Take a Step Back, A Tribute to the Grateful Dead, at Nod Hill Brewery

Plenty of bands play the Dead. This one wants you to know why the Dead mattered beyond the songs.

Take a Step Back performs the music of the Grateful Dead, and the members are unusually explicit about what they are honoring: not only the repertoire, with its uplifting rhythms, unusual song forms, organic harmonic progressions and that cryptic storytelling, but the innovations the band and its crew made in touring, sound engineering, technology and live recording. The love for it runs deep enough that the history comes along with the set.

Good to know. This is a ticketed show in the Backspace. Doors at 6:30pm, music at 7pm. Nod Hill prices by table, so check the booking page for what a seat costs.

Where to go. Nod Hill Brewery sits on Ethan Allen Highway in Ridgefield, an easy run for anyone in lower Fairfield County.