Joe Russo’s Almost Dead Welcomes Fruit Bats For Grateful Dead, Led Zeppelin & The Band Songs In California

Joe Russo’s Almost Dead delivered a two-night California run at Frost Amphitheater in Palo Alto, California — where the Grateful Dead formed in 1965 — on Friday and the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles on Saturday. JRAD welcomed opener Fruit Bats (Eric D. Johnson) — with JRAD backing up the singer-songwriter for songs in his opening sets — for a Dead rarity along with Led Zeppelin and The Band classics in the Bay and L.A.

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Joe Russo’s Almost Dead launched their concert in Palo Alto with Smokey Robinson’s “I Second That Emotion.” The first frame at Frost also saw the band delivering GD’s “Let It Grow,” which bloomed into a nearly 26-minute version, and “Here Comes Sunshine” along with Jerry Garcia’s “Cats Under The Stars” and Cannon’s Jug Stompers’ “New Minglewood Blues.” Johnson joined JRAD for the first time to sing Ron “Pigpen” McKernan-penned Dead rarity “The Stranger (Two Souls In Communion)” to close the set.

The second set kicked off with the GD pairing of “Lost Sailor” and “Saint Of Circumstance” followed by “Foolish Heart.” Dead favorite “Eyes Of The World” came next before “The Music Never Stopped” and “Morning Dew” rounded out the second frame. Johnson would join the band for the encore. Eric handled lead vocals on Zep’s Houses Of The Holy opener, “The Song Remains The Same.”

Listen to JRAD’s Palo Alto show taped by Fireball below:

The L.A. concert got underway with “The Golden Road (To Unlimited Devotion).” The first set was composed mostly of Grateful Dead songs including a 15-minute “​​Estimated Prophet,” “Loose Lucy,” “Feel Like a Stranger,” “Help on the Way” and “Slipknot!” Johnson emerged to help JRAD wrap the first set with a cover of The Band’s “Chest Fever.”

Set two was basically an all-Dead affair that began with a well-jammed “Truckin’” followed by “Row Jimmy” and “Greatest Story Ever Told.” JRAD then wedged “St. Stephen” in the middle of “China Cat Sunflower” and traditional “I Know You Rider.” Next, the quintet explored “Playing In The Band” to wrap the second set. Johnson and JRAD then offered another Zep number, Led Zeppelin IV opener “Black Dog” — which beagn with an Out On The Tiles fakeout — featuring Eric on lead vocals once again.

Watch Eric D. Johnson lead JRAD through “Black Dog”:

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Listen to Joe Russo’s Almost Dead in Los Angeles taped by Jeff Travitz below:

Palo Alto Setlist (via AlmostDead.net)

Set 1: I Second That Emotion > New Minglewood Blues, (Weather Report suite) Part II: Let It Grow > Cats Under the Stars > Here Comes Sunshine > The Stranger (Two Souls In Communion)

Set 2: Lost Sailor > Saint of Circumstance, Foolish Heart > Eyes of the World > The Music Never Stopped, Morning Dew

Encore: Song Remains the Same

L.A. Setlist (via AlmostDead.net)

Set 1: Golden Road (To Unlimited Devotion), Estimated Prophet, Loose Lucy, Feel Like a Stranger, Help on the Way > Slipknot!, Chest Fever

Set 2: Truckin’, Row Jimmy, Greatest Story Ever Told China Cat Sunflower > St. Stephen > I Know You Rider, Playing in the Band

Encore: Black Dog

Source: JamBase.com