Tedeschi Trucks Band checked off a few more Boston venues by making their debut at MGM Music Hall Fenway and the Wang Theatre for the Deuces Wild tour. Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks led the powerhouse 12-piece ensemble, playing a fusion of genres rooted in blues and soul. On Saturday, October 5, they performed at the Wang Theatre for the final night of a four-night stretch of shows beginning and ending in Boston, with a stop in Providence in between.
Each bandmate not only shared the spotlight throughout Saturday night but contributed to the band’s polished look with their sleek attire, reflecting their refined musicianship. Tedeschi, a Berklee College of Music graduate, played her Caribbean Mist Telecaster, which she picked up at Cambridge Music in Porter Square during her early years. As their only opener of the four-night run, the Reckoners–featuring local talent Johnny Trama and Tim Gearen–played in Providence but did not accompany Tedeschi Trucks Band to Boston. Any Tuesday night regular at the Plough and Stars in Cambridge however, knows about Gearen’s history of playing alongside Tedeschi.
Even sans the traditional residency at the Orpheum Theatre, Trucks made the audience feel at home within his first few notes of “Wah-Wah” (George Harrison). Not only did Tedeschi Trucks Band change up their repertoire each night, but they continuously paid homage to their predecessors. The band soared into their original compositions with “Anyhow” from their third album, Let Me Get By, before showcasing songs from the expansive I Am the Moon project. “Hear My Dear” softly faded out as Trucks’ approach conveyed a sense of yearning, and then rolled into a lively “Ain’t That Something” where notes wailed from the trombone of Elizabeth Lea. During a mid-set ballad, audience members lifted their hands in praise as vocalist Mark Rivers joined Tedeschi in “Take Me as I Am’.
Trucks hinted at history when his guitar licks slid through the shuffle-note blues jam “Done Somebody Wrong” (Elmore James) –which was also often interpreted by the Allman Brothers Band –soon before the set’s crescendo into “I Feel so Bad” (Chuck Willis). Longtime vocalist, Mike Mattison, expressed his feelings before Gabe Dixon carried listeners away on the keys. Tedeschi doubled down on the sentiment as she showcased her guitar skills for the first time of the evening, and then Mattison tripled down with his falsetto notes as the last vocal attempt to express the loss of a lover. To continue this tragic romance, Tedeschi put down her Telecaster and grabbed the mic to sing “The Letter” (The Box Tops), with a saxophone solo from Kebbi Williams to support her.
With hand over heart, Alecia Chakour’s vocals were able to sail listeners away through “Idle Wind” before the set break. Trucks moved his solo into “Maki Madni” (Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan) to not only demonstrate the exploratory elements of a jam band but his interest in blending the spiritual depth and microtones of Sufi Islamic music with his slide technique. “Idle Wind” built again as Trucks strummed in a fiery passion to support the congruent pulse of Tyler Greenwell and Isaac Eady.
Tedeschi Trucks Band opened their second set with southern blues head-knocker “Preachin’ Blues” (Son House) and then shifted to the joyous ode of “La Di Da,” “Crying Over You,” “Part of Me” and “I Want More” to take the audience back to earlier albums before transcending into the psychedelic journey of the “Soul Sacrifice” (Santana) outro. This was countered with a soothing “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right” (Bob Dylan) before rocking out again in “Had to Cry Today” (Blind Faith). Many in the crowd whistled when they were finally introduced Brandon Boone on the bass while Trucks played haunting reverbs around him, and then cheered at the first notes of “Dreams” (Allman Brothers Band). The entire band reached for gospel heights amid another impressive solo from Rivers when they closed with “Made Up Mind”.
For the encore, Tedeschi commanded listeners’ attention with a heart-wrenching performance of “I Can’t Make You Love Me” (Bonnie Raitt), accompanied only by Dixon. Trucks didn’t keep from her for a moment longer when he stepped out on stage during the final cadence on the keys. Tedeschi Trucks Band rocked the crowd with power in “The Storm” and then extended further back to Trucks’ roots with the Allman Brothers Band’s most famous jam “Whipping Post”. Up until the end, the entire band showed their collective strength through dynamic interplay and transitions. Tedeschi belted with the audience, “Sometimes, I feel like I’m dying!” to end the emotive journey of love and loss. Much love to TTB for sharing their gifts and history with Boston.
Check out all of Greg’s photos from the show below.
