Tonight will now be the first JRAD show without JR...should be interesting... “So it turns out, sometimes babies come 3 weeks early!!?? Last night my incredible wife gave birth to our second daughter. I couldn’t be happier or more proud of my amazing partner for pushing that lil sucker to freedom! That said, clearly “new nugget” didn’t reference the family calendar. I’m very sorry to announce that I won’t be able to make the JRAD shows this weekend at Peach and Burlington. However, we here at JRAD HQ have gone into “holy **** the baby came early contingency mode” and have decided THE SHOW MUST GO ON. This weekend Scott, Tommy, Dave and Marco will be joined by two special drummers each night. Tonight at Peach, the band will feature JRAD drum tech and incredible young musician Evan Roque on kit 1. Joining Evan on drum set 2, will be one of my dear friends and drumming heroes, Ben Perowsky. Aside from being my percussive partner in BOYFRIENDS, Ben has played with everyone from John Zorn to Rufus Wainwright to Trey Anastasio (Surrender To The Air) and is currently manning the throne on Broadway with the Tony Award winning Hadestown. Tomorrow night in Burlington, the fellas will be joined by Evan and the one and only Johnny Kimock! We’ve all known and played with Johnny for years. He’s such a great dude and we couldn’t be more excited for him to share his masterful musicianship with us! Thank you to all for understanding. I was so excited to play these shows this weekend, but I need to be here with my family, helping as my incredible wife recovers from her act of human badassery, introducing big sisters to little sisters and getting to know this new amazing person. Please have fun and be safe out there. I love you all so much and can’t wait to see you all in LA at The Greek Theater. Love and thanks, Joe”
Ben Perowsky is a first call monster free jazz drummer. I saw one set with him with Tony Malaby, Hank Roberts & Michael Formanek and he blew the roof off the place.
So as I’m very averse to being uncomfortable in the heat and it was pushing 100 degrees on both 7/20 & 7/21, part of me was telling me that we were NOT going to the High Time (Dead Cover Band specializing in 1965-74 Grateful Dead music) as I feared that the AC unit for the little room (150 people max???) wouldn’t be able to withstand the heat and I would melt to the ground. Of course we went and WAZE took us over the GW Bridge through Queens and landed us in the funky free parking lot across the street by 6:30 so we were able to get in line FIRST so we were able to secure 2 of the 8 stools or so to the left of the stage just in case as my Barbara can’t really stand the whole time. All set. Not too hot so far and they start @ 8:15. Seems much louder than last Spring and the Lead Guitar Guy’s (The Jerry) Gibson sounds so good that he never even picked up the Strat he used for maybe half of the show last Spring. Last year the sound out of his Gibson was a bit hard edged and not really in a pleasant way. Opener was U.S. Blues and one thing they do is stick to the original arrangements for the most part on these shorter tunes. They then played other strong versions of typical first set songs with great screw ups on the re-entry to Loser after the solo and the beginning of Jed was wonky but the end results were great. The SOUND like early 70’s Dead. Keys kinda more like Keith on electric or something like that - very fine but not up front which works to this music. The Bobby Dude was better than today’s Bobby but his volume might have been a bit too high. Plus he played some dual leads on things like Loser. More later
So I know I posted the set-list shortly after the show and it’s now 8 days back. But I do know I’m watching the crazy happy people at the show and I’m loving but very glad I’m not some of them any longer if I ever was. Half-burned our but flying but my endgame was alone in a room and there was no Dead or burning Dead cover band. So first set is OK but fun but so far WAY too first set like and it must be 40-45 minutes in and they start Mississippi Half-Step and like everything else it’s snappy, tight and the drummer is sounding like a drummer should playing Dead music - no pillow like sneaker in a dryer floppy dreary over the hill Dead & Company Red Plastic happy stick BS. Wooden Sticks played like a 24 year old Billy K would play. So fine Half Step and then some nebulous jam and then a hint and then their own Feelin’ Groovy and then PURE ringing Dark Star jam into something else invented and maybe 10 minutes or even 25 minutes we get silence from the room as it is ALMOST Thick Air and then we get the verse and see you after the break. All-Time All-Time. More Later....
