheads will experience in their lifetime. In 1997, the Dark Stars began faithfully re-creating Dead shows and have been lauded for their uncanny doppelgänger abilities. In 2001, after a secret, packed-to-the-rafters gig bidding farewell to the original Quixote's True Blue way out on the dark recesses of East Colfax, the outfit started what has since become a Denver tradition: Periodically, the act stops by one of the Bianchi brothers' venues and performs under the name Terrapin Nation. These shows typically feature members of the Orchestra in full-on free-form mode, diving headlong into the Dead's eclectic catalogue without a net or a set list. The result is one of the most spontaneous nights of music that can still be had here or anywhere else.