Tedeschi Trucks Band has brought back their sprawling Wheels of Soul road show after taking a timeout during the pandemic. Their tour stop at The Greek Theatre in Los Angeles on August 19, 2022, included impressive opening sets by keyboardist Gabe Dixon (also a member of TTB) and longtime friends of the band, Los Lobos. The night of glorious soul, rock, and blues included guest sit-ins, powerful new music, and exceptional performances.
Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks established their reputations as world-class musicians many years ago. Their live shows could easily focus on just the two of them and their fans would be thrilled. However, both brilliant artists have always recognized the power of collaboration and since forming their band, have graciously shared the spotlight with bandmates and similarly minded artists. The show at The Greek solidified the married couple’s brilliance as musicians while sticking to the spirit of the Wheels of Soul – a longstanding, shared love of soul music, performed by a large group of exceptional artists.
Much has been written about Tedeschi Truck Band’s ambitious new four-part album series called I Am The Moon. The first three parts have already been released and the fourth is due this week (August 26th). The band devoted nearly half of the Greek set list to the new material. That would typically be a risky proposition, however, the crowd at the Greek, filled with Allman Brothers Band t-shirt-wearing devotees, retro-hippies, and a mix of boomers, Gen Xers, and millennials seemed to know the new material from the opening notes. It certainly helped that the first three parts of I Am The Moon was available through streaming services prior to the show. Their applause, hoots, and hollers were just as loud for the new songs as for the older, popular ones.
They opened the set with “Hear My Dear,” “Fall In” and “I Am The Moon,” songs from Crescent, the first of the four-part series. “Fall In” had a particularly soulful, lead vocal performance by Mike Mattison. Another new song called “Soul Sweet Song” is from the forthcoming “Farewell.” It was written by keyboardist Gabe Dixon and inspired by Kofi Burbridge, the band’s former keyboardist who died in 2019. While Tedeschi sang lead, there were lots of sweet harmonizing by Dixon, Alecia Chakour, Mark Rivers, and Mattison. Elizabeth Lea (trombone), Kebbi Williams (saxophone), Ephraim Owens (trumpet), and Steve Berlin (baritone sax from Los Lobos) filled the song with a beautiful arrangement and Trucks played a dazzling slide guitar solo. Berlin played with the band for the entire show.
Trucks were on fire all night at the Greek. The tour de force came with yet another new song that is sure to go down as one of their classics. It is a highly explosive instrumental called “Pasaquan” from Crescent. All of the horns, backup singers, and Tedeschi left the stage, so the remaining group was reminiscent of the lineup and style employed by the Derek Trucks Band that existed until 2010. The new song touched on southern rock, blues, Indian, afro-beat, and fusion, all the while allowing Trucks to go off on a slide guitar adventure. Dixon also played a rollicking organ solo before percussionists Tyler Greenwell, Isaac Eady, and Los Lobos’ Alfredo Ortiz went on a rhythm romp.
Trucks deserved the riotous applause that he got for that performance, but Tedeschi also got lots of love from the audience during the show. Her showcase segments came on covers of Blind Joe Reynolds’ “Outside Woman Blues” and Bobby Blue Bland’s “I Pity The Fool.” Tedeschi belted out the lyrics of both songs with passion and power. During “Outside Woman Blues” she also played an old-style, blues guitar solo that was an exceptional counterpoint to Trucks’ slide solo. While she was enthusiastically singing “I Pity The Fool,” the audience really roared, shouting encouragement and offering a standing ovation when the song ended.
“Midnight in Harlem,” one of the band’s most beloved songs, demonstrated Tedeschi, Trucks’ and the entire band’s brilliance. The slow slide guitar intro by Trucks built up to the familiar melody as Tedeschi serenaded the audience. The horns magnificently filled the sound and the backup singers harmonized sweetly with Tedeschi. It all culminated with a slowly building slide solo by Trucks.
One last new song kicked off the encore in a big way. “So Long Savior,” from “Ascension,” the second part of the new material, was a rapid blues romp sung by Tedeschi. Drummer Eady switched to guitar and Gabe Dixon’s solo band drummer took over Eady’s kit. The song had a southern juke joint sound that had the crowd up and dancing in the aisles. It included another wildly entertaining slide guitar solo by Trucks.
All of the elements of their magnificent performance were wrapped up in the show closing “Bound For Glory.” Trucks’ slow, wailing slide intro with Dixon’s church organ accompaniment preceded Tedeschi’s sweet vocals. Mattison, Rivers, and Chakour each took a verse as a superb horn arrangement filled the background. Derek played one final, splendid slide solo before the set ended.
Keyboardist Gabe Dixon opened the night’s performances. He has released new solo material and played a few of those songs with his trio. Tedeschi Trucks Band’s Kebbi Williams and Ephraim Owens came out to join the band on “Be Here With You” which had a joyous, New Orleans Mardi Gras vibe.
Los Lobos played an enjoyable set prior to Tedeschi Trucks Band. The East LA band has been entertaining audiences for over 40 years and this hometown show kept up the tradition. During the set, they had Susan Tedeschi and Gabe Dixon join them for a nice cover of Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On.” David Hidalgo, Susan Tedeschi, and Gabe Dixon each handled a stanza. Dixon played a lovely organ solo before Steve Berlin played a chest-pounding, baritone sax solo. The band ended the set with Derek Trucks, Alecia Chakour, and the Tedeschi Trucks Band horns joining for a raucous version of “Mas Y Mas.” Hidalgo sang lead, and each of the horns took an elaborate solo, as did Cesar Rosas, Hidalgo, and Trucks.
With the final segment of I Am The Moon about to be released, there will surely be even more new material played by Tedeschi Trucks Band on their remaining tour stops. Based on what they have released so far, we expect great things from the newest songs. With ever-changing set lists, additional, surprise collaborations, and performances by some of the best artists touring today, you cannot go wrong attending any of the upcoming Wheels of Soul shows.
Photo(s) courtesy of Andy J. Gordon ©2022
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