Photos & Video: Joe Russo’s Almost Dead Goes Acoustic At Brooklyn Bowl Run Opener

Images by: Jeremy Gordon

Returning to the site of their first live performance, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead opened a three night stand at Brooklyn Bowl last night in New York City. The Fall Ball II concert included numerous new songs added to the JRAD repertoire as well as an acoustic set performed on a separate small stage built on the venue’s bowling lanes.

Following a warmup jam guitarist Scott Metzger proceeded to break out the first JRAD debut of the night with a take on the blues classic “Good Morning Little School Girl.” A couple of songs later another first timer came in the form of Allen Toussaint’s “Fortune Teller” which segued into their only “Morning Dew Jam” to date. The first set closed with bassist Dave Dreiwitz leading the ensemble through “So Long Jerry” by his other band Ween – also a debut for Almost Dead.

An acoustic set followed on a mini stage constructed over the bowling lanes that saw the first JRAD acoustic renditions of “Candyman,” “It Must Have Been The Roses” and “Uncle John’s Band.” The brief set also saw the band’s debut performance of “The Race Is On.” After a move back to the main stage, the final set of the night kicked off with the first JRAD version of the Robert Hunter and Bob Dylan composition “Silvio” followed by bust out takes on “Wharf Rat,” which was last played in early 2015 and “Loser,” which was had been shelved just shy of two years. The last first-timer of the night, a Metzer-led “King Bee” came ahead of another bust out as “Unbroken Chain” surfaced at a Joe Russo’s Almost Dead show for the first time since September 2014.

“Playing In The Band” closed out the second electric set and after keyboardist Marco Benevento delivered a solo, the encore started in full with a closing take on Warren Zevon’s “Werewolves Of London.” Joe Russo’s Almost Dead plays Brooklyn Bowl again tonight, Friday, October 7 and tomorrow, Saturday, October 8 with webcasts available each night via nugs.tv. Photographer Jeremy Gordon captured the acoustic set, view his gallery and watch the opening jam and “Good Morning Little School Girl” followed by “Silvio” from last night’s nugs.tv webcast in the videos below:

Videos

Update: HD footage of “The Race Is On” captured by LazyLightning55a has surfaced, watch here:

Setlist (via JRAD FB)

Set One (8:25 PM – 9:33PM): Jam -> Good Morning Little School Girl @ (SM) -> Birdsong (TH) -> St. Stephen # (All) -> Fortune Teller $ (All) -> Morning Dew Jam % -> I Know You Rider ^ -> (All) Jack Straw & (SM/TH) So Long Jerry ++ (DD)

Acoustic Mini Set (On the Bowling Lanes Stage) (9:35PM – 10:06PM): Candyman * (TH),The Race Is On + (SM), It Must Have Been The Roses * (TH), Uncle John’s Band * (All)

Set Two (10:34PM – 11:5?PM): Silvio @@ (SM) -> Wharf Rat ## (TH/All) -> Loser $$(TH) -> King Bee %% (SM), Unbroken Chain ^^ (JR) > Here Comes Sunshine (TH) -> Playing In The Band && (SM)

Encore: Marco Solo ** -> Werewolves Of London (MB)

Notes:

• @ – First Time Played by Almost Dead, Sonny Boy Williamson / Son Bonds Cover
• # – With a “Duo Jam” & what sounded like a “War Pigs” (Black Sabbath) Tease (Band)
• $ – First Time Played by Almost Dead, The Who / Allen Toussaint Cover
• % – First Time Played by Almost Dead
• ^ – With Morning Dew Teases (SM)
• & – With an unknown Tease (MB)
• ++ – First Time played by Almost Dead, Ween Cover
• * – First (& so far only) Acoustic Version played by Almost Dead (All 3 have been played Electric)
• + – Acoustic, First Time Played by Almost Dead, no electric versions have been played
• @@ – First Time Played by Almost Dead, Robert Hunter/Bob Dylan Cover
• ## – Not played by Almost Dead since State Theater, Portland, ME 2015-02-17, gap of 65 shows
• $$ – Not played by Almost Dead since Boulder Theater, Boulder, CO 2014-10-10, a gap of 75 shows
• %% – First Time played by Almost Dead, James Moore (AKA Slim Harpo) Cover
• ^^ – Not played by Almost Dead since Concord Music Hall, Chicago, IL 2014-09-20, a gap of 77 shows
• && – Possible Star Spangled Banner (Francis Scott Key) Tease?? (So I’ve been advised.)
• ** – Very New Orleans centric, with probably more than a few nods to Dr. John & James Booker, amongst others.