Joe Russo’s Almost Dead fans won big on the band’s first of three nights in Las Vegas with a guest-filled show featuring saxophonist Branford Marsalis and bassist Oteil Burbridge. JRAD’s three-night midweek run at Brooklyn Bowl overlaps with Dead & Company‘s trio of shows at Sphere on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

Though the band disclosed Marsalis’ participation ahead of time, it was a surprise when drummer Joe Russo introduced the night’s other special guest on Wednesday. “He’s not from Dead & Co, he’s from The Brothers,” Russo quipped, referencing his recent work alongside Burbridge at the Allman Brothers Band family reunion at Madison Square Garden featuring Jaimoe, Warren Haynes, Derek Trucks, Chuck Leavell, and others.

The Dead & Company Brothers bassist strode onstage midway through the first set, putting JRAD’s Dave Dreiwitz on the bench for an exploratory 18 minutes of “Playing in the Band”. One of the things that makes Joe Russo’s Almost Dead the gold standard for Grateful Dead cover bands is its ability to effortlessly throttle their jams’ intensity from delicate whispers to roaring salvos. Even with outsiders Marsalis and Burbridge enjoying the ride, within minutes the band went from hushed instrumental lullabies to an onslaught of cacophonous experimental jazz. Smoothing out the chaos, Scott Metzger and Tom Hamilton even locked into a communal “Mountain Jam” tease in tribute to the visiting ABB bassist.

Related: Here’s Where To Find Shakedown Street For Dead & Company Sphere 2025

Beyond Burbridge’s visit, Marsalis’ participation helped make Wednesday’s JRAD show historic. Reprising his storied history of collaborations with the Grateful Dead, Marsalis pushed the already improvisationally inclined tribute act to even further heights. Branford inserted a bit of jazz elegance into the disco-infused “The Music Never Stopped”, gave some added soul to the second-set opening “Cats Under the Stars”, and was an integral part of the “Emergency” > “King Solomon’s Marbles”—the band’s first performance of the Tony Williams Lifetime instrumental since May 15th, 2022, per AlmostDead.net.

Of course, the most highly anticipated moment of the concert came halfway through the second set when JRAD eased into the euphoric opening chords of “Eyes of the World”. One of (if not the) most iconic moments from Marsalis’ five shows with the Grateful Dead was the “Eyes of the World” from March 29th, 1990 at Nassau Coliseum—officially released in 2014 as Wake Up to Find Out. Wednesday’s version did justice to that fabled telling, with Marsalis doing some of his most dynamic playing of the night as he locked into an intense back-and-forth with Hamilton on the jazz-infused Wake of the Flood cut.

Listen to Joe Russo’s Almost Dead with Branford Marsalis and Oteil Burbridge in Las Vegas thanks to taper Travitz12. The band will have Marsalis back again tonight, April 24th, at Brooklyn Bowl before finishing out the run sans saxophonist on Friday. Tonight’s and tomorrow’s shows will start at midnight (doors at 11 p.m.) to accommodate those coming from Dead & Company at Sphere. Find JRAD tickets and tour dates here. Those who can’t make it to the show can stream the next two nights on nugs. Not a nugs subscriber yet? Sign up here. [Editor’s Note: Live For Live Music is a nugs affiliate. Ordering your nugs subscription or purchasing a download via the links on this page helps support our coverage of the world of live music. Thank you for reading!]

Joe Russo’s Almost Dead — Brooklyn Bowl — Las Vegas, NV — 4/23/25 — Full Audio

Joe Russo’s Almost Dead — “Candyman”, “Playing In The Band”, “Uncle John’s Band” — 4/23/25

Setlist: Joe Russo’s Almsot Dead | Brooklyn Bowl | Las Vegas, NV | 4/23/25

Set One: Jam > Catfish John (Bob McDill) > The Music Never Stopped > Candyman, Playing in the Band [1], Uncle John’s Band
Set Two: Cats Under the Stars > Big River (Johnny Cash), Estimated Prophet > Dancing in the Street (Martha Reeves and the Vandellas) > Eyes of the World > Emergency (The Tony Williams Lifetime) [2] > King Solomon’s Marbles, I Know You Rider (Traditional)
Encore: Big Railroad Blues (Cannon’s Jug Stompers)

[1] w/ Oteil Burbridge
[2] LTP 5/15/22

Notes: Whole show with Branford Marsalis