Listen To Full Show Audio Of Joe Russo’s Almost Dead 2017 California Run

From last Thursday through Saturday Joe Russo’s Almost Dead played three sold-out shows in California. Up first was the five-piece’s Los Angeles debut, which took place at the Teragram Ballroom on Thursday and Friday nights. JRAD then headed up the coast to complete the brief run at Oakland’s Fox Theater on Saturday night. Audience recordings of all three nights have surfaced and can be streamed and downloaded below.

Thursday’s concert was a huge “Weather Report” sandwich as the instrumental intro of the suite began the night, while “Let It Grow” brought the second set to a close. JRAD’s first ever show in Los Angeles also saw the group joined by Jonathan Wilson on guitar and vocals for their debut take on Pink Floyd’s “Money.” Wilson returned later along with Eric D. Johnson of Fruit Bats fame for the “West L.A. Fadeaway” and “Brokedown Palace” encore.

Friday’s show was even heavier on improv than Almost Dead’s usual shows. The band fit in a bevy of fun teases and jams including one of Rod Stewart’s “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy.” JRAD jammed on “Money” once more, took “Cumberland Blues,” “Viola Lee Blues,” “Eyes Of The World,” “Shakedown Street” and “Wharf Rat” deep and ended the night with a tender “Ripple.”

Saturday’s finale honored the date of November 11, aka 11/11, by opening with an 11 beat intro for “The Eleven.” The night also featured the JRAD debut of “Cats Under The Stars” and a big bad version of “Tell Me Momma” that included a jam on “Radar Love.” Almost Dead said farewell to California with a lengthy double encore that featured a Russo-sung cover of Neil Young’s “Vampire Blues.”

November 9 @ Teragram Ballroom

Audio (Recorded by Jeff Travitz)

Setlist (Compiled by Peter Costello)

Set One (9:01pm – 10:51pm): Weather Report Prelude / Part One @ -> Truckin’ # -> Jack Straw -> Estimated Prophet -> Money $ > Terrapin Suite

Set Two (11:11pm – 12:44am): Dancing In The Streets -> Brown Eyed Women > Throwing Stones ^ > He’s Gone -> Jam & -> The Wheel -> Marco Solo * -> The Wheel Reprise -> Let It Grow +

Encore: West LA Fadeaway @@, Brokedown Palace ##

• @ – Instrumental
• # – With a “Duo Jam” & a Lovelight Tease (Band)
• $ – Pink Floyd Cover, First Time Played by Almost Dead, with Jonathan Wilson on Guitar & Vocals
• % – With a DD Bass Solo
• ^ – With an Unknown Tease (MB) & The Eleven Teases (TH & DD)
• & – With a Terrapin Tease (TH)
• * – With a “Cast Your Fate to the Wind” (Vince Guaraldi / Carel Werber) Jam
• + – With a Tennessee Jed Tease (TH) & a “Standing On The Verge of Getting It On” (George Clinton, Eddie Hazel) Jam
• @@ – With Jonathan Wilson on Guitar & Vocals and Eric D. Johnson on keys. With an Unknown Tease (Band)
• ## – With Jonathan Wilson on Guitar & Vocals and Eric D. Johnson on vocals

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November 10 @ Teragram Ballroom

Audio (Recorded by Jeff Travitz)

Setlist (Compiled by Peter Costello)

Set I (9:02pm – 10:36pm) Jam @ -> Cumberland Blues # -> Music Never Stopped -> Money Jam ## -> Music Never Stopped Reprise -> Bertha $ > Viola Lee Blues %, Wharf Rat ^ > Not Fade Away $

Set II (11:00pm – 12:31am): Good Lovin * -> Silvio -> Ruben & Cherise -> Eyes Of The World + -> The Other One @@ > Shakedown St $$

Encore: Ripple

• @ – With “Victoria” (The Kinks) & “Will The Circle Be Unbroken” (Ada R. Habershon & Charles H. Gabriel) Teases (Band)
• # – With a Here Comes Sunshine Tease (Band)
• ## – Instrumental, incomplete version of a Pink Floyd Cover
• $ – With an Unknown Tease from Marco of a song the Duo used to play.
• % – With a Throwin Stones Tease (TH), an In Memory of Elizabeth Reed Tease (Band?) and a “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy” (Rod Stewart) Tease (MB)
• ^ – With a Dark Star Tease (TH) & a They Love Each Other Tease (TH)
• & – With a “Duo Jam”
• * – With “La Bamba” (Ritchie Valens) teases (MB)
• + – With Rubin and Cerise teases (Band), a “Head Over Heels” (Tears for Fears) Tease (TH), an Unknown Tease (MB then Band), a DD bass solo, played with the 1973 ending changes
• @@ – With a tease of what I think was an early Metallica song (TH)
• $$ – With Eyes (the 1973 ending part) Teases (SM & MB), a “Serpentine Fire” (Earth, Wind & Fire) tease (MB) and Casey Jones Teases (SM)

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November 11 @ Fox Oakland

Audio (Taped by Chris Pavicich)

Setlist (Compiled by Peter Costello)

Set One (8:10pm – 9:28pm): The Eleven @ -> Feel Like A Stranger, Jam # -> Candyman, Greatest Story Ever Told $ > Mississippi Half Step % -> Playing In The Band

Set Two (9:53pm – 11:28pm) Man Smart, Woman Smarter > Cats Under The Stars ^ -> Tell Me Momma -> Radar Love Jam & -> Tell Me Momma Reprise * -> China Cat Sunflower + -> I Know You Rider > Samson & Delilah

Encore One: Jam -> Vampire Blues ## -> Touch Of Grey $$

Encore Two: Loser -> New Minglewood Blues

• @ – Started with 11 hits a la BIODTL for 11.11, “Flipped” Version – Started on the lyrics portion & the intro jam ended the song as it transitioned into Stranger
• # – With a DD Bass Solo
• $ – With a Wheel Tease (TH)
• % – With a TH/MB Duo Jam
• ^ – Jerry Garcia Band Cover, First Time Played by Almost Dead
• & – An Instrumental, incomplete version of a Golden Earing Cover, First Time Played by Almost Dead
• * – First Split Tell Me Momma
• + – With a Tell Me Momma Tease (SM) and a Feel Like A Stranger Tease (TH)
• @@ – With a TH / SM Duo Jam
• ## – With a Unknown Tease (SM)
• $$ – With a Black Throated Wind Tease