Despite already qualifying as a supergroup, Medeski, Russo, and Cline made room on stage for a couple other big names last night, welcoming both Phish bassist Mike Gordon and Joe Russo’s Almost Dead keyboardist Marco Benevento to sit in at Bearsville Theater in Woodstock, NY.

After kicking off a two-night, two-city run on Friday at Brooklyn Bowl, where they welcomed saxophonist Stuart Bogie and beatboxer Kaila Mullady, the trio of JRAD drummer Joe Russo, Medeski, Martin & Wood keyboardist John Medeski, and Wilco guitarist Nels Cline reconvened at the newly relaunched Bearsville Theater on Saturday for a night of thrilling avant garde jams. Having first combined for a pair of shows at The Sultan Room back in February 2024 as the fourth edition of Russo’s rotating This Is Gonna Be a Blast live improvisation series, the trio boasts plenty of firepower all on its own, but the addition of two more heavy-hitting instrumentalists made for a very special, once-in-a-lifetime collaboration at the intimate, 500-capacity club.

Arriving in the second set after the first featured just the trio, Benevento’s appearance was not a total shock, since he resides in Woodstock and has a long history with Russo dating back to their Benevento/Russo Duo days. Nonetheless, it was quite a surprise to see him join the trio with Medeski already handling the organ, but the two keyboardists each had their own Hammond on opposite sides of the stage and sounded surprisingly cohesive jamming together.

Mike Gordon’s appearance came as more of a surprise, though he too has a history of jamming with Russo and Benevento. He performed with the Duo many times as an unofficial third member, and they famously toured with his Phish bandmate Trey Anastasio as GRAB (Gordon, Russo, Anastasio, Benevento) in the early 2000s.

Saturday’s collaboration also called to mind Phish’s association with Medeski, Martin & Wood. It was as Phish’s house music that MMW first gained exposure in the jam band scene, which ultimately helped the trio land a spot on the H.O.R.D.E. festival tour alongside Blues Traveller, Widespread Panic, and more.

Watch Mike Gordon and Marco Benevento sit in with Medeski, Russo, and Cline at Bearsville Theater below.

This weekend, Nels Cline will team up with another supergroup featuring enigmatic saxophonist Skerik (Les Claypool), veteran drummer Stanton Moore (Galactic), and lauded organist Wil Blades, who first played as a unit in New Orleans during Jazz Fest 2024, for Denver Comes Alive at Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom. Find more information here and click here to purchase tickets.

Medeski, Russo, And Cline With Mike Gordon And Marco Benevento – Bearsville Theater – Woodstock, NY – 1/11/25

[Video: radarosen]

Medeski, Russo, And Cline With Marco Benevento – Bearsville Theater – Woodstock, NY – 1/11/25

[Video: radarosen]