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In just the second show from Joe Russo's Almost Dead, a collection of very talented (while shamefully unknown) musicians, JRAD delivers another homage to what the primal Grateful Dead could have sounded like if they had access to all of the material through, in this show's case, the Go to Heaven album ('80).



Joe Russo, gets off the Furthur bus with Bob and Phil, and gets picked up by some rock contemporaries, driven by his Duo partner, and just about the best keyboard player around - Marco Benevento, guitar slingers - Scott Metzger (Rana/Wolf!) and Tommy Hamilton (Brothers Past/American Babies) share vocal duties, as Dave Dreiwitz (Ween) - drops Phil's bass bombs with John Kahn-like precision. While the songbook is relatively new for all but Russo, the chemistry is

not, as the same core lineups from Bustle in Your Hedgerow (Led Zeppelin) & The Complete Last Waltz (The Band), these guys, again explore a book of songs that is even more ripe for musical exploration, providing a vehicle for improvisation discovery over challenging terrain that is absent from current music popular music.

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Set I - Highlights - Cream Puff->Truckin'-> Dupree's Diamond Blues, a great Row Jimmy.



The highly anticipated return of JRAD starts off with a hot and sweaty Cream Puff War lead by some great guitar work, that promptly morphs into a monster Truckin', where the boys can't seem to get enough and stretch this one out to an 18 min ride before segueing into a surprising and funky Dupree's Diamond Blues, which the crowd gobbles up for it's unique JRAD swing.



After a hot Cumberland->Bertha, the set slows down with a great Row Jimmy, sung by Metzger, that is a real standout. The crowd pleasing Shakedown with some great lead guitar work by Hamilton caps off a strong first set.



Set II - Highlights - The entire set/Terrapin Suite.



A Marco led Space, kicks off the Second set and rides into a phenomenal reading of Scar->Fire that soars into Benevento/Russo peaks and troughs that need to be heard to see the true potential of where this band can take this material. A very respectable Playin' in the Band continues this dream set-list, but is quickly out-shined by an Althea that blows away the version from Jan. '13. As the band hits its stride, it turns in a wonderful Turn on Your Lovelight, and while the Primal Dead would have ended their set right here, JRAD goes one further. I would say that for any miscues the band has on this magical night, all can be forgiven for the perfect rendition of the Terrapin Suite that ends this monster second set. It almost seems like this piece of music was rehearsed more than anything else on the set-list, as the band rides this dragon masterfully from beginning to end, and really shows what this band could do with this material if they played night in and night out.



With a soulful Brokedown encore as the cherry on top, I can only imagine what else this band has in store for 2014.



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Please!! Please!!! For all not in attendance last night (including myself), let this band go on a full tour so we can all see and enjoy what this band could do if they played more than twice (that's right they have reached these heights in just 2 tries!). There is a reason people have been following this music for 48 or so years, and from the sounds of it these guys seem like they could be the real keepers of the flame.



3 Stars for Set I

5 Stars for Set II



Sincerely,



Bill Onka

- December 29, 2013Round 2