Where/when was the finest version of Dark Star performed? I have two personal favorites.

1. Grateful Dead 5-11-72 Rotterdam Civic Hall Rotterdam, Netherlands
2. Phill Lesh and Friends (Kimock, Trey, Molo) 4-17-99 The Warfield Theatre San Francisco

Dark star crashes
Pouring its light into ashes
Reason tatters
The forces tear loose from the axis
Searchlight casting
For faults in the clouds of delusion

Shall we go, you and I, while we can?
Through the transitive nightfall of diamonds

Mirror shatters
In formless reflections of matter
Glass hand dissolving
To ice petal flowers revolving
Lady in velvet
Recedes in the nights of goodbye

Shall we go, you and I, while we can
Through the transitive nightfall of diamonds?

try this one it's how you like it !

12-06-73 Cleveland Convention Center, Cleveland, Oh

Both fine choices! It's really tough to choose ONE Dark Star, but I have a few favorites. 2/13/70 was the first Dead tape I got back when I was 14, and I heard that before I had even heard Live/Dead, so that remain the definitive Dark Star for me. It's just such perfection, and I don't know if it's ever been topped.

That said, I do tend to prefer the 72/73 megaStars to any other versions.

Lately, 8/24/72 has been a go to Dark Star for me, so it's the current "favorite"
www.archive.org/details/gd72-08-24.sbd.miller.18093.sbeok.shnf

But really, you can pull any one from 72 or 73 and I will be calling it the BEST VERSION EVER within 5 minutes.

While I believe the Dark Star from Live Dead has always been one of my absolute favorites, I have to say my favorites are based on Dark Stars I have seen in concert.



Miami 89 - Long, spacey (for that time) and the fact I was there. The vibe was good, the weather outside was sunny and warm, it was a great day in the "lot" as we called back then and when they did do Dark Star, it seemed everybody was mesmerized. If felt like it went on forever and was damn good for the head.

Nightfall of Diamonds Dark Star - Brendan Byrne Arena - I was there in the fifth row and when they opened the second set with it, the entire place erupted, it was an unbelievable experience. Phil started noodling the notes and we knew, we just knew and when he launched into those signature notes, I can remember how everyone just got up on their seats and everyone was just absorbing the sounds. The rest of the set as we know was awesome and to get the second verse later in the set was just something to behold. A "Grateful Dead" moment that I will never forget.

From a musicianship standpoint, there probably are better. But "Back In The Day", seeing Dark Star WAS a rarity and it was something every deadhead had hoped/prayed they would see. Most had just about given up on ever seeing it to be honest.

The two above left a lasting impression on me for personal reasons outlined above

I have seen Furthur do it, Phil and friends do it, etc........... but when I saw Jerry do it in person, it was, as they say "Music to My Ears".

personally I have always liked Dark Star from 04-14-72 Tivoli Concert Hall, Copenhagen, Denmark. can't wait for E72 box set to finally hear it in all its glory.

as for the late era Dark Star, I also like

12/31/90
09/10/91
09/22/93

'cause I happen to have been there...

quick story: close friend who explained to me what Grateful Dead music is by playing a tape from 1969 for me to listen to, always would say how he felt it was unfair that he started going to see Jerry and the boys back in 1982 and I only hopped on the bus just after Brent and how he never got to see Dark Star and I did. after Jerry passed, GDTS sent me back my $ & ticket stubs for fall 95. I took one of the stubs that had a big star on it and gave to my friend and told him, here is your Dark Star ticket.

my friend just told me last week how he cherishes that ticket...

Summer of 90, RFK, stadium was my first. And I'll always remember that as being very special. But it was only first verse. I saw
it many times in the next few years. Usualy with the verses broken up, and played on different nights. Like, the first verse in
one city, the middle jam in another, and the second verse, in a third. Not the best way to hear it, but really enjoyable, even
so. My favorites have been from the late 60's early 70's when they were really developing it as a platform for extended jams.
There is a very little known "third verse", which was never sang live. Here it is.

"Spinning a set the stars through which the
tattered tales of axis roll
about the waxen wind of never set to motion
in the unbecoming
round about the reason hardly matters nor
the wise through which
the stars were set in spin."

Now that's some poetry right there. : )