Photo Credit: Michael DiDonna

From April 23-25, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead will set off its highly-anticipated Spring Tour with a three-night series at Brooklyn Bowl Las Vegas. While expectations for the return to the stage were already high, the band has raised the stakes yet again by announcing that acclaimed saxophonist and composer Branford Marsalis will join as a very special guest on nights one and two. Tickets for the series are on sale now.

Marsalis’ history with JRAD dates back to 2023, when the artist joined the premier Grateful Dead cover ensemble at Fort Adams State Park for an unforgettable set at Newport Jazz Festival. While that first crossing was a product of fortunate happenstance, with Marsalis filling in for the originally announced Kamasi Washington, the titans of instrumental music united again on June 1 of last year for a staging at Morrison, Colo.’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre. These shows, and the upcoming Sin City stands, have given the celebrated saxophonist a chance to revisit the Grateful Dead’s legendary songbook after famously joining the band as a collaborator for five shows from 1990 to 1994.

After opening 2025 with a thrilling four-night residency at Port Chester, N.Y.’s Capitol Theatre and following that momentum to a three-night trek down the East Coast, JRAD’s three-of-a-kind Vegas run will commence a nine-stop Spring Tour. This opener will prime the group for a trip down to ACL Live at Austin, Texas’ Moody Center on May 1. A pair of dates at New Orleans’ The Fillmore will follow on May 2 and 3, and performances at Virginia Beach, Va.’s The Dome, Asbury Park, N.J.’s Stone Pony Summer Stage and New Haven, Conn.’s Westville Music Bowl on May 22-24 will send the band into the throes of festival season.

For more information on Joe Russo’s Almost Dead’s 2025 tour itinerary, visit joerussosalmostdead.com.