A faithful crowd gathered last Saturday night at Bourbon Street Bar in the name of one timeless and seasoned band - The Grateful Dead. No, the legendary mecca wasn’t back from the past. Cosmic Charlie, a cover band for the infamous Dead, rolled through the plains with fire and ice. Seeing them play showed a special dedication to the ray of light that is the Grateful Dead’s music.

Playing songs like “Scarlet Bagonias” and one of their special tributes to Garcia’s birthday, “One More Saturday Night,” the crowd’s variety of people danced and remained absorbed in the experience of the show the entire night.

The Dead enthusiasts got their start during the Summer of 1999 out of Athens, Ga. They have been joined on stage by both Vince Welnick and Tom Constanten, both keyboardists for the original Grateful Dead Band.

The band stayed true to the soul of the Dead, singing every song like they meant it. Cosmic Charlie jammed in and out of their songs with precision and accuracy. There were no disinterested faces anywhere near the stage. During one of the breaks, the two drummers, along with now two extra drummers, jammed out almost blue man style. With two sets of drums already on the stage, a third set hanging between the two was now being played in a mesmerizing rhythm. This was a nice and original touch.

The important thing about the experience that this band offers is its technical skill on each guitar rift, especially during long jam sessions and its conversation style singing which is what the Grateful Dead is known well for. The dedicated fans make the show comfortable and complete. The fans cried “encore” for a solid 10 minutes after the band finished their last song of the night.