Joe Russo’s Almost Dead kicked off Memorial Day weekend with their annual appearance at Asbury Park, NJ’s Stone Pony. Performing on the venue’s outdoor Summer Stage, the quintet marked the unofficial start of the season with some unexpected surprises.

The group, whose members all grew up in striking distance of the area, kicked things off with “Fire on the Mountain” and then segued into “Bertha,” before a brief pause. From there, they moved seamlessly from “Dark Hollow” into other familiar Dead-catalog material like “I Need a Miracle,” “Cassidy” and “The Eleven,” closing the sequence with The Allman Brothers Band’s “Hot ‘Lanta.” (Russo performed as a member of The Brothers last year and the group has sprinkled in some cuts from that veteran outfit’s songbook over the years, including when Oteil Burbridge subbed on bass.)

The musicians’ second set commenced with an extended sequence consisting of “The Wheel,” “Playing in the Band,” “They Love Each Other” and “Touch of Grey.” JRAD then made a full stop before “Jack Straw” and, soon after, invited RANA singer/keyboardist Matt Trowbridge, who currently lives in New Jersey and played keyboards in RANA alongside JRAD guitarist Scott Metzger, out for their first cover of Van Morrison’s “Caravan” since Aug 16. 2019. “Sugar Magnolia” and Eddie Cochran’s seasonally appropriate “Summertime Blues,” which had been on the shelf since they celebrated the equinox on June 21, 2024, closed the show.

JRAD will perform at New Haven’s Westville Music Bowl, where they held court during the pandemic with socially distanced shows, this evening. For more on the band, please read our recent interview with Marco Benevento.

Here’s a look at last night’s show via Setlist.fm

Friday, May 22, Stone Pony Summer Stage, Asbury Park, NJ

Set I:

Fire on the Mountain>

Bertha

Dark Hollow>

I Need a Miracle>

Cassidy>

The Eleven>

Hot ‘Lanta

Set 2:

The Wheel>

Playing in the Band>

They Love Each Other>

Touch of Grey

Jack Straw

Caravan (with Matt Trowbridge)

Sugar Magnolia

Summertime Blues