Photos and Review by Stephen Bloch

When most people think of cover bands, bands that try to sound like the original and sometimes even dress like them come to mind.  There are some really good ones out there.  There are Led Zeppelin cover bands that even try to have gyrations like Robert Plant or Jimmy Page.  In the case of Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, while they do play Grateful Dead songs, they really are so much more than that. All formulas are thrown out the window with this band and they seem to continually reinvent their craft, with new songs, placements, jams, teases etc. This absolutely was the case on Friday night at Milwaukee’s Riverside Theater.  As they have been doing in recent years, they began with a jazzy and spacey intro.  No teases, just something to get the sold out crowd moving and grooving.

Both sets were filled with Grateful Dead staples.  Notable first set highlights were the “Cassidy” opener that seemed to have teases everywhere and a lengthy “Terrapin Station” set closer that included some of the most jaw dropping jams from guitarist Tom Hamilton Jr. He played possessed and his bandmates’ reaction was indicative of their admiration of his chops.

The opening of set two brought tears to my eyes with a gorgeous cover of Dire Straits, “Romeo and Juliet”.  A gem of a song that has been on repeat for four decades.  Again, convention was thrown out the window.  Song placement and transition were so different from any other Dead “cover” band.  Mid second set “Minglewood Blues”?  Yes please!” Brown Eyed Women” show closer? Bring it on. 

After a brief breather, the band returned to the stage for an absolutely blistering encore, The Allman Brothers’ “Hot ‘Lanta”. Drawn out, jammy, gritty, and jazzy.  What a fun way to close out the show.
For many, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead has become the heir apparent, breathing new life into the beloved music of the Grateful Dead. For me, with no knock against any other band carrying the torch,  “they are the innovators, not the imitators” (My Morning Jacket’s “Wordless Chorus”).  JRAD just keeps us thinking.