Joe Russo’s Almost Dead made a thrilling return to Brooklyn Bowl in New York City on Monday. The sold-out performance from the popular Grateful Dead-inspired band was billed as Make Democracy RAD Again and raised money for voter registration and awareness non-profit, HeadCount. The evening’s emphasis on democracy was also fortified by a special approach to crafting the evening’s setlist: Fans were invited to vote on what songs the band played.

The 15 songs played by the band—who had not performed on their “home court” at Brooklyn Bowl since March 2018—were chosen by hundreds of fans who voted and arranged in fitting order by Joe Russo and company. Fittingly, the fan selections even picked out some notable classic rock covers.

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The band opened the show with a rousing  “Althea” which grooved right into a rare “primal Dead’ performance of “The Eleven”. The band was firing on all cylinders by the time they charged forward with “Viola Lee Blues” and continued into “Franklin’s Tower” with Tom Hamilton leading the way on vocals. Hamilton then helped mellow the mood inside the venue just a bit as he led the sold-out crowd through a sing-a-long rendition of Bruce Springsteen‘s “Atlantic City”. The mood picked right back up as the band moved into Jerry Garcia Band‘s “Rubin and Cherise”. The set continued to peak with “Eyes of the World” before the band unleashed the instrumental power of The Allman Brothers Band‘s “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed” with Scott Metzger leading the way to send fans into set break.

Watch the band’s first set performances of “Althea” and “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed” from Monday below:

Joe Russo’s Almost Dead – “Althea” [Grateful Dead cover, Pro-Shot] – 11/25/19

[Video: Relix]

Joe Russo’s Almost Dead – “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed” [Allman Brothers Band cover] – 11/25/19

[Video: adam egert]

The band returned to open the second half of the show with a powerful “St. Stephen”, which Hamilton eventually steered into “Scarlet Begonias” and “Dark Star” to pull fans into the thick of the swirling Dead universe. The music took a triumphant turn with a full performance of the “Terrapin Station Suite”, followed by the funky energy of “Shakedown Street”. Metzger then took the mic to lead the audience through the politically-charged “Throwing Stones” to close the set. The band returned for the one-song encore of Jack Straw”.

Watch the band’s second set-opening performance of “St. Stephen” and the fantastic “Terrapin Suite” > “Shakedown Street” below:

Joe Russo’s Almost Dead – “St. Stephen” [Grateful Dead cover, Pro-Shot] – 11/25/19

[Video: Relix]

Joe Russo’s Almost Dead – “Terrapin Suite” > “Shakedown Street” [Grateful Dead covers] – 11/25/19

[Video: monihampton]

You can also listen to a full audio recording of the show below:

Joe Russo’s Almost Dead HeadCount Benefit – Brooklyn Bowl – 11/25/19 – Full Audio

[Audio: SchoepsMK4V]

Joe Russo’s Almost Dead will regroup early next year to begin their 2020 campaign with three nights at Port Chester, NY’s The Capitol Theatre on February 21st-23rd. Head to the band’s website for tickets and tour info.

Scroll down for a full gallery of photos from Monday’s show courtesy of Andrew Blackstein.

Setlist: Joe Russo’s Almost Dead (HeadCount Benefit) | Brooklyn Bowl | Brooklyn, NY | 11/26/2019

Set One: Althea > The Eleven > Viola Lee Blues (Cannon’s Jug Stompers cover) > Franklin’s Tower > Atlantic City > Rubin and Cherise > Eyes of the World > In Memory of Elizabeth Reed (The Allman Brothers Band cover)

Set Two: St. Stephen > Scarlet Begonias > Dark Star* > Terrapin Station Suite > Shakedown Street, Throwing Stones^

Encore: Jack Straw

Notes:
* “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed” tease
^ “Young Lust” by Pink Floyd jam