If imitation is, in fact, the sincerest form of flattery, the Grateful Dead—living and otherwise—have been rosy in the cheeks for decades. Spinoffs aside, perhaps no act in music history has spawned so many cover bands as have the Dead. And, perhaps, no group has done it better–without trying to be the Dead–than Joe Russo’s Almost Dead.

The Brooklyn-based quintet made a convincing case during a swooning Thursday night set at the Teragram Ballroom in downtown Los Angeles, the first of three California performances this weekend. In front of a house-packing crowd full of crunchy elders and curious youngsters, JRAD jammed deep into the night, barely breaking to breathe besides the brief intermissions between the sets and encore.

With Tom Hamilton and Scott Metzger gliding along on guitar, Ween’s Dave Dreweitz dancing on bass and Marco Benevento tickling the keys, the band bandied about a lilting “Weather Report Suite” to open en route to more truculence in their rendition of “Truckin’”. The crowd quickly caught on, joining the chorus whenever Hamilton and Metzger hopped on the mic—be it to remind everyone where “Jack Straw” came from, where the “Estimated Prophet” was preaching or why “Money” is the root of all evil with their cover of Pink Floyd’s famous Dark Side anthem. Russo’s voice never stuck out, though the way his microphone swung around his drum set like a scorpion’s tail kept him as the center of attention anyway–not that he needed any help with that.

Russo’s drumming, like The Dude’s rug, tied the ballroom together from beginning to end. Where Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart tended toward psychedelic freeplay behind the gripping guitar work of Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir with the actual Dead, Russo brought (and still brings) a tighter, more disciplined percussive style to the fore as the leader of Almost Dead. He guided a gifted group of musicians to ” Terrapin Station”, through dance-filled streets and along “The Wheel” before taking the “West L.A. Fadeaway” to “Brokedown Palace”. He gave Almost Dead a crystal-clear road map to the roots of the original, but did not force or foist the past upon the present.

In truth, JRAD isn’t the first or the only Dead cover band to make Grateful grooves its own; their first show was less than five years ago. But it’s no accident that Russo’s version of the Dead has caught on so quickly, that it’s sold out shows from coast to coast, played festivals far and wide and had four members of Dead & Company (John Mayer, Oteil Burbridge, Jeff Chimenti, and Bob Weir) sit in. JRAD’s concoction of incredible musicianship and low-end arrangement has allowed the band to not only keep the Dead alive, but to breathe new life into a catalogue of timeless tunes..Which, truth be told, is the point of a good jam.

Watch “LA Fadeaway” with Jonathan Wilson on Guitar & Vocals and Eric D. Johnson on keys, uploaded by TimeZonterTV:

Check out the gallery, courtesy of photographer Brandon Weil.

Setlist: Joe Russo’s Almost Dead | Teragram Ballroom | Los Angeles, CA | 11/9/17
Set One (9:01pm – 10:51pm)
Weather Report Prelude / Part One @ ->
Truckin # ->
Jackstraw ->
Estimated Prophet ->
Money $ >
Terrapin Suite
Set 2 (11:11pm – 12:44am)
Dancing In The Streets % ->
Brown Eyed Women >
Throwing Stones ^ >
He’s Gone ->
Jam & ->
The Wheel ->
Marco Solo * ->
The Wheel Reprise ->
Let It Grow +
ENC:
West LA Fadeaway @@
Brokedown Palace ##
@ – Instrumental
# – With a “Duo Jam” & a Lovelight Tease (Band)
$ – Pink Floyd Cover, First Time Played by Almost Dead, with Jonathan Wilson on Guitar & Vocals
% – With a DD Bass Solo
^ – With an Unknown Tease (MB) & The Eleven Teases (TH & DD)
& – With a Terrapin Tease (TH)
* – With a “Cast Your Fate to the Wind” (Vince Guaraldi / Carel Werber) Jam
+ – With a Tennessee Jed Tease (TH) & a “Standing On The Verge of Getting It On” (George Clinton, Eddie Hazel) Jam
@@ – With Jonathan Wilson on Guitar & Vocals and Eric D. Johnson on keys. With an Unknown Tease (Band)
## – With Jonathan Wilson on Guitar & Vocals and Eric D. Johnson on vocals