Joe Russo’s Almost Dead continued their March run on Thursday at College Street Music Hall
New Haven, Connecticut. The Grateful Dead tribute act dipped into their extensive repertoire for a trio of bust outs during their second set.
The five-piece act got their night going with a jam on “Blues For Allah” that would eventually work its way into Buddy Holly & The Crickets’ “Not Fade Away.” Guitarist Scott Metzger led the band through “Feel Like A Stranger” next, that incorporated heavy nods to “Reuben & Cerise.” JRAD slowed things down a bit with the American Beauty cut “Candy Man.” The classic pairing of “Lost Sailor” and “Saint Of Circumstance” came ahead of a high-octane, set-closing version of “Bertha.”
JRAD looked to Neil Young’s “Vampire Blues” to open up their second frame of the night. The tune from Young’s 1974 LP On The Beach had sat unplayed since November 11, 2017 – a span of 56 shows. “Help On The Way” and a tease-heavy “Slipknot!” followed. The quintet took a detour next opting for their second bust out of the night with The Beatles’ “Hey Bulldog,” which was dusted of for the first time since October of 2017. “New Minglewood Blues” came ahead of the third and final bust out as the Jerry Garcia Band setlist staple “Mission In The Rain” was taken off the shelf first time since March of last year. The traditional Sunday sermon “Samson & Delilah” got a weekday workout with “Franklin’s Tower” bringing the stanza to an end.
After teasing it earlier the night Joe Russo’s Almost Dead looked to “Reuben & Cerise” to get their extended encore going. An open-ended jam sequence would lead them into a run on “Terrapin,” “Terrapin Transit,” “At A Siding,” “Terrapin Flyer” and “Refrain,” which finished off the version of “Terrapin Station” that they had started the previous night at Penn’s Peak.
Watch pro-shot video of the openers from each set courtesy of nugs.tv below:
Blues For Allah Jam > Not Fade Away
Vampire Blues
Setlist (Compiled by Peter Costello)
Set I: (8:15PM – 9:37PM) Blues For Allah Jam > Not Fade Away -> Feel Like A Stranger@, Candyman, Lost Sailor ->
Saint Of Circumstance#, Bertha
Set II: (10:07PM – 11:44PM) Vampire Blues $ -> Help On The Way -> Slipknot! % -> Hey Bulldog ^ -> New Minglewood Blues&, Mission In The Rain*, Samson & Delilah > Franklin’s Tower +
Encore: Ruben & Cherise @@ -> Jam -> Terrapin -> Terrapin Transit -> At a Siding -> Terrapin Flyer -> Refrain ##
- @ – With a Reuben & Cherise Tease (MB) and Reuben & Cherise Jam (Band)
- # – With Reuben & Cherise teases (TH, MB & Band) and Terrapin Teases (Band & MB)
- $ – Not Played By Almost Dead Since 2017-11-11 Fox Theater, Oakland, CA, a gap of 56 shows
- % – With “Hey Bulldog” (The Beatles) (MB, JR & DD), a “War Pigs” (Black Sabbath) Tease (TH) and a Feel Like A Stranger Tease (SM)
- ^ – Not Played By Almost Dead Since 2017-10-14 Brooklyn Bowl, Brooklyn, NY, a gap of 60 shows
- & – With a “Hey Bulldog” (The Beatles) Tease (MB)
- * – Not Played By Almost Dead Since 2018–03-10 Brooklyn Bowl, Brooklyn, NY, a gap of 41 shows
- + – With a “Hey Bulldog” (The Beatles) Tease (MB)
- @@ With a Terrapin Tease (TH)
- ## – Finishes 2019-03-13 Version from Jim Thorpe, PA
