JRAD Overwhelm Paradise Again

We heard a while ago that JRAD were booked for the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving, but wondered if we'd be able to make the Friday one and so just got tickets to the Saturday one.  As it turned out, we weren't able to go to Ithaca for Thanksgiving and so could have made the 11/27 concert, but by the time we realized this they were both sold out.

So on Saturday 11/28 we drove down to Brighton for a meal at the Sunset Cantina, then went across the street to a madhouse of a Paradise Rock Club.  The doors had just opened but the place was already busily filling in.  If you like good rock, and especially Grateful Dead music, you have to hear these guys.

We were at stage right and I won't belabor things ... I'll keep this short.  But as I've said, Joe Russo is one of the most talented drummers I've ever heard and is spectacular, as are Marco Benevento and the rest of the band.  Dave Driewitz in particular was excellent last night.  Here's another inside-out set list ... inside out for a traditional GD set that is, but not for them, they bring so much to this music it's incredible.  This the "OCD setlist" from their Facebook page:

Set 1 (9:31pm - 10:55pm ish)
Bertha (TH) >
Throwing Stones @ (SM) >
Black Peter (TH) ->
Estimated Prophet # (SM) ->
The Weight $ (see notes) >
Scarlet Begonias % (TH) ->
Fire On The Mountain % (TH)

Set 2 (11:22pm - 12:53am ish)
Jam ->
Here Comes Sunshine ^ (TH) ->
Feel Like A Stranger & (SM) >
Help On The Way (TH) ->
Slipknot ->
Jack A Roe (TH) ->
Cumberland Blues & (All)
One More Sat Night (SM)

E: Shakedown St * (TH)

@ MB def jammed on a very familiar theme in this one, but I can’t ID it yet
# With Shakedown Street Teases (Band)
$ First Time Played, The Band original. TH sung verse 1, SM sung verse 2, MB sung verse 3, JR sung verse 4 & All sung verse 5 & the choruses.
% With a China->Rider Transition Tease during the transition b/t Scarlet->Fire
& With a Duo Jam
* With Feel Like A Stranger Jams from MB & then TH

This was spectacular!  Here are a couple of notes:

• Probably the highlights of the night for me were Black Peter and Here Comes Sunshine, two of my favorite Dead songs.  In both cases they got at the deep soul in the song and played parts of it that have always echoed in my head but are rarely brought to the surface.
• Slipknot! into Jack A Roe was totally unexpected and a real treat.
• Joe wasn't wearing shoes!?!  He had on colorful socks but how can you hammer the kick drum and high hat like that without shoes?
• There was the usual dentist convention on the sidewalk at 1AM when we left.  Kind of bizarre!  Oh well.

Pictures here!