Tedeschi Trucks Band is in the middle of a summer through fall tour called Deuces Wild. They made a stop at the scenic, outdoor Greek Theatre in Los Angeles on June 9, 2024, and put on an impressive show with multiple guests, thoughtfully selected songs, and a variety of fascinating covers. In addition to the usual outstanding performance by their leaders, Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi, the show featured marvelous efforts by their talented supporting musicians. Little Feat opened the show and joined Tedeschi Trucks Band to conclude the night of impressive soul, rock, and blues.
Little Feat has been doing its thing for nearly 50 years. While there have been untimely deaths and major turnover in their lineup, longtime members, keyboardist Bill Payne, bassist Kenny Gradney, percussionist Sam Clayton, and multi-instrumentalist Fred Tackett are still the nucleus of the band. Lead guitarist and vocalist Scott Sherrard, from Greg Allman’s band, has been a permanent member since 2019. His impressive slide guitar and solid singing added an appealing element to the band’s sound. Drummer Tony Leone held down the beats and contributed smooth harmonies.
The band did a fine set that included crowd favorites “Time Loves a Hero,” “Spanish Moon,” and “Dixie Chicken.” Sherrard and Payne handled most of the lyrics but both Leone and Tackett offered tasteful harmonies. Payne, Tackett, and Sherrard played imaginative solos during each song. The band also threw in inspired covers of the Bobby Charles’ penned and Muddy Waters recorded “Why Are People Like That.” They wrapped up the show with a raucous “Feats Don’t Fail Me Now” that included a fun “roll” chant and response between the audience and the band.
It is hard to come up with new superlatives to describe Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks. They got married in 2001, formed their first band together called Soul Stew Revival in 2008, and rebranded as Tedeschi Trucks Band in 2010. Each is a world-class musician – Tedeschi, with her powerful, soulful vocals and serious blues guitar chops; Trucks has established himself as one of the best guitarists in the world and certainly at the top among slide players. Together, they lead a twelve-piece band that is so talented that each member could be the star of their own group.
Fans would be thrilled to see just the couple perform songs together on stage. That they share the spotlight with their supporting cast and invite like-minded, famous friends to sit in with them only enhances the live experience. At The Greek, the band took full advantage of their Los Angeles surroundings. Under a waxing crescent moon on a lovely but chilly evening, they opened with a five-song sequence from their ambitious quadruple album I Am The Moon, released over successive full moons in 2022. The sequence demonstrated the versatility of the group, allowing every member to make key contributions.
Tedeschi crooned “Hear My Dear,” accompanied by Trucks’ wailing guitar. Backing vocalist Mike Mattison (who used to be the lead singer in Derek Trucks Band) took over on vocals with a heavily soul-driven “Fall In.” Keyboardist Gabe Dixon sang a powerful duet with Tedeschi on the “I Am The Moon” title track before saxophone player Kebbi Williams played a complex, jazz-infused solo. He was joined by Ephraim Owens’ trumpet and Elizabeth Lea’s trombone for an impromptu, improvisational section. The horns and backup singers departed as Trucks went on an intense, compelling solo slide journey that led into a wild version of the instrumental “Pasaquan.” The song wove through varied tempos as Trucks, Dixon, drummer Tyler Greenwell, and percussionist Isaac Eady took successive solos. The song achieved what seemed to be an impossibly rapid crescendo before finishing to explosive applause.
The band always knows when to dial it back, and they did that with an initially slower blues showcase for Tedeschi. She led the way with incredibly soulful vocals and lead guitar on one of her old solo tracks called “Just Won’t Burn.” The tempo picked up as she dialed in a fine, finger-picking solo accompanied by the synchronized horns. Backing vocalist Alecia Chakour came out front to do an impressively passionate duet with Tedeschi during “Part of Me.” The band revealed some of their musical influences and famous friends throughout the rest of the show.
Sonny Boy Williamson’s “Bring It On Home” started out in the original, slow blues style but eventually transitioned into the faster Led Zeppelin version, with Trucks blasting out the familiar riff. Tedeschi introduced the first guest, Los Lobos’ guitarist and LA resident Cesar Rosas, who helped with Elmore James’ “The Sky Is Crying.” Rosas stood at center stage while playing an impressive, distorted solo, eventually giving way to both Trucks and Tedeschi.
The next guest was another LA resident, former TTB bass player Tim Lefebvre. Lefebvre parted ways with the band in 2018 but stepped in as if he never left. He played on “Bound For Glory,” which included an incredible Trucks slide progression that led to a creative duet with Lefebvre. He stayed for a crowd-pleasing cover of Aretha Franklin’s slow, sultry “It Ain’t Fair.” Chakour strikingly belted out the lyrics as members of the audience hooted, hollered, and applauded. Lefebvre delivered the slow bass line as Chakour alternated vocal intonations with Trucks’ guitar notes.
David Hidalgo, the other Los Lobos guitar master, joined Lefebvre and the rest of the band for Blind Faith’s “Had To Cry Today.” Both Dixon and Tedeschi sang the verses while Hidalgo played a fiery solo, eventually nodding to Trucks, who joined him for an alternating and complementary lead guitar assault. The guests left, and the band finished up with Tedeschi singing a heartfelt version of Wet Willie’s “Keep On Smilin’.” That segued into their peppy “I Want More” with a scalding, finger-picking, reverb-enhanced solo by Trucks. The drummers did a progressively frantic duet before Trucks launched into the familiar notes of “Beck’s Bolero” as a tribute to the recently departed guitar icon, Jeff Beck.
As the band members left the stage and curfew approached, the crowd worried that the house lights would come on without an encore. A few tense moments later, only Tedeschi and Dixon came out to subdued stage lighting and loud applause. With Dixon playing piano, Tedeschi belted out the Mike Reid ballad “I Can’t Make You Love Me,” made famous by Bonnie Raitt. Tedeschi sang beautifully for the rapt audience, who went wild at the end of the song.
The rest of the band came back out as Tedeschi thanked everyone for coming before she invited Little Feat’s Bill Payne, Kenny Gradney, Sam Clayton, and Fred Tackett to join them. She said, “It’s been such a pleasure touring with these guys. They are real musicians’ musicians.” The combined band played a two-song sequence starting with Sleepy John Estes’ “Leaving Trunk” and finishing with Rahsaan Roland Kirk’s “Volunteered Slavery,” both of which were frequently performed over the years by Derek Trucks Band. Mattison handled lead vocals on “Leaving Trunk,” with Payne playing an organ solo followed by solos from Tackett, Tedeschi and a wacky, muted trombone solo by Elizabeth Lea. Of course, Trucks pulled it all together with a monumental slide solo that segued into “Volunteered Slavery,” with all the vocalists harmonizing for a massive, fast-paced finale.
The Greek Theatre concert showed that Tedeschi Trucks Band is firing on all cylinders, and their large ensemble continues to put on breathtaking, memorable performances.
Live photos courtesy of Andy J. Gordon ©2024.
