The Grateful Dead presence was strong throughout LOCKN’ Festival, despite there only being one true member of the band on site. Joe Russo’s Almost Dead held down the Blue Ridge Bowl for two consecutive late nights, starting well-after 1AM and diving deep into the early morning hours. 

As our writer Sarah Bourque said of the Friday night performance, 

Joe Russo’s Almost Dead blew up the Blue Ridge Bowl once again on Friday night. Tom Hamilton and Scott Metzger have a way of playing ‘tag, you’re it’ with the guitars. Back and forth play makes for an exciting performance with one of the most intense jam bands out there right now. Their shows never disappoint. Marco Benevento took “Shakedown Street” on a trippy ride through the keys midway before sliding into a tasty jam session that seemed to go on forever. Psychedelic tones trickled in and out of the evening’s performance. “China Cat Sunflower” moved along like a lazy river slamming into a sudden rush of rapids. The energy released was explosive when they brought the jam to the back end. The crowd was dancing their ass off to “I Know You Rider.” Nicole Atkins took to the stage as “Dancing In the Street” began and stayed put to lend her powerful vocals for the remainder of their set. 

You can listen to the full performance from Friday night below, courtesy of taper WMWV:Â