There are few better ways to spend a Phish “Night 0” than at a Joe Russo’s Almost Dead show. After multiple years of performing at Colorado’s Red Rocks Amphitheater the day before the Labor Day Dick’s run, the five-piece Dead tribute band set up shop at NYC’s Rooftop at Pier 17 the day before this summer’s seven-night MSG run.
On a sweltering (and I mean SWELTERING) hot afternoon, 3500 fans congregated on a roof at the southern tip of Manhattan to witness two fiery sets of JRAD. Taking the stage around 6:15 with a reminder to the crowd to hydrate, drummer Joe Russo struck up a relaxed beat.
Keyboardist Marco Benevento sprinkled Rhodes textures overtop of the laid-back vibe as the rest of the band gradually entered the fray. One of JRAD’s strong suits is the ability to perfectly “jam into” a song in this fashion, and they slowly and patiently coalesced into the main theme to “Playing in the Band” – the crowd erupted as guitarist Scott Metzger stepped to the mic and belted the Bob Weir classic.
The “Playin” jam immediately broke into a jazzy space, Benevento’s Rhodes shining among flurries of staccato tapping from guitarist Tom Hamilton. Bassist Dave Dreiwitz, my personal MVP of the show, was right there on the low end, driving the pace along with Russo to create a hard-charging motif with hints of dissonance and darkness. JRAD built this theme to a screaming peak to close out the opening song of the show – an excellent statement and indication of things to come.
Russo refused to let a drop of momentum escape and kept a beat going through the outro to “Playing,” transforming the music into a swinging groove reminiscent of “New Speedway Boogie” or “Truckin’.” Instead, the quintet swerved cleanly into “Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo,” which saw an incredible layered soundscape get opened up. Hamilton utilized his volume pedal for dreamlike swells during the outro solo as Benevento dug into his bag of effects to lay down a soft bed of electric piano underneath.
After singing the “Rio Grandio” lyrics, Russo pushed the band back into the solo, picking up the pace until they were perfectly positioned for an explosion into “The Music Never Stopped.” It was at this point when it felt like the crowd was overcoming the effects of the heat, and the energy amped up along with the heat of the song. Metzger once again sang his heart out on the song – notably the second one in the set with a mention of a river in the lyrics, especially relevant due to the location of the venue. Smiles abounded on stage as the quintet felt truly settled into the set, breaking into a quiet-yet-purposeful jam from note one. It always seems like “The Eleven” teases come smoothly and naturally within a “Music” jam, and both guitarists riffed off of it throughout the spacey excursion.
Barely taking a second to rest after the conclusion of the song, Russo broke into a driving beat that signalled the beginning of “Bertha.” Stretching to nearly 14 minutes, this rocking song didn’t venture into uncharted territory like the opening trio of songs, but it didn’t need to. Solos from Benevento, Hamilton, and Metzger were all given ample time to breathe and create their own themes as the crowd sang along to the song. A rollicking “Tell Me Momma” (once again showcasing Metzger’s awesome vocals) could have very easily closed out the set, but JRAD was far from done and launched into “Scarlet Begonias.” Russo hit a double-time beat as the jam began and smoothly segued into a closing “Touch of Grey,” leaving the crowd energized for set two with more opportunities to sing along.
At setbreak, crowd members warily checked weather apps and the radar as a threat of thunderstorms in New Jersey and north of Manhattan grew. The skies stayed clear over the pier (at least initially) as the band took the stage again just after 8 for the second frame.
Wasting no time and eschewing any sort of intro jam, Metzger stepped to the mic once again for a cover of Otis Redding’s “Hard to Handle.” The strategy of opening the second set with a succinct rocker before diving into the jams proved successful here as the crowd welcomed the ensuing “Here Comes Sunshine” with open arms.
Funk would be the theme of the next few jams as Dreiwitz became the focal point of the music. A peak in the jam seemed to signal the end, but Hamilton’s envelope filter work seemed to inspire Russo into a new vein and the descending licks broke into a driving beat. Benevento laid into the Rhodes once again as Dreiwitz uncorked some stank face-inducing lines on bass. The funk gradually morphed back into a screaming peak that saw awesome harmonizing on the composed riffs of “HCS” before returning home to the final verse among ecstatic cheers from the crowd.
Just like at the end of “Playing in the Band” in the first set, JRAD jammed out the ending of “HCS,” returning to the funk as the guitars worked in the opening riff to “Throwing Stones” perfectly. Arguably the jamming highlight of the show, the song’s first jam section returned directly to the funk thanks to Russo and Dreiwitz, who charged right into a tight groove. Benevento led the way on organ as he entered into an intricate dance with the guitars.
The real craziness began with the thumping second jam, however, as Hamilton drew upon his spaceship synth textures to lift the pier into the night sky. Throwing in a tease of Ghost Light song “Best Kept Secret” and hints of “Another Brick in the Wall,” the guitarist led JRAD through a rapidly energizing jam to the conclusion of an incredible 20-minute rendition of “Throwing Stones.”
It was time for a ballad as “Wharf Rat” floated in on a bed of stars. Hamilton sang his heart out as the tender song build into a not-so-tender jam with strong hints of “The Other One.” JRAD instead opted for “Truckin’,” the last Metzger vocal on a Bob Weir-heavy setlist. Taking a breather after a ripping jam, Russo seemed to be running out of steam in the incredibly hot air but rallied impressively for the ensuing “St. Stephen.” Space returned ahead of the “lady finger” verse and was populated with “Here Comes Sunshine” teases taboot.
The final song of the night began as the dark sky really began threatening inclement weather. Hamilton’s spaceship textures and Benevento’s Rhodes work set the stage for a mind-blowing cover of Pink Floyd’s “Shine On You Crazy Diamond.” Saxophonist and frequent JRAD collaborator Stuart Bogie silently moved onto the stage during the intro and let loose a barrage of riffs during his solo. From the first notes of the distinctive riff, the capacity crowd went wild for the perfectly-played Floyd cover, a song JRAD was performing for just the third time ever.
As the song progressed, lightning began flashing over the city behind the band, adding to the ethereal and spacey vibe of the music – though worry was evident on Russo’s face. As “Shine On” concluded, the band attempted a quick “Not Fade Away” closer but was stopped almost immediately by a venue representative who sadly informed the crowd that the show had to end early due to the lightning.
Luckily, we were only 15 minutes from curfew – but that “Rosalita” encore on the band’s planned setlist would have been a hell of a way to end the night!
JRAD continues to dazzle crowds with their unique and crazily jammed takes on the Grateful Dead catalogue and easily earn the title of greatest cover band in the world each night. They return to the stage next weekend at Newport Jazz Festival with special guest Kamasi Washington, a performance that will no doubt blow minds and be listened to by many – I cannot WAIT to hear it!
The perfect appetizer to a Phish run will always be the music of the Dead, especially performed in this fashion. Tonight begins seven nights of MSG and I am READY to go!!