Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, a.k.a. JRAD, delivered two nights of its signature Grateful Dead covers and more this past weekend at New York City’s scenic Rooftop at Pier 17 location in South Street Seaport.

The supergroup, made up of Joe Russo (drums), Marco Benevento (keys), Scott Metzger (guitar), Dave Dreiwitz (bass) and Tom Hamilton (guitar), celebrated two sold out shows and their only announced NYC plays for the remainder of the year. With a view of the Brooklyn Bridge framing the background of the stage, one of New York City’s best venues was a feast for the eyes, and ears.

Friday night began with an opening selection of “China Cat Sunflower” which was followed by a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Tangled Up In Blue.” The rest of the opening set contained other Dead staples like “Me And My Uncle,” “Viola Lee Blues,” and “Alligator” before closing with “Franklin’s Tower.” The second set opened with a funked out version of “Shakedown Street.” JRAD also threw in a cover of Jerry Garcia’s “Cats Under the Stars” along with “Turn On Your Lovelight,” “Ramble on Rose” and “Big Railroad Blues.” To close out the evening, they treated the rooftop crowd to a cover of the Allman Brothers Band’s “Jessica.”

Opening up Saturday night with nearly 20 minutes of “Eyes of the World” paved the way for the tempo to kick up slightly as the band veered into Martha and the Vandellas’ “Dancin’ in the Streets.” Deep inside, an obscure tease of Marc Ribot’s “Aqui Coma Alla” and the previous night’s encore of “Jessica” surfaced, with “They Love Each Other” following up for the long Jerry Garcia Band song this set. The Jimmy Bryant-penned “Only Daddy That’ll Walk the Line,” made popular by Waylon Jennings, was the deepest cut of the night, if not the weekend, shifting into an emotional Tom Hamilton-led “Wharf Rat” before a thunderous “Playin’ in the Band” to close the set around 730 pm.

A setbreak full of Tom Petty songs (many from Wildflowers) bridged the two sets together nicely, with a slammin’ version of “Bertha” leading the way in Set 2, shortly after 8 pm. What could be considered a ‘fake out’ of “Greatest Story Ever Told” began with a clear intro to the Bob Weir song, before the surprising arrival of Shorty Long’s “Devil with a Blue Dress On” in the same fluid motion, before jumping into a proper “Greatest Story;” while not a mash-up, this sequence certainly had the crowd rapt with attention. “Reuben and Cherise” would follow as nightfall finally woke, slowly worked into by Hamilton as he narrated the New Orleans love story nicely into a jam, shifting into a Metzger-led “Minglewood Blues” that somehow ended up in Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love,” perhaps a nod to one-time supergroup Bustle in Your Hedgerow, featuring four-fifths of JRAD (Russo, Benevento, Metzger, Dreiwitz).

Another surprising cover, and the second Allman Brothers Band tune of the weekend was “No One to Run With” that had Metzger and Hamilton trading guitar licks back and forth ahead of “St. Stephen” and “One More Saturday Night” to close the show. An encore of “I Know You Rider” finished the “China Cat > Rider” sequence started on Friday night, the crowd amped with energy all throughout.

Joe Russo’s Almost Dead will next head to the Midwest for October shows in Milwaukee, Chicago and St. Paul for three shows, then shift west later that month for shows in Sacramento, Oakland and Los Angeles before Northeast shows resume in Pennsylvania in mid-November. Full info and tickets here.

Friday, September 12, 2025

Set 1: China Cat Sunflower, Tangled Up in Blue, Me and My Uncle, Viola Lee Blues, Alligator, Franklin’s Tower

Set 2: Shakedown Street, Lost Sailor, Saint of Circumstance, Cats Under the Stars, Feel Like a Stranger, Turn On Your Love Light, Ramble On Rose, Big Railroad Blues

Encore: Jessica

Saturday, September 13, 2025

Set 1: Eyes of the World, Dancing in the Street, They Love Each Other, Only Daddy That’ll Walk the Line, Wharf Rat, Playing in the Band

Set 2: Bertha > Devil With the Blue Dress, Greatest Story Ever Told, Rubin and Cherise, Minglewood Blues, No One to Run With, St. Stephen, One More Saturday Night

Encore: I Know You Rider