Joe Russo’s Almost Dead Joined By Horns At Brooklyn Bowl

Grateful Dead tribute act Joe Russo’s Almost Dead continued a three-night stand at NYC’s Brooklyn Bowl on Friday night. The band was joined by a four-piece horn section consisting of Stuart Bogie, Martin Perna, Eric Biondo and Ray Mason for nearly the entire show.

JRAD made their debut at the same venue back in 2013 and now with 70 shows under the band’s proverbial belts, you’d expect a drop off in enthusiasm, creativity and/or energy. Through two nights at Brooklyn Bowl in celebration of influential e-mail list NYC-Freaks, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead hasn’t let up one bit in their ferocious approach to the music of the Grateful Dead. Nearly all of what the horns contributed was unlike past blends of brassy Dead music. The four-piece horn section ceded to the band when necessary and showed off extremely creative arrangements of such songs as “Terrapin Station,” “Feel Like A Stranger” and “Cumberland Blues” – not exactly the first three tunes you’d think of for such a collaboration. It wasn’t perfect, as the horn section utilized a pair of flutes for an awkward “Althea” which is usually a highlight of JRAD shows. Yet, for the most part the horns were a nice addition especially as part of a run that will likely give fans plenty of time to see pure, uncut Almost Dead.

Drummer Joe Russo struggled with a busted hi-hat at the start of the show, but once the hi-hat was fixed (in the middle of a song!) he was all smiles throughout the night. Some drummers make it look easy, but Russo puts so much emotion into the unbelievably quick fills and powerful beats he employs that it’s hard not to find your jaw on the floor after watching him play. “Whirl of motion” is an understatement when it comes to Joe Russo’s drumming.

Joe wasn’t the only one smiling as this band of best friends still get a kick out of playing together on the regular and couldn’t contain their excitement. Both Scott Metzger and Tom Hamilton continue to get more comfortable with the material which allowed them to crush any solos that came their way, while Marco Benevento made good use of his rig throughout the night with a “Franklin’s Tower” solo standing out as his high point of the night.

And then there’s the crowd at Brooklyn Bowl. If there was ever a such thing as a “homefield advantage” for a band, it’s got to be Joe Russo’s Almost Dead at Brooklyn Bowl. JRAD has now played eight shows at the venue with the ninth to come this evening. The sold-out audience displayed major enthusiasm throughout the night with most hanging on every note. The scene when “Inspiration” hit during “Terrapin Station” was just wild. We’ll find out what Almost Dead has in store for tonight’s Freaks Ball finale soon. A webcast is available via nugs.tv.

Watch a handful of clips from the standout “Terrapin Station”:

Setlist

Set One (All But Opening Jam With Horns): Jam > Hard To Handle > Franklin’s Tower > Feel Like A Stranger, Help On The Way > Slipknot! > Althea > The Other One

Set Two: Cream Puff War > I Need A Miracle > Terrapin Station* > Dancing In The Streets* > Cumberland Blues*

Encore: Sugar Magnolia* > Sunshine Daydream*

* – w/ Stuart Bogie / Martin Perna / Eric Biondo and Ray Mason on horns