More Later....I’m still working on the second set commentary from a few weeks back on that great High Time show @ Union Pool.....So More Later..... Tonight Dark Star Orchestra @ Bergen Pac in Englewood, NJ Trying for NO expectations - except well you know.....please no Blow Away & Mr. Fantasy - last electric show a few days ago was 4/7/91 so maybe we get lucky and get a 77-78 style or a good mix with all eras and styles. I’m in a good space and I think my wife is in a good mood so maybe I’ll love it no matter what. First time at the Venue ~1300 capacity - we are second row Mezzanine Center.
All 1970 style and fantastic Highlights Casey Jones, Til the Morning Comes, Dancin’ with Soulful Strut, the best non-Jerry Candyman possible & a spectacular Morning Dew. 70 minute first set - expect a barn burning second set Hoping for an Alligator>Caution
It was a representation of October 11th, 1970 from William Paterson College in Wayne, NJ - first Dead NJ show and my place of residence since 2012. Best non-Dead pre-verse Dark Star Jam ever. Sets were both only one hour and they added an Easy Wind encore. Great great concert - by far the best I’ve heard from DSO.
Capacity for Shea Auditorium @ William Paterson is 922. Last night 1368 I think @ Bergen Pac. I was imagining seeing The Dead @ Shea Auditorium. That must have been amazing.
I’ve seen a few jazz shows there over the years and it’s very intimate as it is a wide auditorium yet very shallow.
Great time at the Frost for JRAD once we got in. Unfortunately had issues with the line and missed the opening jam and most of Stranger. Got down pretty close Metzger side for set I and then moved back a bit for set II. Setlist below is just the basics as they haven’t posted the full tease laden version yet. There was a nice Jessica tease in Franklin’s and the CC Rider was done 1973 Aloha Elvis style, it was great. Someone mentioned the opening jam may have been Hooterroll but I didn’t hear a note of that so can’t confirm Highlights for me were basically the whole first set. The St Stephen > Miracle> Jack Straw was seamless. Loved that they did China > Rider and didn’t get cute with some “unique” pairing instead. Very nice to get Mission in the Rain. The whole Estimated>Mission>Cumberland sequence was well played. I liked the SOTM, it was just Tom singing it with minimal backing for 3/4 of the song. His voice sounded good, not great, but the crowd quickly shut up and it was so quiet in there. Beautiful moment. They tried something similar with Dew at the fox in November but the crowd was too chatty. It worked really well last night. Sax was a nice addition. He had some great moments on tenor and a killer soprano sax (or was that a clarinet?) jam in Cumberland. When CC Rider started up I said that it sounded like the Elvis arrangement and got a few funny looks. I pulled up the YouTube this morning and it was an exact cover of the 1973 Aloha live version! JRAD Frost Amphitheater Stanford, CA 2019-08-17 Set I - Jam > Feel Like A Stranger, St. Stephen > I Need A Miracle > Jack Straw, China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider Set II - Estimated Prophet > Mission In The Rain > Cumberland Blues > Viola Lee Blues > Franklin's Tower, Throwing Stones > Samson Jam > Throwing Stones, Standing On The Moon E// CC Rider* Entire show with Stuart Bogie on Saxophone/Flute/Clarinet/Crazy Three Level Harmonica Type Thing * with a trumpet player and a trombone player
Love it when they bust out Viola Lee Blues. Thanks for the report. Sounds like a corker. For the record, I openly embrace unique pairing for the usual suspects. I wish the GoGD had exercised more variation over the years. YMMV
I’m not usually one to complain about the unique pairings but sometimes you just need meat and potatoes!
Thanks for the review and the photos. It appears the Frost is now set up for a new life as a modern, yet super kind concert venue.
