Joe Russo’s Almost Dead Shares Soundboard Matrix Of 2017 Show Featuring John Mayer

On October 13, 2017 Joe Russo’s Almost Dead continued their annual Fall Ball run at Brooklyn Bowl in New York City. The show might be best remembered for John Mayer’s second annual sit-in with the five-piece, but there is plenty of more meat on this bone. JRAD has just unveiled the “Costello & McRoberts Ultra Mix,” which allows listeners to hear an extremely crispy recording of the concert.

Almost Dead opened the action with a jam that eventually gave way to “Greatest Story Ever Told.” Next up was a beautiful “Candyman” followed by a frisky “Feel Like A Stranger” and a “Loser” featuring a tease of Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters.” The show rolled on with an adventurous “Crazy Fingers” and the JRAD debut of “Cosmic Charlie.” Mayer then stepped out to join the quintet on the song that started his Grateful Dead adventure, “Althea.”

John Mayer emerged with Joe Russo’s Almost Dead to start the second set with a jam that somehow found its way into “Here Comes Sunshine.” MayRAD explored vast new territory on “Here Comes Sunshine” and it appeared John loved every minute of it. Keyboardist Marco Benevento worked in an impressive solo, but it was just a pre-cursor for the monumental solo he’d play out of the JRAD debut of “China Doll.” When the rest of the band joined in they hit it HARD for a jam on Donovan’s “There Is A Mountain” which gave way to a euphoric “I Know Your Rider.”

The evening ended in fine form. John Mayer joined Joe Russo’s Almost Dead for a wonderful Marco-led cover of Dr. John’s “Such A Night.” As if that wasn’t enough, a fierce and memorable “Franklin’s Tower” featuring powerful performances from all six players brought the encore and show to a close.

Here’s the recording made by Peter Costello and Eric McRoberts:

Setlist (Compiled by Pete Costello)

Set One: Jam @ -> Greatest Story Ever Told # > Candyman, Feel Like A Stranger$, Loser % -> Crazy Fingers, Cosmic Charlie (SM/JR) ^ -> Jam -> Althea &

Set Two: Jam * -> Here Comes Sunshine + -> New Minglewood Blues @@, Golden Road To Unlimited Devotion > Jam ## -> Lazy Lightning $$ -> China Doll %% (TH) -> Marco Solo -> There is a Mountain ^^ -> I Know You Rider

Encore: Marco Solo -> Such A Night & -> Franklin’s Tower &

@ – With The Wheel Teases (Band), # – With an Unknown Tease (MB) and The Wheel Teases (TH), $ – With a “Chameleon” (Herbie Hancock) Tease (either SM or TH), % – With a “Nothing Else Matters” (Metallica) Tease (TH), ^ – First Time Played by Almost Dead, & – With John Mayer on Guitar, * – With “Serpentine Fire (Earth, Wind & Fire) Teases & China Cat Teases (Band). With John Mayer on Guitar, + – With a Marco Solo that included a Cosmic Charlie Tease. With John Mayer on Guitar, @@ – With a West LA Fadeaway Tease (MB). With John Mayer on Guitar, ## – With teases / jams of Uncle John’s, “Jolene” (American Babies), Ruben & Cerise, Playin in the Band & The Wheel if not more, $$ – Not played by Almost Dead since 2016.02.14 at Higher Ground, Winooski, VT, a gap of 57 shows, %% – First Time Played by Almost Dead, with teases of “No Quarter” (Led Zeppelin), “Run Like Hell” (Pink Floyd) & something else that I can’t read from my notes :/, ^^ – Donovan cover, very short, just the Chorus