Joe Russo’s Almost Dead Fits Bust Outs Into March 2018 Brooklyn Bowl Run Opener

Just over five years ago, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead made their debut for what was supposed to be a one-off concert at Brooklyn Bowl in New York City. The five-piece has returned to the venue a number of times in the past five years and kicked off their latest three-night stand at Brooklyn Bowl on Thursday night.

Drummer Joe Russo, keyboardist Marco Benevento, bassist Dave Dreiwitz and guitarists Scott Metzger and Tom Hamilton began the evening, which took place on the anniversary of Grateful Dead co-founding keyboardist Ron “Pigpen” McKernan’s death, with a string of three songs from the Pigpen Era: “Alligator,” “St. Stephen” and “Dupree’s Diamond Blues.” The latter was the first JRAD rendition of “Dupree’s” since the band’s second show, which took place on December 27, 2013 at The Capitol Theater in Port Chester, New York.

It didn’t take long for the quintet to serve up another bust out. The complex instrumental “King Solomon’s Marbles” was followed by JRAD’s second ever version of “Only Daddy That’ll Walk The Line,” a song popularized by Waylon Jennings, which had been mothballed since its 2015 debut. Almost Dead jammed the tune into a set-closing “Touch Of Grey.”

The band opened the second set with a rollicking “The Golden Road (To Unlimited Devotion)” they dropped into a memorable “Jack Straw” that was noted by many in attendance as the highlight of the night. Metzger then fronted the group on “Hell A Bucket,” which was followed by a pairing of “Scarlet Begonias” > “I Know You Rider.” The frame concluded with a Hamilton-sung “Stella Blue.” When JRAD returned to the stage, they kicked off a three-song encore with a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Tonight, I’ll Be Staying Here With You.” Then, Almost Dead played the fitting selection of “Man Smart, Woman Smarter” on International Woman’s Day. Russo & Co. said farewell with a “Not Fade Away” that included a Marco solo and a taste of Living Colour’s “Cult Of Personality.”

Joe Russo’s Almost Dead returns to Brooklyn Bowl tonight and on Saturday night. Webcasts of both shows are available via nugs.tv.

Watch pro-shot videos of the set openers from Thursday:

[Alligator]

[The Golden Road (To Unlimited Devotion)]

Check out videos shot by Monica Hampton:

[Only Daddy That’ll Walk The Line > Touch Of Grey]

[Scarlet Begonias]

[Encore]

Setlist

Set One: Alligator > St Stephen > Dupree’s Diamond Blues, King Solomon’s Marbles > Only Daddy That’ll Walk The Line > Touch of Grey

Set Two: The Golden Road (To Unlimited Devotion) > Jack Straw, Hell In A Bucket > Scarlet Begonias > I Know You Rider, Stella Blue

Encore: Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here With You > Man Smart, Woman Smarter > Not Fade Away