Bummer. Phil cancels four shows including Telluride Blues&Brews Festival https://www.jambase.com/article/phil-lesh-cancels-festival-appearances-back-surgery JRAD live stream from the rocks... https://www.jambase.com/article/joe-russos-almost-dead-red-rocks-live-stream-2019
Who's got the Red Rocks setlist? Bummed I missed it this year.... Edit: Joe Russo's Almost Dead Setlist at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison Set 1: Why Don't We Do It In The Road Foolish Heart Shakedown Street First Tube / Terrapin Jam Around and Around Wharf Rat Hell in a Bucket Set 2: Bird Song Feel Like a Stranger Cats Under the Stars Tell Me, Momma Mountain Song Jam I Know You Rider Encore: Brokedown Palace
I just discovered: Home - Steely Dead fronted by Dave Abear (formerly with Melvin and JGB). A couple of AUD/SBD matrix recordings were just upped to etree (though I haven't listened yet), and one is on LMA. As the name implies, a mix of Steely Dan and Grateful Dead. Good stuff to my ears. "Dealing in the Years" really works. Steely Dead 6/14/19 Live at The Fox Theatre Boulder CO : Steely Dead : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
I know there are a few Austin area folks posting in here and on the Grateful Thread. Is anyone else going to JRAD on Saturday (9/14) at ACL Live?
Was a good show overall. Picked up a ticket last minute for $20 that was dead center of the balcony row 3, so that was real nice. Good points and bad points about the band as a whole. Big win on the energy and setlist surprise fronts, but as good as the band is, it is all about propulsion with minimal emphasis on dynamics. It is all go go go, but there is no grit or soul anywhere to be found. Very much made me think early Trey plays the Dead. Much more neutered than the Dead, with all that missing pathos and testosterone replaced by sugar and jet fuel. They can get the you hippy chicks dancing for sure though, so points for that in any case. That Cassidy was stupendous. Austin Setlist: Set One: (7:30PM – 8:53PM) Jam > Black Throated Wind @ > The Festival # > Ruben & Cerise > St. Stephen > Rocky Mountain Way Jam $ > St. Stephen Reprise $$ > Dancing In The Streets %% > Mississippi Half Step Set Two: (9:17PM – 10:50PM) Alabama Getaway ^ > Shakedown Street & > I Need A Miracle * > Jam + > Cassidy %%, China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider > Not Fade Away @@ Encore: Waterloo Sunset ##, One More Saturday Night Notes: @ – With a Jack Straw “esque” Jam # – Not Played by Almost Dead since 2017-01-13 The Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, NY, a gap of 70 shows (Chuck Berry Cover, MB on lead Vox) $ – Instrumental incomplete version of a Joe Walsh Cover, first time played by Almost Dead $$ – With a “Peaches” (Presidents of the United States Of America) Tease (Band) % – With a “How Many More Times” (Led Zeppelin/Howling Wolf) Jam ^ – Not Played by Almost Dead since 2016-01-02 Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, NY, a gap of 146 shows & – Unfinished, with a King Solomon’s Tease (SM) and Miracle Teases (MB & TH) * – With a Saturday Night Tease (SM) + – With Jack Straw, China Cat and Cassidy Teases (Band) %% – With a Let It Grow Jam @@ – With an “I Want Candy” (Strangeloves) Jam ## – The Kinks cover, first time played by Almost Dead, JR lead vox
KDub, you're right, it was a minimal dynamics show. I'd like to hear them wring out some more soul on Morning Dew or a similar slower tempo number. I think the capacity is there for JRAD, but we didn't get that show for sure. That was my first time seeing them live and I've only heard 1/2 of their shows before this. I did enjoy it a great deal, I thought the set list was all over the place in a good way. I was thrilled to get "afterburner "show -- probably my mood as much as anything, but it suited me on Saturday night. Cassidy was fun, the China>Rider was great. BTW was a suprise for sure and I didn't expect to hear St Stephen. For me, just hearing Dead stuff live was a treat. I'm looking forward to hearing the Thur/Fri shows from Dallas and Houston now. For those of you who missed out, here's the link for the audio that's already up:
