Photo by Dino Perrucci

Joe Russo’s Almost Dead kicked off 2024 with their annual run of shows at Port Chester, NY’s Capitol Theatre last night. The band opened with a take on Bob Dylan’s “Tangled up in Blue” and dotted their setlist with numerous cover surprises.

Partway through the band’s first set, Russo and his bandmates busted out the Grateful Dead’s Terrapin Station tune “Passenger” for the first time since Dec. 30, 2016. It was only the second time JRAD has covered the track, which the Dead themselves only played in the ’70s and early ’80s. Then, during their second set, JRAD debuted an unexpected take on Screaming Trees’ “Nearly Lost You” and closed the segment out with their first rendition of The Rolling Stones’ Some Girls track “Shattered.” Of note, JRAD also played Johnny Cash’s “Big River” the same night Bob Weir & Wolf Bros played the country tune with Sturgill Simpson in Mexico at Dead Ahead.

JRAD will return to the Cap this evening.