Which JRAD Did You See in California? 

As I was preparing this wrap up of Joe Russo’s Almost Dead’s annual California run, it hit me I might not be the best person to tell the tale. Sure, I saw the three shows in Sacramento, Oakland, and Los Angeles. In fact, I was on the rail pretty much front and center each night.  For the last couple of years, the world has lined up where I’ve seen the band well over a hundred times. There are only a handful of people who have seen JRAD more than me, and they’re some of my best friends. I know the band’s music (and all their individual projects) backwards and forwards.  

While these credentials would seem to make me the perfect candidate to detail JRAD’s next to last run of the year, my perspective and knowledge is different than 99 percent of the other fans in attendance. Those who can’t spot the same Let it Grow drum intro Russo has been playing since his days in Furthur. Those who were seeing the band for the first time. Or tenth. Was the JRAD they were seeing the same as the one I was? How could I tell the tale of the thousands with much less JRAD experience than me? 

I spent the hours waiting in line for the coveted rail spot each night chatting with unfamiliar faces. Getting their JRAD background to better understand what they want the night to be. What songs they want to hear. Stories from previous concerts. What other bands they see. How well do they know JRAD over a decade into their craziness?  

While multiple threads connected the thousands of fans who saw the band in the golden state, everyone’s JRAD’s path and perspective is different. The JRAD they saw was different than their friend, spouse, or stranger standing next to them. 

So, for the thousands who attended any of the California run, which JRAD did you see? 

The one where Marco Benevento smiled the entire night? 

The one that had a song the Grateful Dead never performed for the encore? 

The one with the energy bouncing off the walls all night? 

The one where Russo played until he was bleeding? 

The one which was easily in the top three shows of the year? 

The one after you flew from Oakland to Los Angeles with a dozen of your friends? 

The one that made you forget about a crappy day or week? 

The one with the rearranged Samson and Delilah that started with just Scott and Joe? 

The one Tom Hamilton got so immersed in his solo, his body unconsciously contorted into multiple expert yoga poses? 

The one where they sound checked Radiohead’s High and Dry but played The Bends? 

The one where they played Lay Down Sally for the first time? 

The one where they played Why Does Love Got to be So Sad for the second time? 

The one where Russo smiled at you when they mentioned Memphis in Big River? 

The one where Russo smiled at you when they mentioned Memphis in Candyman? 

The one that had the song you’ve been chasing? 

The one where you thought this fantastic music hasn’t sounded like the Grateful Dead in a long time? 

The one that brought back memories of a friend gone too soon? 

The one where they teased Tennessee Jed throughout but never played it? 

The one where you waited in line for hours to be in front of the second or third rail? 

The one that had Dave Dreiwitz’s bass perfectly turned up in the mix? 

The one with Carpet hanging on stage? 

The one that eased the symptoms of a sickness no medicine can cure? 

The one where you told yourself, I can’t wait to see JRAD again? 

The one with the first Jack Straw you’ve ever heard? 

The one with the best Jack Straw you’ve ever heard?  

The one where you danced so hard the candy bar you were saving for set break melted in your pocket? 

The one where you thought they were playing Loose Lucy, but it turned out to be Queen Jane Approximately? 

The one with the first Bay Area Mission in the Rain since the Frost Amphitheater in 2019? 

The one where Scott Metzger infused Bill Frisell and his other jazz influences into jaw dropping leads all night? 

The one with the new and improved stage lighting? 

If you made it to any of the weekend’s shows, it’s a safe bet several of these apply to you. It doesn’t matter how many shows you’ve seen. What was clear to everyone fortunate enough to catch JRAD’s ‘25 California run is that the band continues to bring it nightly. Enough to draw first timers while keeping those with fifty or one hundred shows under their belt coming back for more. If you didn’t see JRAD in California this weekend, where were you? You missed it.   

10/23/25 Channel 24 Sacramento Set one- Good Morning Little Schoolgirl, Bertha, St. Stephen, All Along the Watchtower, Scarlet Begonias, I Know You Rider  

Set two- Hard to Handle, Cats Under the Stars, Big River, Saint of Circumstance, China Cat Sunflower, Samson and Delilah E: Lay Down Sally (first time played) 

10/24/25 Fox Theater Oakland Set one- Queen Jane Approximately, Rubin and Cherise, After Midnight, Black Throated Wind, Jack Straw, Althea 

Set two- Beat it on Down the Line, Shakedown St., Greatest Story Ever Told, Mission in the Rain, Deal, Let it Grow E: Why Does Love Got to be So Sad? 

10/25/25 Greek Theater Los Angeles Set one- Cumberland Blues, Viola Lee Blues, Candyman, Eyes of the World, The Music Never Stopped, Fire on the Mountain 

Set two- Feels Like a Stranger, Help on the Way, Slipknot, I Need a Miracle, Estimated Prophet, Uncle John’s Band, Morning Dew E: The Bends, Lady With a Fan, Terrapin Station