Joe Russo’s Almost Dead continued their March run on Saturday with the first of two in the State Theatre in Portland, Maine. The five-piece act dug up a pair of songs of who have sat unplayed delivering takes on “My Brother Esau” and Bob Dylan’s “Silvio. ”

Drummer Joe Russo, keyboardist Marco Benevento, bassist Dave Dreiwitz and guitarists Scott Metzger and Tom Hamilton got their night in The Pine State going with the seamless pairing of “Beat It On Down The Line” and a turbo-charged take on “Cumberland Blues. ” The quartet then found latter-day Grateful Dead chestnut “My Brother Esau,” which had been sitting on the shelf since March 2017. Hamilton led the band through “They Love Each Other” that would crash into “Casey Jones. ” The Rascals 1966 #1 hit “Good Lovin’” came ahead of a set-closing take on “Uncle John’s Band. ”

A gorgeous jam sequence helped open the second frame of the night as JRAD would wind its way into an expansive take on “Here Comes Sunshine. ” The Wake Of The Flood jam-vehicle unfolded over the course of the next 20-minutes. Metzger stepped up next for the traditional pairing of “Lost Sailor” and “Saint Of Circumstance. ” A tender “Bird Song” followed as the band worked in a jam on Led Zeppelin’s “How Many More Times” in its midst. The second surprise of the night followed with the return of “Silvio. ” The song from Dylan’s 1988 release Down In The Groove was last attempted on March 15, 2018, with a spirited “I Know You Rider” bringing the set to an end.

Benevento took the stage solo to start the encore as he delivered a standout solo piano piece. The rest of the band emerged with Marco singing lead on Dr. John’s “Such A Night. ” Joe Russo’s Almost Dead closed out their first of two at the historic State Theatre with “Touch Of Grey. ”

Watch pro-shot video of the opening songs from each set courtesy of nugs.tv below:

Beat It On Down The Line > Cumberland Blues

Here Come Sunshine

Setlist

Joe Russo’s Almost Dead at State Theatre

Mar 2, 2019Portland, ME

Set 1Beat It On Down the Line  Cumberland Blues  My Brother Esau  They Love Each Other  Casey Jones  Good Lovin’  Uncle John’s Band  Set 2Here Comes Sunshine  Lost Sailor  Saint of Circumstance  Bird Song  How Many More Times  Bird Song  Silvio  I Know You Rider  EncorePiano Solo  Such a Night  Touch of Grey  

Setlist info via setlist.fm.

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