Joe Russo’s Almost Dead – October 11th – Ogden Theatre

Estimated read time 10 min read

JRAD 10-1-14-8257Photos by Tim Dwenger

Listen to the show while you read thanks to KIND Recordings!

The Scene: Anticipation levels were high as Deadheads old and new poured into The Ogden Theatre on Saturday Night.  In the past few months the buzz that has followed Joe Russo and his latest project, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, has been deafening.  Since their inception in early 2013, the quintet has piqued the interest of fans wondering what this group would bring to a songbook that is beloved by so many.  When the show sold-out as I was waiting in the Will Call line it was obvious this would be a special night and what unfolded was nothing short of spectacular.

Joe Russo’s Almost Dead:  More than any other band, The Grateful Dead have inspired legions of cover bands, offshoots, side projects, and countless other kinds of projects paying tribute to one of the greatest American Rock ‘n’ Roll bands of all time.  From the very first notes of “The Music Never Stopped” it was obvious that Joe Russo’s Almost Dead [JRAD] was going to be very different from anything we’ve heard before.  The first thing that immediately jumped off the stage was the insane amount of energy coming from the band.  The crowd immediately fed off this energy and for the rest of the night there was a frenzied and fever pitch in the room the likes of which I haven’t felt in a very long time.

Rather than trying to sound like the Dead,  JRAD strives to bring their own take to these songs and while you can tell they have rehearsed and show reverence to the material, there is a looseness and a freedom to their playing that is refreshing to hear.  As the jam to “The Music Never Stop” tumbled and fell over and around itself, the quintet was visibly locked in with each other and with the precision that only comes with years and years of playing together, [these 5 have been playing together in some form or another, according to Russo, “since they were kids”] When the band segued from “The Music Never Stopped” into “Brown Eyed Women,” to borrow from a nearby fan, the band absolutely “stuck the landing” as they dropped into the classic with a force and confidence that drove the sold-out crowd to erupt into a word-for-word sing-along.  Normally, when a night of familiar songs turns into sing-along time, it can drive me nuts, but that was hardly the case for JRAD as the energy and joy in the room was infectious and made it nearly impossible not to join in.

One of the things I was most interested in seeing unfold was how these five musicians would take to the roles that are almost by default defined when tackling the catalog of The Grateful Dead.   With Joe Russo doing the work of two of the most eclectic drummers of all time for the last few years with Furthur, his role was obvious and did not disappoint.  Joe is a monster on the drums and was in full on beast mode for most of the evening.  Its obvious that he loves playing with this group and it was nice to hear him be able to let loose.  With Furthur, I feel like he has to  keep it in 3rd gear, but with JRAD he is free to drop the hammer at will.  Dave “Double Dip” Dreweitz, the bass player from Ween, is hardly someone you would expect to fill the shoes of Phil Lesh but, like any great bass player, he provided the glue that really kept things locked in for the night.  Keyboard player Marco Benevento is a master at his craft and he seamlessly blended the different era of Dead keys into the mix while showcasing his own amazing talents.

In the interview I was lucky enough to conduct with Joe Russo prior to the shows, he said that Scott Meztger (RANA) had taken nicely to being the defacto Bob Weir of the group and right away you could tell his register and style lent itself nicely to the throaty and boastful vibe needed to fit that role.  That left Tom Hamilton of Brothers Past and American Babies with probably the toughest task one could imagine.  While its obvious that this band is in no way trying to sound like The Grateful Dead, I can think of no taller order for someone than to have to step on stage to play and sing the parts of one of the most revered and adored musicians of all time.  I can imagine the scene at rehearsal where the band said “Hey Tom, you get to be Jerry.  Good Luck.”  That said, Hamilton handled the role with such grace and skill that at times you could see many in the crowd being emotionally moved by his performance.  The first glimpse of this came during a stretched out take on  “Bird Song” which eventually gave way to a rendition of “I Know You Rider” that threatened to blow the roof off the Ogden.

