Show Review - Bushwick's Dead 3/12/25 Brooklyn, NY
Dead at the Bowl
In celebration of the new collaborative beer between the Grateful Dead and Dogfish Head Brewery, local NYC collective Bushwick’s Dead threw a RAGER of a show at the iconic Brooklyn Bowl, putting together two strong cover sets highlighted by tight playing and a lengthy sit-in from Goose drummer Cotter Ellis.
Bushwick’s boasts a large and rotating cast of musicians, and last night’s lineup featured guitarists Chris Mackin and Josh Santiago, bassist Sarah Elaz, and drummer Mike Coiro of Boojum (check them out tonight at Arlene’s Grocery!), plus keyboardist Martin Schmid, percussionist Patrick Lehosky, and vocalist Kara Cavanaugh.
The show kicked off with a blazing “St. Stephen,” Schmid making excellent use of the Bowl’s Hammond organ as he let loose some soaring work reminiscent of “Chest Fever.” The band took a different approach to the middle jam section, infusing it with a dance-beat vibe not usually present in Grateful Dead music as Elaz really dug in on the low end.
Santiago fronted “Greatest Story Ever Told” next before a “Jack Straw” featuring a super-extended intro jam kept up the nonstop high-energy song selection. “That’s What Love Will Make You Do” dipped into the Jerry Garcia Band groove for a bit, complete with a brief “Funky Bitch” interlude and strong solos from guitar, keys, and bass seamlessly transitioning through one another.
The first set came to a close with a blistering “The Music Never Stopped” into “Terrapin Station,” an atypically early placement for the latter in a normal Dead show that translated extremely well to the packed Bowl last night.
Returning from setbreak, the septet unleashed a powerhouse rendition of the classic “Estimated Prophet” > “Eyes of the World” pairing with the drumming duo of Coiro and Lehosky really dialling into their grooves. Elaz used the outro bass solo of “Eyes” as a springboard to steer the band smoothly into “Cassidy,” which flowed through another standout jam.
The band then welcomed Ellis to the stage and kicked into “Feel Like A Stranger,” the Goose drummer integrating into the band perfectly and without any need for a warm-up – such is the beauty of the music of the Grateful Dead.
While some featured sit-ins like this may focus more on an inside-the-box and energy-focused rendition, Ellis was right at home as the ensemble pushed through another extended improvisational passage, his smooth flow on the kit lending a different vibe to the song ahead of a segue into “The Other One.”With a featured drummer guest, the band had to put a “Drums” into the set, and Ellis, Coiro, and Lehosky stood on stage for a very consistently amazing solo, Coiro even adding a melodic angle on MalletKAT for a bit before the rest of the band returned and blazed through the ending of “The Other One” to bring Ellis’ sit-in to a close.
Deviating from the Dead songbook for the only time, “Baba O’Riley” was called for the penultimate song of the second set before “Cumberland Blues” and a “Shakedown Street” encore ended the show on a strong note.
Last night was a resounding success for the Dogfish Head/Grateful Dead collab and is a shining reminder of the enduring legacy of the Dead’s music and how much joy it brings all the time.
If you’re local to NYC, Bushwick’s Dead performs at the Bowl and other venues around the city all the time – don’t miss an opportunity to catch one of their electrifying performances!
