I saw my first GD show in 1980 and have been a Deadhead ever since. Since Jerry's death, I've seen scores of live shows by former members of the Dead and any number of cover bands. But, when I got home, the only recordings I'd listen to are those by the original - UNTIL NOW!

Not only is JRAD's playing as good and more consistent than the original, their interpretations breathe new life into the catalog. For example, if I saw this setlist on a 1989 Dead show, I won't dream of listening to it. And yet, JRAD manages to play these songs with an unrelenting creative intensity that would have made Jerry stand up and take notice.

I've enjoyed my fair share of JRAD shows but this one stands out for me as the first show where I cased comparing them to the GD and just enjoyed them as a jam band in their own right.

Well done boys! And thank you.

After 25 years of musicians rising to levels where they can competently play Grateful Dead music “without” Jerry Garcia being physically present, a band has arrived who is taking the music to new heights…breathing new life into songs and sounds that define so many of our lives. The band? Joe Russo’s Almost Dead. These guys really tear this music wide open and fertilize it with magic and light. This show does not disappoint. Wowza boys. JRAD is the most exciting post Garcia GD band I've experienced. They've really upped the ante on spontaneity and danger which makes the music feel to me the way it felt when i first got into Grateful Dead in 1984. JRAD is the Truth. The Lazy Lightning really showed me who's boss. Every note of this show is more beautiful than the next.