The Tedeschi Trucks Band at the Beacon Theatre

Susan Tedeschi, Derek Trucks

Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi met in 1999 when she was the opening act for the Allman Brothers Band, in which Trucks was a guitarist. Tedeschi and Trucks married in 2001, yet maintained separate musical careers until they toured together in 2007 as the Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi's Soul Stew Revival. In 2010, Trucks and Tedeschi merged their respective groups to form the Tedeschi Trucks Band, based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Tedeschi Trucks Band's debut album in 2011 won the 2012 Grammy Award for Best Blues Album. The fourth and most recent studio album, Signs, was released on February 15, 2019. The Tedeschi Trucks Band presently consists of Tedeschi, Trucks, guitarist Mike Mattison, bassist Brandon Boone, saxophonist Kebbi Williams, trumpet player Ephraim Owens, trombonist Elizabeth Lea, drummers Tyler Greenwell and J. J. Johnson, and vocalists Mark Rivers and Alecia Chakour.

The Tedeschi Trucks Band's ninth annual residency at the Beacon Theatre again consisted of six concerts over nine nights, with the unstated expectation that no two nights would be alike. Tonight, the fourth night, saw guest performances by guitarist Eric Krasno (of Soulive), pedal steel guitarist Robert Randolph (of Robert Randolph & the Family Band), jazz session guitarist Mark Whitfield, and keyboardist DeShawn Alexander (formerly of the Marcus King Band). In addition, keyboardist Gabe Dixon, formerly of the Gabe Dixon Band, has joined the band for the entire tour. Tedeschi's bluesy, velvety vocals crooned at the beginning and end of most songs, and Trucks and Tedeschi both soared on standout guitar solos, but they did not hog the spotlight; much of the middle of the songs allowed the rest of the musicians to shine with extended jams and bright harmonies. The set was a tasty stew of upbeat roots, rock and soul, bringing out the best of each musician in service of the song. As such, there seemed to be no confines for the jams, except that after more than two hours of music, it was time to close the theater.

Setlist:

1. High & Mighty
2. Let Me Get By
3. It's So Heavy
4. Anyday (Derek and the Dominos cover)
5. I'm Gonna Be There
6. Misunderstood (with Eric Krasno)
7. Sweet and Low (with Eric Krasno)
8. Leavin' Trunk (Sleepy John Estes cover, with Robert Randolph) > Volunteered Slavery (Rahsaan Roland Kirk cover, with Robert Randolph)
9. Midnight in Harlem
10. Don't Know What It Means
11. The Letter (The Box Tops cover)
12. Soul Sacrifice (Santana cover)
13. How Blue Can You Get? (Johnny Moore’s Three Blazers cover)
14. In Memory of Elizabeth Reed (The Allman Brothers Band cover, with Eric Krasno)
15. I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free (Billy Taylor cover, with Mark Whitfield)

Encore:

1. Let's Go Get Stoned (The Coasters cover, with Mark Whitfield, DeShawn Alexander)