Joe Russos Almost Dead Makes Philadelphia Debut
By Team JamBase May 19, 2015 • 2:20 pm PDT
On Saturday night Grateful Dead tribute act Joe Russo’s Almost Dead finally made their way to Philadelphia for a performance at the TLA. Hometown guitarist Tom Hamilton and the quintet -which also features drummer Joe Russo, bassist Dave Dreiwitz, keyboardist Marco Benevento and guitarist Scott Metzger -gave Philly fans a taste of their high-intensity take on the music of the Grateful Dead.
Joe Russo’s Almost Dead opened with “Alligator” which segued unexpectedly into “Franklin’s Tower.” The “Help On The Way”/”Slipknot!” that usually precedes “Franklin’s” would open the second set and were followed by a lengthy “Cumberland Blues” > “Bertha” > “Shakedown Street” > “Greatest Story Ever Told” sequence. “Greatest Story Ever Told” even featured a cowbell slide bass solo from Dreiwitz. “Ramble On Rose” closed out the second set before Russo’s band ended their Philadelphia debut with a “Sugar Magnolia” encore.
Videos
Setlist
Set One: Alligator > Franklin’s Tower, Black Throated Wind > Cryptical Envelopment > The Other One > Scarlet Begonias > Fire On The Mountain
Set Two: Help On The Way > Slipknot! > Cumberland Blues > Bertha > Shakedown Street > Greatest Story Ever Told, Ramble On Rose
Encore: Sugar Magnolia
