Joe Russo's Almost Dead Band Review

Joe Russo's Almost Dead Live Poster

Joe Russo's Almost Dead played at one our favorite venues, Penns Peak, Thursday night to a packed audience. For fans of the Grateful Dead and their music, Joe Russo and his band are known for covering the music of the Dead since JRAD formed in January of 2013. They are appreciated for putting a particular spin on what is already an eclectic genre of music doing it in a way that makes it feel fresh and provides a party-like atmosphere. Russo is the band's drummer, also known for his work with Further (Formed by Grateful Dead members Bob Weir and Phil Lesh in 2009) and The Duo (Benevento/Russo Duo).

JRAD features Joe Russo (drums), Marco Benevento (keyboardist), Dave Dreiwitz (bassist), Scott Metzger (guitar and vocals) and Tom Hamilton (guitar and vocals).

Thursday's show had the usual Deadhead crowd with their tie-dye and twirling dance style, tents with vendors in the parking lot and a lot of smiling faces. The setlist for Thursday's show included:

Set 1:

I Second That Emotion (Smokey Robinson & The Miracles cover)

Scarlet Begonias (Grateful Dead cover)

Six Days on the Road (Paul Davis cover)

I Need a Miracle (Grateful Dead cover)

Tennessee Jed (Grateful Dead cover)

Let It Grow (Grateful Dead cover)

Set 2:

Touch of Grey (Grateful Dead cover)

Truckin' (Grateful Dead cover)

Hell in a Bucket (Grateful Dead cover)

Help on the Way (Grateful Dead cover)

Slipknot! (Grateful Dead cover)

Brown-Eyed Women (Grateful Dead cover)

Stella Blue (Grateful Dead cover)

Encore:

Going Down the Road Feeling Bad (Grateful Dead cover)

Joe Russo's Almost Dead Penns Peak

If you're familiar with the Grateful Dead or many alternative jam bands today, you already know that there's no such thing as a three-minute radio cut for their songs. Many of the songs from Thursday night were several minutes long with Russo's particular take or adaptation of the classic songs. Some of the performance felt like JRAD was taking a particular song and playing it just a little bit faster or more festive than the original, the crowd loved every minute.

Standout songs from Thursday's show that proved to be crowd favorites included I Need a Miracle (Which included the fans singing along), Brown-eyed Woman and a particularly lively and fun take on Tennessee Jed.

Penn's Peak is an outstanding venue to watch a show. It was originally built in 1998 by a local country musician by the name of Tommy Schafer who called it Rambler's Ranch. It was built to be a venue hall and restaurant for country music fans. It was then acquired and rebranded by Pencor Services, Inc. in 2003. They renovated it to include a gift shop and two additional luxury suites. The venue name was changed to Penn's Peak, with the restaurant becoming what is known as Roadies Restaurant and Bar. The location at 325 Maury Road in Jim Thorpe, PA has hosted many national acts including but not limited to:

Billy Ray Cyrus, Howie Mandel, Lee Brice, Chris Janson, Warrant, Gary Allan, Firehouse, Brad Paisley, Josh Turner, Flogging Molly, Ted Nugent, Trace Adkins, Nick Carter, Buckcherry, Rodney Atkins, Chris Cagle, Andrew Dice Clay, Clint Black, Three Dog Night, Grace Potter, Travis Tritt, Randy Houser, moe., Dokken, Donny Osmond, Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley, B-52's, Kansas, Tanya Tucker, The Pretenders, and America. Additionally, it is renowned for hosting many tribute bands that emulate national artists like Led Zeppelin, the Doors, Beatles, Queen, Foreigner and Fleetwood Mac to name a few.

Penn's Peak Joe Russo's Almost Dead Audience

Check out Joe Russo's Almost Dead on their official website: Joe Russo's Almost Dead | Official Site

Check out Penn's Peak here: Penn's Peak | The Lehigh Valley & Pocono Mountains premier entertainment venue.

Upcoming shows for Penns Peak include:

Hollywood Nights - The Bob Seger Experience - November 21st

Livewire - the Ultimate AC/DC Experience - November 22nd

An Evening with Dark Star Orchestra - November 26th

Dreams Come True Presents Comedy Night: Wise Crackers Comedy Group - November 29th

Ryan Pelton- An Elvis Christmas Show - December 6th

Mark Farner's American Band with special guest, Sweet - December 12th

Rocky Mountain Christmas starring Jim Curry performing the music of John Denver & Holiday Favorites - December 13th

The Ultimate Doors - December 20th

The Machine Performs Pink Floyd - December 27th