Joe Russo’s Almost Dead celebrated its debut at the tranquil Dillon Amphitheater in Colorado on Friday with the debuts of Jimmy Cliff‘s “The Harder They Come” and Derek & The Dominos‘ “Why Does Love Got to Be So Sad?”. The respective covers opened and closed the Grateful Dead tribute act’s first of two nights in Dillon, CO, following a Thursday one-off in Vail that featured a guest appearance by The Hold Steady’s Craig Finn on the JRAD debut of John Hiatt‘s “Walk On”.

A murky, reggae-tinged opening jam portended the Jerry Garcia Band-favored Jimmy Cliff classic. Guitarist Tom Hamilton took lead vocals, as Joe Russo, Scott Metzger, Marco Benevento, and Dave Dreiwitz imbued the easygoing tune with JRAD’s inherent instrumental grit. The opening song gave Marco and the guitarists a chance to bat around lead playing, with Benevento fluctuating between luminous baby grand piano and tidal B3 organ while Metzger’s polished blues tone juxtaposed Hamilton’s gruff distortion and aggressive soloing.

Joe Russo’s Almost Dead — “The Harder They Come” (Jimmy Cliff) — 8/22/25

Metzger got the nod to continue the show with the “New Minglewood Blues” that followed before JRAD loaded up “Help on the Way” and “Slipknot!”, avoiding the elusive “Franklin’s Tower” which has only followed “Slip” three times this decade, per AlmostDead.net. Instead, Metzger hollered an “I Need A Miracle” that went from a roar to a whisper, setting up a smooth transition to a downtempo, bluesy “Loser” and finally a set-closing “Bertha” that heard a tease of Pink Floyd‘s “Fearless”.

Joe Russo’s Almost Dead — “New Minglewood Blues” (Cannon’s Jug Stompers) — 8/22/25

[Video: Sean C]

The ambient jam that kicked off the second set crept naturally into “Playing in the Band”. At over 15 minutes, it marked the longest jam of the night as it propelled Joe Russo’s Almost Dead into free-improv that turned on a dime into pummelling psych-rock and out the other side to acid jazz before an arena rock-sized crescendo and transition to “Loose Lucy”. Russo took his time gradually building the rhythmic intensity until hitting the uptempo ’70s Dead stride, momentum that would carry the band through “Cats Down Under the Stars” and a surprisingly concise “Feel Like a Stranger”.

As Russo and Dreiwitz settled into a relaxed groove on the back-end of “Stranger”, the band set Benevento loose on his B3—which eventually rose through the mist as JRAD exhumed the Allman Brothers Band‘s “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed”. The band dug deep on the ABB instrumental, making the most of its dual-guitar configuration for some of the most thrilling jams of the evening.

Coming out of the chaos from “Elizabeth Reed”, JRAD dialed the intensity way back for Hamilton’s serene reading of “It Must Have Been the Roses”, only to load up the energetic slingshot for a “Not Fade Away” set-closer. Keeping the beat going from “Not Fade Away”, the band returned to the stage clapping along—and Russo armed with a tambourine—as Joe Russo’s Almost Dead had one more trick up its sleeve, the debut of Derek & The Dominos’ “Why Does Love Got to Be So Sad?”. The cover debut closely followed the recent death of keyboardist Bobby Whitlock, who co-founded the Dominos with bandleader Eric Clapton in 1970. Though Hamilton was at the helm vocally, Benevento’s crystalline runs up his baby grand highlighted the cover for a fitting nod to Whitlock.

Joe Russo’s Almost Dead — “Why Does Love Got To Be So Sad?” (Derek & The Dominos) — 8/22/25

Check out fan-recorded audio from Joe Russo’s Almost Dead in Dillon, CO, below. The band will resurface on the East Coast next month for a three-show swing through Boston and New York City. Find tickets here or on JRAD’s website.

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Joe Russo’s Almost Dead — Dillon Amphitheater — Dillon, CO — 8/22/25 — Full Audio

[Audio: Travitz12]

Setlist: Joe Russo’s Almost Dead | Dillon Amphitheater | Dillon, CO | 8/22/25

Set One: Jam > The Harder They Come (Jimmy Cliff) [1], Minglewood Blues (Cannon’s Jug Stompers), Help on the Way > Slipknot! > I Need a Miracle > Loser > Bertha [2]
Set Two: Jam > Playing in the Band > Loose Lucy, Cats Under the Stars > Feel Like a Stranger, In Memory of Elizabeth Reed (The Allman Brothers Band), It Must Have Been the Roses > Not Fade Away (The Crickets)
Encore: Why Does Love Got to Be So Sad? (Derek and the Dominos) [2]

[1] FTP
[2] w/ “Fearless” (Pink Floyd) tease