July 11, 2025 – I’ve been chasing The New Deal for over 20 years now. From divey basements to festival sunrises, I’ve seen them set the tone and melt minds in just about every incarnation. But what went down at Ardmore Music Hall this past weekend? That was something else entirely, a new yet welcome flavor added to an iconic band with some familiar faces.
Photos + Article by @a.j.kinney
The New Deal have been riding high with a new drummer, tapping into something ancient but recharged. With Joe Russo behind the drum kit, he doesn’t just play drums. He conjures. He commands. He listens like a hawk and hits like a thunderclap. The interplay between his deeply human rhythms and The New Deal’s Jamie Shields pulsating synthscapes is nothing short of alchemical.
Walking into Ardmore, you could feel it buzzing like static in the chest. Heads hugged, shoulders swayed, and the familiar scent of patchouli and endless possibilities hung in the air. When the lights dimmed and the trio launched in, the room snapped into motion like we were all riding the same wavelength. This was a welcome sight as rumors had been circulating that first set would only feature Jamie Shields on keys.
Without further ado the trio tore through grooves like time travelers on a mission. The jams were improvised, sure, but they felt fated; guided by some unseen compass only the three of them could read. Cuts from their new live album Sultan made their way into the set like gifts left on the doorstep of a future we forgot to believe in.
At one point, I swear it felt like the bassline was whispering secrets from the fifth dimension while Russo kept time for some intergalactic caravan headed straight through our frontal lobes. Side Quest: If you haven’t spun Sultan yet, do yourself a favor—it’s a straight-up transmission from the outer realms.
By the time the final notes echoed out, we were cleansed by kick drums and analog squelch. It was a night that felt both like a return and a leap forward. I was happy to see so many new and old faces, as usually is the case whenever I attend a show at Ardmore Music Hall.
And now, with Phish rolling into town this Tuesday and Wednesday, the show was the perfect opening chapter. The warm-up dream before the mainline trip. The kindling to a jam-heavy week that’s already burning bright.
