LIVE REVIEW: JRAD AT STATE THEATER ON 3/2/19 – PORTLAND, MAINE

Photos By: Jennie Walker

Venue: State Theater

Location: Portland, Maine

Joe Russo’s Almost Dead is Certain Full of Life Two fully sold-out nights at Portland, Maine’s historic State Theater – but could you expect anything less from a hit filled cover band with an unstoppable drummer such as Joe Russo? I’ll be the first to admit that while I enjoy The Dead’s music, I can’t identify all of their songs on command nor do I know every word by heart. Yet in this crowd of 1900, it felt like I was one of the very few who wasn’t singing every note. The audience stretched high into the top of the balcony, flooding into the aisles as people danced their heart out and mouthed the lyrics to people they never met. It was all about the spirit of the music, and the spirit was certainly there. The transition from the lowkey “They Love Each Other” into the increasingly rhythmic “Casey Jones” was a standout moment for me. Two of my favorites were being played back to back, allowing me to join the timeless singalong with a group of people who lived to exist in that one moment.

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