Joe Russo's Almost Dead at Fillmore Philly 11/26
words: Christopher Snyder | Photos: Alex Buschiazzo
On Saturday evening, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead were welcomed with open arms to a sold out crowd at The Fillmore Philadelphia. As the band hit the stage around quarter after nine, fans noticed that there was new face in the group, bassist Jon Shaw who has shared his talents with Cass McCombs and Shakey Graves, along with WOLF! with guitarist Scott Metzger. Shaw sat in for the evening for Dave Dreiwitz, who was performing with Ween at The Capitol Theatre for the weekend. The show opening flowed nicely into a classic rendition of “Cumberland Blues” that got the capacity crowd grooving, and featured Russo banging away effortlessly on the kit. The band was firing on all cylinders during the song as everyone chimed in on vocals.
Tom Hamilton (American Babies) and Scott Metzger (WOLF!) have been in the scene for a number of years together and are like peanut butter and jelly basically. One of the most popular Grateful Dead tunes, “Casey Jones”, segued straight into an upbeat “Mr. Charlie”, with Metzger taking the lead on vocals. Marco Benevento showcased his virtuosic keyboard skills with a fantastic solo that featured teases from The Beatles and Radiohead, “Dear Prudence” and “Everything In It's Right Place", respectively. Bringing the eighty five minute first set to a close was an epic “Morning Dew”, featuring a rip roaring solo by the Philadelphia native, Hamilton.
Tom Hamilton (American Babies) and Scott Metzger (WOLF!) have been in the scene for a number of years together and are like peanut butter and jelly basically. One of the most popular Grateful Dead tunes, “Casey Jones”, segued straight into an upbeat “Mr. Charlie”, with Metzger taking the lead on vocals. Marco Benevento showcased his virtuosic keyboard skills with a fantastic solo that featured teases from The Beatles and Radiohead, “Dear Prudence” and “Everything In It's Right Place", respectively. Bringing the eighty five minute first set to a close was an epic “Morning Dew”, featuring a rip roaring solo by the Philadelphia native, Hamilton.
As the lights went down on The Fillmore, the supergroup you crowd feel the energy in the room with the opening notes of “Feel Like A Stranger” (Metzger vocals) transitioning smoothly into the ending of “Slipknot!” and a long version of “Franklin's Tower”. At this point in the evening you could tell the band were smiles, enjoying each others company, and flowing beautifully with the music. The surprise of the evening came when JRAD deviated from their normal Grateful Dead material and performed instrumental rendition of “Myxomatosis Jam” (Radiohead). In typical fashion, “the music never stopped”, on Saturday Evening. Pulling out some of the classics, “Eyes Of The World” and “Playin’ In The Band”, is where all band members took the time to shine as individual musicians. The group left their a lasting impression on The Fillmore, encoring with “Goin’ Down The Road Feeling Bad ---> We Bid You Goodnight.”
Led by Russo on drums, along with his friends (Benevento/Metzger/Hamilton/Shaw) JRAD proved to The City Of Brotherly Love that 50+ years later the Grateful Dead’s music is as influential today as it ever has been.
Check out the photos below and video for 'Playing In The band'
Led by Russo on drums, along with his friends (Benevento/Metzger/Hamilton/Shaw) JRAD proved to The City Of Brotherly Love that 50+ years later the Grateful Dead’s music is as influential today as it ever has been.
Check out the photos below and video for 'Playing In The band'
