Show Review - Joe Russo's Almost Dead 5/31/24 Vail, CO
JRAD doesn’t really have off nights – but there are some shows when the five-piece Grateful Dead tribute are so unmistakeably on. Last night in Vail was one of those shows, as they kicked off what is already proving to be an unforgettable Colorado weekend with two action-packed sets, spanning both deep jams and blazing hot solos.
If you’ve never been to the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater, it’s nestled in the mountains and surrounded by trees, letting in the perfect amount of sunlight for the early evening vibe. I was lucky enough to get seats in the third row right in front of the band, and was able to get an up-close look at how much fun all five of them were having, plus gain a new perspective on how they all play a role in directing each other in improv.
The show began with JRAD’s trademark intro jam, each member seeping into a bouncy groove that hinted at the “Not Fade Away” to come but had just enough distance from the song that I still had doubts. Keyboardist Marco Benevento built a blissy progression with soaring B3 work as guitarist Tom Hamilton took the lead with some vicious wah riffs.
Amid some “Hey Bulldog” teases and hints at a few other songs, Hamilton landed on the melody for “Viola Lee Blues,” spurring a spontaneous segue into the first verse of the song. The quintet then went back to the planned opener and jumped into a blazing rendition of “Not Fade Away.” The star of this song was guitarist Scott Metzger, who would have an absolutely unbelievable night as a whole.
His “NFA” guitar solo built over drummer Joe Russo’s heavy tom beat and proceeded to unleash rapid-fire licks. Being so close to the stage, the volume pouring out of his amp – not the PA – was enough to put some hair on your chest.
Without missing a beat, JRAD flirted with “The Eleven” briefly before Russo steered them into “Brown-Eyed Women.” Benevento was the standout of this one, moving from Rhodes to organ to piano and back again with ease and fluidity. It’s an absolute joy to watch musicians enjoy their craft, and his ear-to-ear grin for every second of his solo just made the music even better.
Pausing for the first time after a flawless half-hour opening, the band began to build a psychedelic vibe infused with Hamilton’s spaceship effects (check out his explanation in last year’s rig tour here) and Benevento’s spring reverb washes. As per usual, a spacey opening does not mean you’re getting something like “The Wheel” – but instead, a rocking “Feel Like A Stranger” led by Metzger.
The jam out of this song hit an even funkier zone than normal, with Benevento initially out front with warbly organ work. Bassist Dave Dreiwitz dug in to the pocket, eliciting stank faces, while Hamilton utilized his envelope filter for some vicious fretboard tapping augmented by wild sweeps on his Whammy pedal.
Building back into the ending of “Stranger,” the quintet wasted no time before hitting into “Shakedown Street.” The coolest part of this song was watching the musicians pass the baton to each other throughout the solo section, smoothly going from guitar to keys and back again.
The relatively concise “Shakedown” outro jam quickly modulated into a Rolling Stones-esque progression for the second-ever JRAD performance of Link Wray’s “Fire and Brimstone.” While most non-Dead covers are given quick and rocking outings by Almost Dead, their clear exuberance at playing this song translated into an extended version – though not before Metzger absolutely LIT THE PLACE UP on vocals and then a ripping solo. Russo propelled the jam into a dark build that eventually found its way back to the song proper atop Hamilton’s shredding, hitting a hot peak and then quickly fragmenting into a calmer space.
This gorgeous motif informed a segue into “Eyes of the World,” a song many expected to show up with Branford Marsalis tonight at Red Rocks. While I would definitely have enjoyed seeing this song augmented by sax, I appreciate that JRAD is shying away from the most obvious setlist pick for the special show.
As far as “Eyes” go, the version as a whole wasn’t spectacular – though it’s still “Eyes” – but Benevento’s solo after the second verse was incredible. His floaty piano work inspired Russo to cue the rest of the band to drop out, leaving the keyboardist alone for a couple of minutes, washing his incredible playing out over the crowd. Smoothly running through some modulations that wouldn’t have been out of place in a “Squirming Coil,” it was an incredible display of musicianship before the rest of the band jumped back in to finish out the song and set.
