Joe Russo’s Almost Dead Performs At State Theatre In Portland, Maine: Recap & Photos

Words & Images by: Robert Ker

Joe Russo’s Almost Dead :: 3.3.19
State Theatre :: Portland, ME

As the Grateful Dead tribute act Joe Russo’s Almost Dead continues on what’s shaping up to be a torrid late-winter tour, it seems as if their popularity has grown considerably since their last trek through the Northeast region. As word continues to spread about the energy and imagination of their live shows casting a wide net across ages and audiences, crowd size and concert anticipation grows with each visit.

They’ve been winning over new fans with blistering sets that reframe Dead classics in new-millennium light and utilize the creative, career-spanning setlist construction of Phish along with the rhythmic, build-and-release song structures of rave culture and bands such as LCD Soundsystem. For old heads they offer a thrilling challenge, requiring them to puzzle out which song will emerge from the mists of a jam and experience the thrill of anticipating which nugget from Dead lore is just around the corner. The band also offers the usual pleasures that cover bands offer — the singalongs and communal celebration of music that has profoundly affected our lives — but with enough liberties taken around the edges to offer an authentic experience.

On the second night of their two-show, sold-out run at Portland, Maine’s State Theatre, they welcomed the crowd with a relatively straightforward run-through of “Don’t Ease Me In,” carrying over the Go To Heaven attention from the second set of night one (in which they played “Lost Sailor” and “Saint Of Circumstance”). This led to a meaty “Alligator,” with drummer Joe Russo throwing down chunky rhythms with gusto. (perhaps because they’re a drummer-led band, JRAD seems to favor New Orleans-flavored pockets of the Dead catalog), which bled into an extended segue into “Viola Lee Blues.” Keyboardist Marco Benevento peppered the transition and the “Viola” jam with lively organ playing, including an extended tease of The Mohawks’ 1968 classic “The Champ.”

After that, the band went into singalong territory with “I Need a Miracle” and “Dire Wolf,” with the latter song making its first JRAD appearance since New Year’s Eve 2015. The sparkling country twang of the Dead’s version of “Dire Wolf” was replaced with a muscular, almost power pop approach to the song, creating an arms-in-the-air bookend with “Miracle” that lifted the audience to euphoric heights. From “Dire Wolf” the band slid into a long, jazzy excursion that tied off the set with “King Solomon’s Marbles.” As astute fans on couch tour noted on Reddit, the first letter in each song of the set spelled out “David K.,” a tribute to the band’s late friend on his birthday.

This was only setting up the second set, and what would prove to be one of the stronger sets of the tour. They opened with a shimmering, slow-burning jam, with the band following guitarist Tom Hamilton’s playful, psychedelic textures. This blossomed into a nimble take on the reggae-informed “Crazy Fingers,” punctuated by a Benevento turn on grand piano, and eventually the highlight of the night: a barn-burning rendition of “Jack Straw” that built to a thundering climax on two different occasions and whipped the audience into an absolute frenzy.

They then tackled “Greatest Story Ever Told,” ceding much of the spotlight to Benevento and his organ playing, as they once more dabbled into territory that seemed to have as much in common with The Meters as the Grateful Dead. This post-“Story” jam was another major high point of the evening, as it relaxed into a funky, mid-tempo groove driven by bassist Dave Dreiwitz, which didn’t reveal itself as an intro for “Cosmic Charlie” for several minutes. After “Charlie,” the light show became more animated and the band went deep into some spaced-out territory as “Cats Under The Stars” emerged. After the rendition they played in St. Louis, this song has become a left-field gem on this tour, and this one featured Scott Metzger coaxing an array of fantastic tones from his guitar as the band went back and forth between improvisational sections and the song’s explosive chorus. The outro jam featured “Slipknot!” teases that soon became “Slipknot!” itself, and then the inevitable “Franklin’s Tower” closer.

Benevento came out solo to start the encore, which also featured “Yazoo Street Scandal” and “Samson and Delilah,” with the band getting their fans out just in time to beat the heavy snowfall. It was another show that likely ensured there would be more fans the next time they come through town.

Don’t Ease Me In

Crazy Fingers