Joe Russo’s Almost Dead to help kick off summer music at The Amp June 1-2

The summer schedule is starting to take shape at the iconic Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater in Vail with the announcement of Joe Russo’s “Almost Dead” scheduled to perform two shows June 1-2. The American rock band formed in 2013 and mainly covers the music of the Grateful Dead and will perform at The Amp less than a year after the legendary Phil Lesh and Friends performed at the same venue.

“JRAD’s pumped-up take explores the extremes of tempo and dynamics with muscular shredding, eerily quiet eddies and telepathic turn-on-a-dime switchbacks,” writes The New York Times. “Subtle and flagrant allusions to non-Dead songs pepper their shows. They play Bob Dylan songs the Dead didn’t cover, and long-familiar Dead song pairings are either jettisoned or take unexpected twists.”

Tickets for Joe Russo’s Almost Dead performances at The Amp go on sale 11a.m. Dec. 17. Lawn tickets cost $50; reserved pavilion tickets cost $65-$75. (Pricing does not include service fees.) The band is performing in Vail at 6:30 p.m. the evenings of Wednesday, June 1, and Thursday, June 2. Gates will open at 5:30 p.m. Visit grfavail.com for more information and tickets.

In addition to drummer Joe Russo, the band also includes Ween’s bassist Dave Dreiwitz, keyboardist Marco Benevento, Scott Metzger on guitar and vocals, and Tom Hamilton of Brothers Past and American Babies on guitar and vocals.

The Amp continues to be a popular venue for Grateful Dead and tribute bands to the iconic group. Bob Weir and the Wolf Pack played in Vail less than a year ago, and Tom Hamilton performed two sold-out shows with the Jerry Garcia Band in 2018.

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Joe Russo’s Almost Dead will perform three shows in the state of Colorado – two here at the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater and one night at Red Rocks.

“In a world where everything is changing, it’s reassuring to hear the music you grew up with,” Peter Shapiro, who produced the Grateful Dead’s 50th anniversary reunion in 2015, told The New York Times. “And when you add a new kind of kerosene to the fire – like Joe and the guys do – it goes to the next level and keeps people chasing it.”

For more information visit grfavail.com.