Joe Russo’s Almost Dead Welcomes Stuart Bogie In Brooklyn

Joe Russo’s Almost Dead hit the midway point of their six show “Fall Ball” run last night at their de facto clubhouse – Brooklyn Bowl. The five-piece act once again offered up two sets of Grateful Dead music and were joined by frequent collaborator multi-instrumentalist Stuart Bogie for the majority of the show.

Drummer Joe Russo, guitarists Scott Metzger and Tom Hamilton, keyboardist Marco Benevento and bassist Dave Dreiwitz opened the night up with an extended “Jam” that eventually worked its way into a Metzger-sung take on “I Need A Miracle” and the Altamont response song “New Speedway Boogie.” Bogie emerged next, assisting the band on sax on “Playing In The Band” and “Eyes Of The World.” The band’s take on the Wake Of The Flood track was their first in 122 shows, and featured a solo from Benevento that evolved into a jam sequence between him and Hamilton, as well as Drewitz bass solo. JRAD brought their fifth set of the run to a close with a sequence of “Dancing In The Streets” > “Brown-Eyed Women,” that saw the band teasing both “Throwing Stones” and “Eyes Of The World” and a “Stella Blue Jam.”

JRAD’s final set of their first weekend of the “Fall Ball” saw the band play what essentially amounted to three songs over an hour and a half. Things got kicked off with “Uncle John’s Band,” that saw Bogie deftly switch from sax to flute to clarinet throughout the Workingman’s Dead lead track. “The Other One” followed, with the band offering up teases on The Doors “Roadhouse Blues,” Led Zeppelin’s “How Many More Times” from their 1969 self-titled debut and Pink Floyd’s “Money.” Next up came an instrumental take on “Cryptical Envelopment,” while JRAD has played the Anthem Of The Sun track before, it’s the first time they’ve done it without the lyrics. The full “Terrapin Station Suite” brought the set to a close, with the “Samson & Delilah” being delivered in the early hours of Sunday morning as their encore.

Joe Russo’s Almost Dead returns to Brooklyn Bowl for night four of the “Fall Ball” on Thursday night. Watch pro-shot footage of from both sets, and check out the full setlist below:

[Jam > I Need A Miracle]

[Uncle John’s Band]

Setlist (Compiled by Peter Costello)

Set One: Jam -> I Need A Miracle -> New Speedway Boogie -> Playing In The Band @ > Eyes Of The World @ % -> Dancing In The Streets @ ^ -> Brown Eyed Women & -> Stella Blue Jam

Set Two: Uncle John’s Band @#$ + The Other One @ ++ > Cryptical Envelopment Jam @@ > Terrapin Station Suite @#$ ##

Encore: Samson & Delilah @ *

@ – With Stuart Bogie on Tenor Sax # – With Stuart Bogie on Flute $ – With Stuart Bogie on Clarinet % – With a Marco Solo that evolved into a Marco/Tommy Duet, a DD Bass Solo & the circa 1973 ending in 7, not played since (I think) 2013-01-26 at Brooklyn Bowl, a gap of 122 shows. ^ – With “Shortnin’ Bread” (James Whitcomb Riley), “Hoedown” (Aaron Copeland) Teases (MB) and an “Inspector Gadget” Theme (Shuki Levy and Haïm Saban) Tease (Band) & – With Throwing Stones and Eyes of the World Jams / Teases (Band) + – Proceeded by a “Some Like It Hot” (The Power Station) Tease / Jam. That tune was continually referenced throughout the set. Also included a Duo Jam, and a “Becky” (Benevento Russo Duo) Jam ++ – With a “Roadhouse Blues” (The Doors) Jam, A “How Many More Times” (Led Zeppelin) Jam, a “Money” (Pink Floyd) Jam @@ – First Time Played by Almost Dead as an Instrumental, with a St. Stephen Tease (SM) and an Uncle John’s Band Tease (DD) ## – With a The Wheel Jam, a Swingtown Jam (led by MB) & a “Some Like It Hot” (Power Station) Tease * – With a “Battle Hymn of the Republic” (Julia Ward Howe) Tease (Stuart Bogie)