Starting with a Chick Corea-esque chord that sounded as though he had fifteen fingers, Marco Benevento took immediate charge of Joe Russo’s Almost Dead’s humid run through Burlington VT, Portland ME, and Boston MA. From that chord to end of night three, Benevento shined brightly on a weekend that also saw Jon Shaw fill in for Dave Dreiwitz on bass.
Russo brought out a new member to start night one. His beloved pooch Teddy. A few trots into his entrance and Teddy bolted full speed into a fearless six foot stage dive landing in the photo pit followed by three laps around the stage and through the crowd. An unnecessarily embarrassed Russo told Teddy he “failed the audition.” To the crowd’s delight, Teddy would continue running amongst them for the first few songs. A more subdued Teddy briefly returned for night two. By night three, fans were throwing stuffed animals on the stage for him to devour.
All three shows were splendid. That’s becoming a given. Shaw’s thick bass chords were as memorable as Benevento’s playing. The “bizzaro-Dreiwitz” has the most unassuming stage presence while his contributions are ever-present as he constantly fills the band’s sound to capacity.
What made these three shows different were the numerous “chunks” the band continually morphed into. Some were a few minutes. Some were longer. Regardless, the band found a deeper level than a jam. They left the Grateful Dead playbook or anyone’s playbook several times each night. The result was unique and tight enough passages that could stand on their own as individual songs. Over a decade in, the ability to move beyond the jam still continues to draw new eyes to this distinctive quintet of musical characters.
Both guitarists Tom Hamilton and Scott Metzger are the backbone of these deep musical interludes. Their non JRAD projects are providing the creativity and fuel to explore the unexplored. Both have been in the studio recently. Hamilton is set to release his solo debut album while Metzger just recorded LaMP’s second studio album.
Metzger has switched back to his Ronin guitar. He’s found a direct link to the fury and passion that’s been resting up in his instrument the last few years. Hamilton’s time in the studio has led him to several new tones he’s been introducing into the JRAD universe. Both were on full display throughout the weekend as they have been all year.
JRAD returns September 6th and 7th at The Rooftop at Pier 17 in New York.
8/1/24 Burlington VT
Set 1 Stagger Lee, Me and My Uncle, Viola Lee Blues, China Cat Sunflower, Feels Like a Stranger, Such a Night
Set 2 Cats Under the Stars, I’ve Just Seen a Face, Cumberland Blues, The Music Never Stopped, Cumberland Blues, Let it Grow, Terrapin E: Dear Mr. Fantasy – Hey Jude
8/2/24 Portland ME
Set 1 Good Morning Little Schoolgirl, The Wheel, My Brother Esau, Foolish Heart, Brown Eyed Women
Set 2 Romeo and Juliet, Ruben and Cherise, Throwing Stones, When I Paint My Masterpiece, Eyes of the World, Dancing in the Street E: All Along the Watchtower
8/3/24 Boston MA
Set 1 Tangled up in Blue, Minglewood Blues, Bertha, Saint of Circumstance, The Other One, Jack Straw
Set 2 Greatest Story Ever Told, Help on the Way, Slipknot, Shakedown St., Truckin, The Eleven, I Know You Rider E: The Weight
