I have never claimed to be a "Deadhead" - the term of endearment used for followers and devoted fans of the Grateful Dead. But, I'm sure last night at the Dark Star Orchestra (DSO)'s sold out performance at the State Theatre there were many who consider themselves as such and take it as a compliment.

DSO doesn't just cover Grateful Dead songs, they recreate entire Grateful Dead performances by replicating the exact set lists, arrangements and instrumentation used at a particular performance. Last night, near the end of the show, lead guitarist and singer John Kadlecik announced that the night's performance was originally performed on September 15, 1985 in Chula Vista, California.

I think DSO sets itself apart because this format pleases the diehard fans by not only focusing on the Dead's greatest hits. What made the Grateful Dead so unique was their ability to jam with a different perspective on their own songs. No two live shows were ever the same.

That being said, as a non-Deadhead who didn't always recognize some of the lesser known songs, I could appreciate the DSO's cover of songs the Greatful Dead used to cover. After a cover of Johnny Cash's "Big River", another song followed that I didn't recognize until I heard the familiar blues riff of "Smokestack Lightin'." Both cover tracks were done in such a way that they were familiar, but it seemed had been taken in the band's own direction. It's an odd situation to critique the cover of a cover song, and I feel like if I critique the DSO's performance, I'm also critiquing the Grateful Dead themselves because of DSO's spot-on recreation.

After about a 40-minute break, the second set began similarly to the first. I didn't recognize the opening song but I could tell there were plenty in the audience who did. Since the theatre was packed, it seemed like everyone was standing and bopping or dancing along to the music. Some were dancing in the aisles or in the back of the theatre, some with dread-locked hair or tie-dye clothes.

I think the band did lack some crowd interaction. There was a lot of 'dead' space (pun intended) in between songs where they band would have to re-tune their instruments, but no one spoke to the audience and kept the momentum going. The members of the band weren't introduced at all either. I don't know if DSO lacks introduction because the Dead never gave any introductions, but if that is the case they stayed pretty close to that style. They did call out to the audience once after the second song, then later on in the night "for all the people in the Internet world," who, guitarist Rob Eaton explained, the band gave an opportunity to listen live online since the show was sold out. Posters were also hung in the lobby advertising the audio from the show available at streamernet.com/darkstar, which upon visiting I found was also available for post-show download for $12.

The second set contained the only one of the Dead's big "hits," "Truckin', " that got the whole crowd into the show. The set also included what I counted as at least a 15-minute drum solo on the massive drum set, including two kits, hanging bass and tom-tom drums and few other sets of percussion instruments. As the drummers, Dino English and Rob Koritz, pounded away it reminded me of some kind of caveman creation with all the rumbling growls and moans that were coming from the stage. The lights also moved along with the music for most of the night, creating the same dark cave feel with an eerie glow during the drum solo. The solo was so long that the band left the stage and once they returned a ten-minute guitar solo followed.

The final song of the regular set was a cover of "(Can't Get No) Satisfaction" by the Rolling Stones and was definitely a crowd pleaser, non-Deadheads like me included. The Grateful Dead's own "Brokedown Palace" offered one encore and then the band closed the night with a medley of tunes including the Dark Star's namesake.

I can say I felt a little out of place not knowing the entire repertoire of the Grateful Dead's songs, but the atmosphere that all the fans provide makes you feel welcome enough to dance around and enjoy the music. I may have never gotten to see the band live, but Dark Star helps to make it pretty clear what it was like.