Tedeschi Trucks Band launched its eight-month Deuces Wild Tour in New Jersey two days before it came to the Beacon Theatre for a three-night residency. The Beacon shows were a homecoming experience, as the band has headlined multiple nights at the venue every year since 2011, except for a mandatory covid break in 2020 and a Madison Square Garden show in 2023. Thursday’s concert was the band’s 54th performance at the theater.
No two Tedeschi Trucks Band shows are ever alike, however, as the band’s ever-expanding repertoire includes original songs, covers, and jams, sometimes amplified with guest musicians. On this night, with no new recordings to promote, Tedeschi Trucks Band played most of its 2022 I Am the Moon songs. The band also covered vintage songs popularized by Blind Faith, Derek and the Dominos, B.B. King, Taj Mahal, Aretha Franklin, Nina Simone, Bonnie Raitt, Bill Withers, and other artists. Saxophonist Ravi Coltrane – the son of jazz greats John Coltrane and Alice Coltrane – joined the 12-piece ensemble for several songs.
Led by vocalist/guitarist Susan Tedeschi and her husband, guitarist Derek Trucks, Tedeschi Trucks Band used all of its internal forces to best effect. Throughout the night, Trucks showcased his masterful guitar playing, particularly in an expanded interpretation of the band’s “Pasaquan.” Tedeschi’s strong bluesy vocals led most songs. Turning to a low-key smoker, Tedeschi sang the Bonnie Raitt-popularized “I Can’t Make You Love Me” while backed by Coltrane and keyboardist Gabe Dixon. Dixon also sang soulfully on “Gravity” and other songs.
The three backing vocalists stepped forward as well. On Derek and the Dominos‘ “Anyday,” Tedeschi and Mike Mattison sang as a duet, alternating verses and harmonizing seamlessly. Earlier, Alecia Chakour blew the roof singing Aretha Franklin’s “It Ain’t Fair.”
The three horn players had their moments in the spotlight, as well. Throughout the evening, the band worked as a collective, showcasing its diverse influences and resources. No musician was under-utilized. Tedeschi Trucks Band proved again that it is perhaps America’s best working blues/soul/rock jam bands. This was only the beginning of the tour. Fortunately, for local fans, the Deuces Wild Tour will return to the area in late September and early October for multiple shows at the Beacon Theatre, the Kings Theatre and the Capitol Theatre.
Setlist
- Hear My Dear
- Ain’t That Something
- Laugh About It
- I Am the Moon
- Everybody’s Got to Change Sometime (Taj Mahal cover)
- Circles ‘Round the Sun > Had to Cry Today (Blind Faith cover) > Circles ‘Round the Sun reprise
- Pasaquan
Set 2
- I Can’t Make You Love Me (Bonnie Raitt cover, with Ravi Coltrane)
- Soul Sweet Song
- It Ain’t Fair (Aretha Franklin cover)
- Gravity
- Do I Look Worried
- Last Night in the Rain
- Anyday (Derek and the Dominos cover, with a snippet of “Blue Sky”)
- Part of Me (with Ravi Coltrane)
- How Blue Can You Get? (Johnny Moore’s Three Blazers cover)
- I Wish I Knew (How It Would Feel To Be Free) (Billy Taylor cover, with Ravi Coltrane)
Encore
- I Wish You Well (Bill Withers cover)