“Rider” had the crowd once again exploding with energy and singing along, climaxing with the lyrics “Wish I were a headlight on a northbound train,  I’d shine my light through the cool Colorado rain.”  Normally, when a crowd goes bonkers because the band sang the name of the state or city they are in, I cringe, but it was impossible not to smile as I looked down from the balcony to see the whole crowd become completely unhinged.  It’s hard to put into words, but this was just one of many moments where the energy in the room seemed to overflow and both the crowd and band could do nothing but surrender to it.  To close out the set, “Easy Wind” segued into the crowd pleasing “Not Fade Away” and as the band left the stage to the crowd clapping and singing along to the Buddy Holly classic, the smiles on their faces said it all.  As most in the crowd tried to catch their breath after an impressive first set I heard more than a few people echo the sentiment I had.  “Holy shit, what the hell just happened?”

Set two kicked off with the another fan favorite in “Shakedown Street.”  The infectious Disco beats of “Shakedown” lent themselves nicely to the contemporary style JRAD brings to the table and things settled into a silky dance party that had the entire room getting down.  At this point things dissolved into a slow, dubbed out groove as Russo and Benevento gave the crowd a taste of what many have been clamoring to hear for years. The two were the hottest newcomers on the Jamband scene in the mid 00s with their project The Benevento/Russo Duo and since the group last played, fans have been yearning to see a return.  With Marco on the B3 and Joe laying down a fat Reggae beat, the crowd immediately realized what was going down and as the rest of the band faded out it was obvious that everyone in the room was loving hearing these two do their thing together.  This was certainly one of the highlights of the night for most of the crowd.

The Duo jam smoothly turned into the eerie opening riff of “Estimated Prophet” and after yet another psychedelic jam, the band dropped into one of the more epic pieces in The Grateful Dead catalog; “Terrapin Station Suite.”  Performing this opus is not simple task and JRAD showed the obvious work they had put into learning these songs by nailing each twist and turn. By the time they reached the climax the room was yet again lit up by an electricity you just don’t feel very often.

After taking a moment to regroup the crowd delighted in hearing “Reuben and Cherise” which led nicely into “Throwing Stones.”  With the night drawing to a close I think most in the crowd were hoping for one more big rocker but in a surprise, the band slowed things down.  Normally I am not a huge fan of closing a set with a ballad but from the start of “Stella Blue” I was enthralled.  I mentioned before that Tom Hamilton’s performance was spot on and both his guitar and vocal work on “Stella” was nothing short of breathtaking.  As a big fan of Tom’s work for years, I knew he had the chops on guitar to bring something new and exciting to these songs but I did not expect him to be so moving with his vocals.  Jerry’s voice has always been a source of emotion and soul and to hear Tom channel that was incredible.  Hamilton absolutely poured his heart into “Stella Blue” and I honestly had goosebumps as the band took their bows to the thunderous applause of the sold out crowd.

After a quick encore break, the band came back out for one more tune and as they dove into “Brokedown Palace” another emotional wave washed over the crowd.  Singing and swaying along, almost everyone in the room had a huge smile on their face and lyrics like “listen to the river sing sweet songs to rock my soul” were the perfect way to end and amazing night of music.

I’ve been a fan of The Grateful Dead since I was 11 and have seen many different incarnations of this music since their last show in 1995.  I can honestly say that JRAD was by far the best I’ve seen since Jazz Is Dead in the late 90s.  While Jazz Is Dead brought a tightness and precision to this music that hadn’t been seen before, JRAD brings a looseness and exuberance to these songs that hasn’t been heard in a very long time.  It was refreshing to hear these songs played by talented musicians who are in their primes and at the peak of their prowess.  While I mean no disrespect, certainly not to Phil [Lesh] ,Bobby [Weir], Mickey [Hart], or Bill [Kreutzman], these songs don’t have the same force behind them when played by (legends as they may be) guys in their 60s and 70s.  In our interview I asked Joe [Russo] about his place in the history of The Grateful Dead and what he thought about  being a potential torchbearer of this music to generations to come.  Humble as always, he was reluctant to even think of that as a possibility but after seeing what his Almost Dead ensemble is capable of, I hope he decides to take up that cause.  These songs finally have life in them again and the energy of seeing JRAD play them is something every Dead fan,  old and new, should experience.

Energy:  A+
Musicianship: A
Sound:  A
Stage Prescence: B+
Lights: B

Overall: A

Gary Mellini

Gary is a lifelong music fan raised in Chicago. He is the "G" of J2G Live, a Denver based music production company that brings you "Dance Party Time Machine," "Revenge of the 90's" among other great events.

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