For their return to a sold-out Ogden Theatre in Denver, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead kicked off their three-night Colorado run in style. The band was clearly ready to celebrate the announcement of their first headlining show at Red Rocks in April of next year with Medeski Martin & Wood, and Friday night’s performance at the Ogden was most definitely a celebration. Joe Russo, Marco Benevento, Scott Metzger, Tom Hamilton, and Dave Dreiwitz were having a blast and in proper form the whole evening, only reconfirming in fans’ minds why Joe Russo’s Almost Dead consistently remains one of the best ensembles currently continuing the legacy of the Grateful Dead.
Using the name of their first song, “Don’t Ease Me In,” as a guide, the ensemble came out swinging with the energetic song, heavily featuring Tom Hamilton on guitar and Marco Benevento on keys. The looks on the faces of those on stage were ecstatic, clearly feeding off the energy of the packed house, as the five grinned and threw jubilant looks to one another and out toward the crowd. “Viola Lee Blues” continued to amp up the positive energy after a relatively short first song. This allowed each of the musicians to preview what they had in store for the rest of the evening as they handily tossed the lead between one another, with eventually Marco Benevento building the jam segment to a climax before moving aside to let Joe Russo hammer it home, eliciting full-on laughter from Tom Hamilton who clearly as stoked as the crowd for the huge drum solo.
An ambient “Space” served as a transition between “Viola Lee” and “Truckin’,” for which Scott Metzger took the vocals. The beginning of its jam highlighted Dave Dreiwitz on bass, who masterfully executed a particularly quick, complex bass line without flinching. Alternating between syncopated and sparse to accelerated and jazzy, tastes of “St. Stephen” were worked throughout the jam, though Tom Hamilton did much of the heavy lifting as he worked in the renowned soaring guitar theme subtly throughout the build-up. The band slowed the “St. Stephen” jam down to a dramatic pause before moving into a “Truckin’ Reprise,” a first of its kind for Almost Dead who have never played the reprise before.
Coming out of the energetic “Truckin’ Reprise,” the band slowed down into “Loser,” featuring Tom Hamilton both vocally and on guitar, by way of a “Born Cross Eyed” jam. After working through the chorus of the soulful song, Marco Benevento was given space to do his thing on the keys during an extended solo before moving into “The Eleven.” To close out the first set, Almost Dead chose the never-failing crowdpleaser, “Shakedown Street.” This final song before set break began to come to a close with the band hanging back to really highlight Scott Metzger’s spirited guitar stylings. Marco Benevento took over the lead to close out the song, playfully exchanging and working off of the groovy rhythms Joe Russo was laying down.
After a 40-minute set break, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead returned to the stage, bringing back the energy of “Shakedown Street” with a “Golden Road to Unlimited Devotion” opener. This abruptly transitioned into “Greatest Story Ever Told,” this song being a definitive highlight of the night. Marco Benevento led the band out from the chorus into a slow and sultry groove featuring Scott Metzger’s soulful guitar. The jam slowed into a minimalist, pulsing jam with an almost electronic-y feel, where they stayed for a while before building the jam to a frenetic peak, then closing out with the refrain.
A consistent build out of “Greatest Story Ever Told” led into a triumphant “Terrapin Suite.” The initially airy sound of the jam section darkened as Dave Dreiwitz, Joe Russo, and Scott Metzger took more exploratory solos and deepened the sound. The exotic, almost Middle-Eastern inspired build of this jam moved the band out of the darker sound, making way for a peppier, more upbeat sound that heavily showed off Marco Benevento and Joe Russo technically. This eventually culminated in the rest of the musicians on stage joining together for a highly abstract segment that eventually settled back into the melody initially introduced by Benevento and Russo. Getting reoriented and coming out of the fog of this extended, layered jam, the crowd was ecstatic as Almost Dead moved back into the triumphant “Terrapin” theme to close out the song.
Coming out of “Terrapin,” Almost Dead worked through “King Solomon’s Marbles,” which teased a “Uncle John’s Band,” into “Row Jimmy.” Joe Russo took over the transition to “Good Lovin'” with a segment featuring him on drums to the delight and awe of the crowd. From “Good Lovin’,” the band moved into the “The Wheel Reprise,” which finished “The Wheel” they started the last time they played the song at the Ogden back on Valentine’s Day of 2015. “Good Lovin’ Reprise” closed out the second set, which, like the “Truckin’ Reprise,” was a first for Almost Dead, to a huge response from the crowd. After disappearing off stage for a few moments, the band returned to bust out “Going Down the Road Feeling Bad” into “Sugar Magnolia” for the encore as a send-off for fans for the night.
As always, it’s a such a privilege and treat to see the amazing musicians in Joe Russo’s Almost Dead find the time to join together to celebrate and put their own special twist on the songs of the Grateful Dead. With dedicated fans across the country, it’s hard to determine whether it’s their fans or the musicians themselves who love what they do more, and the sincerity and musicianship with which they play is hard to match. They will be finishing the remaining dates of their Colorado run at the Fox Theatre in Boulder before moving onto Aspen for a Saturday night show at the Belly Up. Tickets and their upcoming tour dates are available on their website here.
Check out the setlist below, as well as more photos from Rios Photos, below.
Setlist: Joe Russo’s Almost Dead | Ogden Theatre | Denver, CO | 12/15/16
Setlist courtesy of Costello via the band’s facebook page
Set 1: Don’t Ease Me In (TH) -> Viola Lee Blues @ (All) -> Space -> Truckin’ (SM) -> St. Stephen Jam -> Truckin’ Reprise # (SM) -> Born Cross Eyed Jam -> Loser (TH) -> Marco Solo -> The Eleven (All) -> Shakedown Street % (TH)
Set 2: Golden Road To Unlimited Devotion (All) -> Greatest Story Ever Told (SM) -> Terrapin Suite & (TH & JR) -> King Solomon’s Marbles *, Row Jimmy (TH) -> Drums -> Good Lovin’(SM) -> The Wheel Reprise + (All) -> Good Lovin’ Reprise @@ ->
Encore: GDTRFB ## (All) -> Sugar Magnolia / SSDD $$ (SM)
@ – With a Throwing Stones Jam
# – First time played by Almost Dead, with Throwing Stones Teases (Band)
% – With “Chameleon” (Herbie Hancock) Teases (Band)
^ – With Estimated Prophet Teases throughout the set
& – With a “Duo Jam” & “Hateframe” (Benevento Russo Duo) Teases (JR)
* – With an Uncle John’s Band Tease (Band)
+ – Finishes The Wheel from Ogden Theatre on 2015.02.14
@@ – First Time Played by Almost Dead
## – With out the usual We Bid You Goodnight Ending
$$ – Proceeded by a “WBYGN Ending” Tease (Band)
