Joe Russo’s Almost Dead Debuts ‘Wang Dang Doodle’ In Madison

Joe Russo’s Almost Dead kicked off a run through the Midwest last night at The Sylvee in Madison, Wisconsin. The quintet premiered their take on blues classic “Wang Dang Doodle” during the second set on Thursday.

The two nights in Madison and Saturday and Sunday’s concerts in St. Louis feature Jon Shaw filling the spot normally held by Ween bassist Dave Dreiwitz. Shaw, namesake drummer Joe Russo, keyboardist Marco Benevento and guitarists Scott Metzger and Tom Hamilton started the evening with a jam that led into “Good Lovin’.” Metzger sang the opener before Hamilton led the group through “Cats Under The Stars.” A seamless sequence concluded with a raucous “Feel Like A Stranger” fronted by Scott Metzger.

Joe Russo took a moment to thank the crowd after “Feel Like A Stranger” and recognized the show was originally supposed to take place in March 2020 but was rescheduled due to the pandemic. “I can’t tell you how nice it is to finally be here with you guys,” Joe told the audience. Next came a gorgeous version of “Candyman” featuring a tease of Led Zeppelin’s “Thank You” that bled into “Fire On The Mountain” to close the set.

While JRAD hinted at “Dark Star” to get the second set underway, they instead launched into “My Brother Esau.” The song penned by Bob Weir and John Perry Barlow bled into a rollicking “Cumberland Blues.” A potent “I Need A Miracle” followed ahead of the band’s debut “Wang Dang Doodle.” Willie Dixon penned “Wang Dang Doodle,” which was first recorded in 1960 by Howlin’ Wolf. The Grateful Dead performed the song 95 times between August 26, 1983 and July 8, 1995. With Bob Weir handling lead vocals on GD versions, it was Scott Metzger who sang the song for Joe Russo’s Almost Dead.

Joe Russo’s Almost Dead delivered an adventurous +20-minute pairing of “Scarlet Begonias” and “I Know You Rider” to finish off last night’s second set. The band went on to work “Throwing Stones” teases into the evening’s “I Know You Rider” encore. JRAD returns to The Sylvee tonight. A livestream is available via nugs.net.

Watch pro-shot video featuring a song from both sets below:

Setlist (via Almost-Dead.Net)

Set One: Good Lovin’ > Cats Under The Stars > Feel Like A Stranger, Candyman > Fire On The Mountain

Set Two: My Brother Esau > Cumberland Blues, I Need A Miracle, Wang Dang Doodle, Scarlet Begonias > I Know You Rider

Encore: Not Fade Away