Tedeschi Trucks Band Definitely On a Roll with Wheels of Soul Tour
Tedeschi Trucks Band’s Wheels of Soul tour rolled into St. Petersburg for its third stop on their massive summer tour on Sunday, June 30, and the new music venue Al Lang Live. The stadium was for years the spring training home of the St. Louis Cardinals and is now a dedicated soccer venue for the Tampa Bay Rowdies, and it has proved perfect for concerts.
Rick Munroe reviewed the tour’s stop in Boca Raton the night before; check out his fine review here.
Shovels & Rope
The night was picture-perfect, with nice breezes, low humidity and not-blistering temperatures; we got very lucky. Shovels & Rope are the openers for the tour, featuring the husband-and-wife team of Michael Trent, guitar, and Cary Ann Hearst, drums and vocals. This duo rocks out a did a good job of engaging the crowd, many in the process of arriving and fortifying themselves with food and beverages. They acquitted themselves well during their 45-minute set.
Blackberry Smoke
Atlanta rockers Blackberry Smoke are heir apparent to the Southern rock throne, working hard with their three-guitar attack to keep the crowd lit. Lead vocalist Charlie Starr jumped right in on “Lord Strike Me Dead,” and their enthusiasm never flagged during their too-short 43-minute set. Richard Turner on bass and Brit Turner on drums laid down a solid base for the guitarists and Brandon Sill on keyboards to ride.
After “Medicate My Mind” and “Let It Burn,” Starr thanked TTB for bringing them on this tour, dedicating the next song to Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks. With that, Blackberry Smoke blew out a tremendous cover of Elton John’s “Burn Down the Mission.” Sill’s piano intro was excellent, as was his work throughout the song. The harmony vocals were great, too.
They followed that up with a quieter tune, “One Horse Town.” (Interestingly, that is also the name of a fabulous Elton John song you probably haven’t heard — yet.) Then Starr told us they missed playing here last year due to a hurricane. “We’re from Georgia. What do we know about hurricanes?” That led to a great slide guitar take on “Amazing Grace” which yielded to rocker “Ain’t Much Left of Me,” another slide solo, and the closing “Mississippi Kid.”
[BBS: Lord Strike Me Dead, Run Away From It All, Believe You Me, Medicate My Mind, Let It Burn, Burn Down the Mission, The One Horse Town, Amazing Grace > Ain’t Much Left of Me > Mississippi Kid]
Tedeschi Trucks Band
Then we were on for the main event, the truly awesome power of a fully operational big-band juggernaut called Tedeschi Trucks Band. Ever since Tedeschi and Trucks combined forces, their band and Snarky Puppy have presented the epitome of the modern big band. Twelve strong, every member of the band would get at least one feature throughout the show that went two hours. And at the center of this maelstrom are two absolute forces of nature: Susan Tedeschi‘s soul-stirring vocals and Derek Trucks‘ amazing guitar style and slide technique.
They began with the first of three tunes from brand new album Signs: “I’m Gonna Be There.” From first second to the last of the encore, this band was on fire with no chance to extinguish the flames. Derek Trucks knocked out the first of his many solos on “Do I Look Worried.” Gabe Dixon had an all-too-short keyboard solo on “Made Up Mind,” and Mark Rivers took the second half of the vocals.
“How Blue Can You Get?” was a fine feature for Susan Tedeschi. Her voice was, as always, stunning, and she took a bitchin’ guitar solo. The horns were huge here. There was a great call-and-response between Tedeschi and the three singers during “Hard Case,” and Dixon’s clavinet was spot on.
Mike Mattison, who was lead vocalist for the Derek Trucks Band, came down front to sing “Leavin’ Trunk,” the Sleepy John Estes classic. Tedeschi ripped a great wah-wah solo — in stilettos! Dixon shone on Hammond B3, and then Trucks and the horns traded back and forth, followed by Elizabeth Lea with a great muted trombone solo, then without mute. Trucks stepped back up, and then Kebbi Williams on tenor saxophone and Ephraim Owens on trumpet bounced it back and forth.
“Laugh About It” was a gentle tune, Trucks and Dixon on B3 working out. Then it was Mark Rivers’ turn to shine, singing “I Wish You Well.” Tedeschi then invited Charlie Starr from Blackberry Smoke up to play slide on “Key to the Highway,” Mattison singing first, then Tedeschi. Drummers Tyler Greenwell and JJ Johnson were in prime form the entire set.
Most of the band stepped off so that Tedeschi and the stripped-down rhythm section delivered a beautiful “Angel from Montgomery,” the John Prine gem. Remarkably, it segued into the mellowist version of “Sugaree” you’ve ever heard. Another of the new tunes, “Shame,” came next. Trucks and bassist Brandon Boone each soloed, followed by a superb turn by Williams on tenor.
Two fan favorites with Tedeschi front and center finished the set: “Midnight in Harlem” and “Bound for Glory.” The later featured fine work on Hammond B3 and electric piano from Dixon. Trucks soloed, and Alecia Chakour had the last non-words with stunning vocalese to close out the set.
But of course we weren’t leaving without an encore. When they came back, Rivers was down front with Tedeschi as they sang that great old Joe Tex soul classic “Show Me.” It was smokin’ hot, and Williams had one more shot at it.
I would be remiss if I didn’t shine a *light* on the women near us that called security on some people from the crew sitting in seats that belonged to a fellow press outlet; they weren’t the women’s seats at all. Meanwhile, since this was during “Angel from Montgomery,” other people complained that they were talking during their favorite song. Which didn’t stop them from talking later during a magnificent and quiet exchange between trucks and Boone. *SIGH*
Don’t miss Wheels of Soul when they pull up in your town!
[TTB: I’m Gonna Be There, Do I Look Worried, Made Up Mind, How Blue Can You Get?, Hard Case, Leaving Trunk, Laugh About It, I Wish You Well, Key to the Highway, Angel From Montgomery > Sugaree, Shame, Midnight in Harlem, Bound for Glory; E: Show Me]
