_Photo by Adam McCullough via Joe Russo’s Almost Dead’s Facebook Page_

Joe Russo’s Almost Dead played a two-night, sold-out stand at NOLA’s Mardi Gras World Ballroom over May 4 and 5, welcoming guests like Katie Jacoby and Cage Elephant guitarist Nick Bockrath.

JRAD stayed loose on night one, opening with a freeform jam that bled into “Man Smart, Woman Smarter,” “Help On The Way,” “Slipknot!” (containing elements of “Foam” by Phish and “Terrapin Station” and the Allman Brothers’ “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed“), “Scarlet Begonias,” “I Know You Rider,” and a set closing “I Need A Miracle.”

In the second half, the band was just as jammy, opening with a keyboard solo by Marco Benevento. Later violinist Katie Jacoby added some strings to “The Eleven” and “Feel Like A Stranger” before a rousing “Morning Dew.” The band encored with “Bertha.”

JRAD’s second sold-out show in New Orleans featured a “Casey Jones”> “Let It Grow” opener; the latter featured elements of Led Zeppelin’s a “Ten Years Gone.”

And after a five-song set one, set two included a comprehensive “Big River”/“Cumberland Blues” jam, wherein both songs twisted in and out of one another several times.

The encore was bolstered by Bockrath’s surprise appearance. The guitarist sang lead vocals on “Going Down The Road Feeling Bad,” and added extra instrumentation to “Franklin’s Tower.”

Check out full setlists from both shows below:

Joe Russo’s Almost Dead
May 4, 2018
Mardi Gras World Ballroom
New Orleans

Set I: Jam -> Man Smart, Woman Smarter [] >
Help On The Way -> Slipknot!++ -> Scarlet Begonias $ -> Jam % -> I Know You Rider > I Need A Miracle

Set II: Marco Solo > Yazoo Street Scandal ^ -> Jam & ->
Tennessee Jed [][] > Playing In The Band + -> Jam + ->
The Eleven + -> Feel Like A Stranger + ==, Morning Dew &&

Enc: Bertha

Notes:
[] – With an Iko Iko Tease/Jam (SM)
++ – With elements of “Foam” (Phish) and Terrapin Station & an “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed“ (The Allman Brothers) Jam
$ – With multiple Terrapin Station Teases (SM, then MB, then TH)
% – With a Terrapin Station Tease (Band)
^ – Bob Dylan & The Band Cover, 2nd Time Played by Almost Dead, MB on Vox
& – With a “Good Lovin’” (The Rascals) Tease
[][] – With a “Revelry” (Traditional) Tease (SM) & another Marco Solo
+ – With Katie Jacoby (KJ) on Violin
&& – With a “Swingtown” (Steve Miller Band) Tease (KJ), and a “Come Together” (The Beatles) Tease (KJ)
== – With a “Here Comes the Hotstepper” (Ini Kamoze) Tease (KJ)
$$ – With a “Baba O’Riley” (The Who) Tease (MB)

Joe Russo’s Almost Dead
May 5, 2018
Mardi Gras World Ballroom
New Orleans

Set I: Casey Jones > Let It Grow [] -> Jam ++ -> Bird Song $ -> Greatest Story Ever Told > Dancing In The Streets >

Set II: Foolish Heart % -> New Minglewood Blues ^ -> Jam -> China Cat Sunflower & -> Tell Me Mama -> Cumberland Blues Jam [][] -> Big River Jam I + -> Cumberland Blues -> Big River Jam II + -> Cumberland Blues -> Big River Refrain I + -> Cumberland Blues -> Big River Refrain + II -> Cumberland Blues Reprise Candy Man == > Music Never Stopped

Enc: Going Down The Road Feeling Bad $$ %% -> Franklin’s Tower $$

Notes:
[] – With a “Ten Years Gone” (Led Zeppelin) Tease (Band)
++ – With elements of “My Favorite Things” (Rodgers and Hammerstein) and Teases of Let It Grow & Bird Song
$ – With a Marco Solo & a Duo Jam
% – With China->Rider Transition Teases (MB & TH)
^ – With a Throwing Stones Tease (TH)
& – With a Let It Grow (I think) Tease (TH)
[][] – With a Marco Solo, first time Cumberland has appeared as a Jam. Basically they started Cumberland, it morphed into a Marco Solo, which became a Big River Jam & then they sung the lyrics of Cumberland.
+ – Partial Instrumental & Refrain versions of a Johnny Cash Cover, First time Played in this style () by Almost Dead
&& – Not Played By Almost Dead since 2017-10-06 Brooklyn Bowl, Brooklyn, NY, a gap of 29 shows
== – With a “Revelry” (Traditional) Tease (SM)
$$ – With Nick Bockrath (Cage the Elephant)
%% – Without the traditional instrumental We Bid You Goodnight ending. It segued directly into Franklin’s