Joe Russo's Almost Dead Debuts K.C. Douglas Cover At The Sylvee [Photos/Videos]

Joe Russo’s Almost Dead closed out a two-night run at Madison, WI’s The Sylvee on Friday. The show, which was rescheduled from March 2020, saw the band welcome replacement bassist Jon Shaw as Dave Dreiwitz mounts a weekend run with Ween.

Opening the show with “Crazy Fingers”, JRAD ignited a transition train that would ride out through the entire first set. The band soon found itself on the golden shore with “Estimated Prophet”, as the reggae bounce carried the group along. This led into the Grateful Dead‘s most commercially successful track, “Touch of Grey”. The music never stopped as the band then rolled into “Lost Sailor”, which linked up with its eternal partner “Saint of Circumstance”, before closing the set with “Shakedown Street”.

Returning to The Sylvee stage for the final set of the run, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead kicked off set two with “Here Comes Sunshine”. This segued into “Hell in a Bucket”, which led to the first stoppage in play that wasn’t a setbreak. The band brought the mood down with the delicate reflection of “Stella Blue” before a complete telling of the “Terrapin Station” suite to close out the second set. Taking the stage one last time, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead delivered its first-ever live telling of “Mercury Blues” by K.C. Douglas. The song, first released by the K.C. Douglas Trio in 1949, has been covered by an array of artists including Steve Miller Band, Canned Heat, Alan Jackson, and more.

Check out a gallery of images from Joe Russo’s Almost Dead at The Sylvee on Friday courtesy of photographer Daniel Ojeda. The band travels on to St. Louis, MO next for a Saturday/Sunday run at The Pageant. For tickets and a full list of tour dates visit JRAD’s website.

Joe Russo’s Almost Dead – “Crazy Fingers” – 3/18/22