Nicole Atkins Guests With Joe Russos Almost Dead
By Scott Bernstein May 10, 2015 • 8:40 am PDT
Tickets for last night’s Joe Russo’s Almost Dead show at The Cap sold out well in advance of the concert just weeks after two members of the Grateful Dead weren’t able to accomplish the same feat at the same venue with their respective bands. Word is out on what Almost Dead brings to the table which is a more jam-heavy take on the Grateful Dead. For those who crave “what song is this?” moments during jams that have moved well beyond the normal boundaries from a Dead tribute act, Russo’s band should be right up your alley. If you’re in need of a more traditional live Grateful Dead experience, look elsewhere.
Atkins emerged at the start of the show with drummer Joe Russo, bassist Dave Dreiwitz, guitarists Scott Metzger and Tom Hamilton and keyboardist Marco Benevento as they began the evening with “Dancing In The Streets.” Thankfully Nicole didn’t suffer from the poor on-stage sound that often left Dead vocalist Donna-Jean Godchaux singing out of key. The Neptune, New Jersey native likely won a host of new fans on Saturday night thanks to her strong delivery of “The Stranger” and spot-on harmonies throughout the show.
Joe Russo was in particularly impressive form throughout the evening as he propelled his ensemble with relentless energy during jams and solos. Tom Hamilton seemed to have an extra gear he’d kick into when he reached the peak of a solo or jam which garnered huge smiles and looks of awe from his band mates. Hamilton was particularly on fire as he concluded what began as a slow, methodical “Morning Dew” that eventually simmered to a rolling boil. The guitarist didn’t imitate Garcia, but instead added a bit of his own flavor to a scorching “Morning Dew” solo. Not to be outdone Metzger also impressed on Saturday night especially during the frenetic “Cassidy” jam which saw both guitarists playing screaming leads in a way that never happened with the Dead. Scott also showed off his pedal steel skills on “Dire Wolf” and “Ripple.”
Dreiwitz held down the beat and timing in a way that let Russo take impressive fills without worrying about the music losing all form. Marco showed off his array of vintage keyboards as he mainly added color and subtleties underneath what the guitarists were doing. Benevento did take a few solos including a barrel-house, propulsive flurry of melodies during “Eyes Of The World.” You can always count on Almost Dead for interesting song sequences and on Saturday night it was a “China Cat” > “The Eleven” > “I Know You Rider” suite that stuck out. Russo performed like a man possessed on the must-hear “Eleven.” Atkins came back out with Joe Russo’s Almost Dead for a “Ripple” encore.
Joe Russo’s Almost Dead make their Philadelphia debut on May 16.
Videos (captured by rdeal1999)
Setlist
Set One: Dancing In The Streets, Dire Wolf, Cassidy > St. Stephen, (The Stranger) Two Souls In Communion, Eyes Of The World > Not Fade Away
Set Two: The Music Never Stopped, King Solomon’s Marbles, China Cat Rider > The Eleven > I Know You Rider, Morning Dew, One More Saturday Night
Encore: Ripple
