Joe Russo’s Almost Dead Welcome Alecia Chakour to Debut “Georgia (on My Mind)” in Atlanta

Photo Credit: Michael DiDonna

On Saturday, Feb. 10, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead closed out its Southeast run with a show at The Eastern in Atlanta. In this second of a two-night booking, the band tapped Alecia Chakour for four debut covers, including treatments of ZZ Top and Mavin Gaye, interspersed throughout the jam ensemble’s typical host of Grateful Dead standards and rarities. For Chakour, the up-and-coming vocalist known for collaborations with Lettuce, Gov’t Mule, Tedeschi Trucks Band and more, this was a hometown show, emphasized by a moving rendition of “Georgia (on My Mind).”

After kicking off its most recent run with a Feb. 8 engagement at The Fillmore in Charlotte, N.C.–which included a tribute to the 60th anniversary of The Beatles’ appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show–Joe Russo’s Almost Dead moved on to Atlanta to begin its two-night run at The Eastern. This show featured memorable covers of Bob Dylan’s “Maggie’s Farm” and “All Along the Watchtower,” following up on a treatment of “Tangled Up in Blue” from the night before.

On Saturday, the opened with Grateful Dead live standards like “My Brother Esau,” “Peggy-O,” “Shakedown Street” and “Truckin’,” which included a tease of “Born Cross-Eyed,” as well as Jerry Garcia’s “They Love Each Other.” To conclude the first set, the quintet welcomed Chakour to the stage for a live debut of Ike & Tina Turner’s soul-shaking 1966 ballad “River Deep – Mountain High,” followed by a collaborative rendition of “Good Lovin’,” the jitterbug doo-wop love call immortalized as the first track on the Grateful Dead’s Shakedown Street.

The ensemble continued into its second set with a medley of “Here Comes Sunshine,” “The Other One” and “St. Stephen,” leading into a debut cover of ZZ Top’s hard-funking 1973 blues cut “Waitin’ for the Bus,” completed by a tease of the trio’s iconic “Jesus Just Left Chicago.” After closing the second set with “Candyman” and “Let it Grow,” Joe Russo’s Almost Dead returned to the stage alongside Chakour for a two song encore. First, the combination saluted their hosts with JRAD’s debut cover of the official state song “Georgia (on My Mind),” before finally concluding with a live debut of Marvin Gaye’s “Baby Don’t You Do It,” which underscored the evening’s theme of 60’s R&B and its relation to the jam sound.

Fans eager to experience Joe Russo’s Almost Dead’s Southern sets can stream all three concerts on nugs.net. The band will take the stage next at Texas Eclipse on April 8, followed by a three-night run at The Fillmore in New Orleans on May 2-4. For tickets and a complete list of upcoming performances, visit joerussosalmostdead.com.

Read on for the complete setlists from Feb. 9 and 10.

Joe Russo’s Almost Dead

The Eastern – Atlanta

2/9/24

Set I: Tennessee Jed, Man Smart, Woman Smarter* > China Cat Sunflower > Cats Under the Stars > Maggie’s Farm#, Viola Lee Blues^

Set II: Foolish Heart > Minglewood Blues^, It Hurts Me Too%, Rubin and Cherise, Eyes of the World& > All Along the Watchtower#

Encore: Stella Blue

Notes:

* King Radio cover

# Bob Dylan cover

^ Cannon’s Jug Stompers cover

% Tampa Red cover

& w/ ‘73 changes

Joe Russo’s Almost Dead

The Eastern – Atlanta

2/10/24

Set I: My Brother Esau > Peggy-O, Truckin’#, Shakedown Street > They Love Each Other > River Deep – Mountain High*^ > Good Lovin’*%

Set II: Here Comes Sunshine > The Other One > St. Stephen > Waitin’ for the Bus$ > Candyman > Let It Grow

Encore: Georgia (on My Mind)*!, Baby Don’t You Do It*+

Notes:

# w/ “Born Cross-Eyed” tease

* w/ vocals from Alecia Chakour

^ Debut cover of Ike & Tina Turner’s “River Deep – Mountain High”

% The Olympics cover

$ Debut cover of ZZ Top’s “Waitin’ for the Bus,” w/ “Jesus Just Left Chicago” tease

! Debut cover of Hoady Carmichael and His Orchestra’s “Georgia (on My Mind)”

+ Debut cover of Marvin Gaye’s “Baby Don’t You Do It”