GARY CLARK,JR.

things during the first show that were touch and go for a moment.
But I don’t think many people out front can tell the difference.”
Trucks continued. “When we have three shows like this, I want
it be a long arc. We really wanted to hit it hard that first show. The
first show opened with “Wah-Wah.” That’s such a great song with a
band this big. Right outta the gate, the band’s making a point. It
shows what a band like this can sound like. Once the first show was
done, and we felt pretty good about it, I wanted the second one to
be more settled in. That’s when we can stretch out and go hard left
or right and play whatever we feel.
“The second show was the most adventurous of the three. I
never thought about it to the point where I had to keep reminding
myself that I should probably cue the new guys, but it felt so good
and natural that I’d forget that there was anything different on-stage.
The second show of the three felt effortless. And that’s a good place
to be. When you are fully immersed in it. The third set was outside
and we knew the sound was gonna be crazy, so we just aired it out.”
The second night lived up top Trucks’ expectations. After opening
with “Everybody’s Talkin’” and “Don’t Let Me Slide,” the band tread
familiar ground until hitting its stride on “Isn’t It A Pity, which featured
Trucks’ feathery slide in concert with Burbridge’s keyboard. Then, the
horn section funk on “Love Has Something To Say” morphed into
“Why Don’t We Do It In The Road” lead by Brown’s trumpet. Burbridge
then picked up his flute and took the led on a Middle Eastern inspired
instrumental “Afro Blue.” Lopes’ tenor was center stage on “Already
Free” before Tedeschi dedicated her hard-edged blues guitar on “That
38 BLUES REVUE
Did It” to Little Milton. Second night encores included “Wade In The
Water” and Mattison’s rockin’ “You Get What You Deserve.”
What is obvious early in your first encounter with this all-star
band is that among the 11 musicians on stage, there are six separate
and distinctive voices. There is the obvious lead voice of Tedeschi,
but behind her one hears Trucks’ eloquent slide guitar as an answering
voice to hers. Other distinctive voices are the horn section blasting
answers to either Tedeschi or Trucks, Burbridge’s keyboards, the
background singers, Mattison and River, and the hypnotic percussion
of the double drummers, Falcon (Tyler Greenwell) and J.J.
(Jarrod Johnson). Listening with open ears, one can hear the complexity
of this band’s musical vision as they pass and weave solos
like a Harlem Globetrotter basketball drill.
Trucks was right, the third show on the pool deck was the
midnight party every one, band and cruisers, anticipated. New tunes
added to the set included “Darling Be Home Soon” and the night’s
funky closer, Sly Stone’s “Higher.” With the horn players and
Mattison and River dancin’ in the background and Falcon and J.J.
pounding their drum kits with eyes locked and arms in total unison,
the band gave these cruisers an exhausting dance-a-thon finale that
vigorously wrapped up three uniquely different shows.
And when the Tedeschi Trucks band finished, all that was left
for these pool deck partiers was to continue the LRBC party with the
one a.m. pro jam. The boat’s banner reads, “Our boat kicks ass.”
So does this band. (So too did the other 30+ musical bands!)
– Art Tipaldi