The second set began with an expansive “Hurts Me Too.” It’s not often that JRAD plays a slow song at an actually slow pace, and this was the perfect pick to let Metzger flex his Pigpen chops.
It was time to up the energy after several minutes of incredible blues soloing, and “Fire on the Mountain” was just the song for the job. The audience continued to soak up every ounce of joy the band was putting out as they blazed through the Dead classic, singing along with hands aloft.
The ending of “Fire” saw Russo embark on a driving beat that had me initially thinking “I Know You Rider” was imminent – especially because Hamilton was teasing the transition – but instead we blasted off into Chuck Berry’s “Promised Land.” This may have been the highest-octane song of the entire night, with solo after solo bringing the energy in the amphitheater higher as the band’s grins never left their faces.
After the conclusion of the song, Hamilton and Russo both took off a layer of clothing despite the chilly mountain air – THAT’s how hot the Berry was.
What came next was nothing short of astounding improv. Russo left the stage, presumably for a bathroom break, so Benevento and Hamilton began some spacey improv with a soft bed of Rhodes and synth-drenched guitar. Benevento’s use of delay had the sound of his keys reverberating around the space as their patience and commitment to quieter dynamics really blew me away.
The intense psychedelia continued to build as Russo returned to the stage and added some cymbal washes, eventually being joined by Dreiwitz and Metzger for a mesmerizing bliss jam. This made an unexpected drop into “Estimated Prophet,” a song that would become a launchpad for some serious off-kilter exploration.
As the jam began, the band returned back to the open space of the “Estimated” intro, layering sounds on top of each other, from Benevento’s organ and Rhodes to Hamilton’s fretboard taps that almost sounded like the backdrop of a nature documentary. The ensuing jam would generally have been more at home in a “Dark Star” or “Bird Song”-type song, rather than the raunchy beat of “Estimated,” a factor that made it even better.
Coasting through several minutes of dense space, Russo picked up the intensity and led the band into a hot “Ramble On Rose.” This nicely bridged the gap between the two centrepiece improv segments of the set, as Metzger and Dreiwitz set up a build into “Truckin’” next.
As it is wont to do, some early flirtation with “The Other One” gave way into a speedy double-time jam, breaking into a percussive zone that saw Dreiwitz hammering away at some chords as Hamilton and Benevento chased each other up and down their instruments.
Returning for the next verse, JRAD then began a beautiful segue into “The Other One” – for real this time – but not before Hamilton threw in an anthemic “Cryptical Envelopment” tease and the band sang the final verse of “Truckin’” OVER the beginning of “TOO.”
The jam quickly disintegrated into madness, each member attacking their instruments with fervor before it all fell away into a more low-key zone. Metzger initiated a tease of AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck,” much to Russo’s delight, who began to emphasize the “Thunder!” hits for a brief spell. The drummer then took his lone solo of the night, continuing the fluid groove before cueing the band into “The Other One” proper, letting Metzger unleash on the first verse, complete with “Thunderstruck” quotes from Russo and Hamilton.
Somehow, the band transformed from thrashy into a floaty space, eventually taking on bluesy tinges for a reappearance of “Viola Lee Blues.” After singing the final verse of the song, Russo began to smoothly reintroduce “The Other One” and JRAD blasted through the second verse with insane energy to close out the second set.
A raging “Golden Road” encore was the perfect cap to a perfect night as Russo thanked the Vail crowd, drawing to an end what is without question the best JRAD show I have been in attendance for to date.
That could change tonight, however, as the quintet will be augmented by legendary saxophonist Branford Marsalis at the iconic Red Rocks Amphitheatre – and I could not be more excited for what’s in store. For those not in Colorado, it’s streaming free for nugs.net subscribers, and you are NOT going to want to miss this show.