On Saturday evening, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead delivered the second of three socially distanced shows at New Haven, CT’s Westville Music Bowl. Once again, the performance was streamed via FANS.live, and tonight’s gig will appear on FANS as well. These dates have marked the quintet’s first gigs before a live audience since their three night Capitol Theatre run in February 2020.

The show opened with “Silvio,” the Bob Dylan song co-authored by Robert Hunter, offering another nod to Dylan’s 80th birthday (on May 24), following Friday’s version of “When I Paint My Masterpiece.” The second frame also began with a non-Grateful Dead tune, a version of Dr. John’s “Such A Night.” The remainder of the set was a fully-segued passage that began with “Cream Puff War” and also contained “Truckin” a “New Speedway Boogie” jam,  “Truckin’ Reprise,” “St. Stephen,” “Tough Mama” and “I Know You Rider.” JRAD had last performed the “Speedway” jam on 8/31/17 and “Truckin’ Reprise” on 7/19/18.  The encore was “On The Road Again” (the traditional song, not the Willie Nelson tune), which the group last played on 12/29/16.

The Westville Music Bowl run concludes tonight and then JRAD will return to the venue for three shows on June 18-20.

Westville Music Bowl New Haven, CT

Set One: Silvio  > Bertha, Me & My Uncle > Shakedown Street @, Black Peter # > Music Never Stopped

Set Two: Such A Night, Cream Puff War > Truckin $ > New Speedway Jam % > Truckin Reprise ^ > St. Stephen & > Tough Mama > I Know You Rider

Enc: On The Road Again *

@ With Let It Grow Teases (Band)

# Not played by Almost Dead since 2018-07-19, Celebrate Brooklyn Festival, Prospect Park, Brooklyn, NY, a gap of 44 shows

$ With a Cryptical Tease (TH)

% Not played by Almost Dead since 2017-08-31 Red Rocks Park & Amphitheater, Morrison, CO, a gap of 101 shows. “One Way or Another…” lyrics were sung.

^ Not played by Almost Dead since 2018-07-19, Celebrate Brooklyn Festival, Prospect Park, Brooklyn, NY, a gap of 44 shows

& With Not Fade Away and Good Times Bad Times Teases (JR) and a Caution-esque Jam

* Not played by Almost Dead since 2016-12-29 Brooklyn Bowl, Brooklyn, NY, a gap of 127 shows