Full Show Audio: Joe Russo’s Almost Dead Unveils Official Recording From SweetWater 420 Festival

By Scott Bernstein May 25, 2018 11:35 am PDT

Back on April 21, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead played a pair of memorable sets in Atlanta’s Centennial Olympic Park as part of this year’s SweetWater 420 Fest. The band has shared official audio of their performance as the latest installment of their Taper Fridays series.

Guitarists Scott Metzger and Tom Hamilton, bassist Dave Dreiwitz, keyboardist Marco Benevento and drummer Joe Russo opened with a jam they slickly worked into the Jerry Garcia Band favorite “Cats Under The Stars.” Metzger then led the group on “Feel Like A Stranger.” JRAD concluded their first SweetWater 420 Fest set with an impressive sequence of “The Wheel,” “Estimated Prophet” and “He’s Gone.”

JRAD’s second set in Atlanta started with a wild “Shakedown Street” that spanned nearly 20 minutes and included a portion of the composed “Eyes Of The World” section the Dead would play in 1973. ‘Shakedown” gave way to a rollicking “I Need A Miracle” that was followed by a “Jam” featuring hints of “Tennessee Jed.” However, it was eventually “Ramble On Rose” that emerged sung by Tom Hamilton. Almost Dead then served up the familiar pairing of “China Cat Sunflower” and “I Know You Rider.”

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The a capella finale of “I Know You Rider” was followed by a brief drum solo from Russo. Joe wound up using the solo as a launch pad for “Not Fade Away.” The quintet fit a jam on “Turn On Your Lovelight” within “Not Fade Away” and then ended their SweetWater 420 Fest debut with “One More Saturday Night.”

Listen to both sets thanks to Peter Costello and Eric McRoberts:

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Setlist (Compiled by Peter Costello)

Set One (5:12PM – 6:13PM): Jam -> Cats Under The Stars -> Feel Like A Stranger @, The Wheel # -> Estimated Prophet $ -> He’s Gone %

Set Two (6:42PM – 7:58PM): Shakedown Street ^ -> ’73 Changes (Eyes) Jam & -> Shakedown Street Reprise * -> I Need A Miracle -> Jam + -> Ramble On Rose, China Cat Sunflower -> I Know You Rider @@ -> Drums -> Not Fade Away ## -> (Turn On Your) Lovelight Jam $$ -> Not Fade Away Reprise, One More Saturday Night

  • @ – With a “Standing on the Verge of Getting It On” (George Clinton, Eddie Hazel) Tease (MB) & an Unknown Tease (MB)
  • # – With a a Playin Jam (Band) and a Dark Star Tease (DD)
  • $ – With a “Soulful Strut” (Young Holt Limited) Jam (SM then Band)
  • % – With a The Wheel Tease (TH)
  • ^ – With a Feel Like a Stranger Tease (TH) and then a Feel Like a Stranger Jam (Band)
  • & – First Time Played by Almost Dead as a stand alone segment (AKA NOT as the ending to Eyes of the World)
  • * – Not Played by Almost Dead since 2015-02-15 Ogden Theater, Denver, CO a gap of 129 shows, with an I Need A Miracle Tease (TH)
  • + – With a Tennessee Jed Tease (SM)
  • @@ – With a Playin Tease (SM) & Morning Dew Teases (TH)
  • ## – With a “Revelry” (Traditional) Tease (SM)
  • $$ – Not Played by Almost Dead since 2016-12-30 Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, NY, a gap of 55 shows
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