Tedeschi Trucks Band is as much a part of rock history as it is a means of paying homage to that history. Derek Trucks’ famous musical lineage alone would be enough to cement the former, while TTB’s cover-filled setlists confirm the latter. But even by those lofty standards, the 12-piece blues-jam behemoth managed to outdo itself during its Deuces Wild Tour stop at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday.
That had plenty to do with Tedeschi Trucks Band having Little Feat join in as the opener for each of its two nights in Los Feliz. The L.A.-bred band, which rose to prominence in the 1970s, played a vital role in popularizing the brand of jam-heavy swamp rock that Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks have spun so well together since the band’s 2011 debut Revelator. Though Little Feat’s fronting duo of Lowell George and Paul Barrere has long since passed, the lineup the band trotted out in support of TTB was no less capable of cranking out the band’s classics for a captivated audience.
During the full hour Little Feat was allotted, the returning regulars of Bill Payne, Sam Clayton, and Kenny Gradney—along with more recent additions Fred Tackett, Scott Sharrard, and Tony Leone—brought a slew of long-time favorites to life. From “Let It Roll” and “Time Loves a Hero” to “Spanish Moon” and “Dixie Chicken”, Little Feat took every opportunity to dive deep into the type of improvisation that the band brought to the fore more than half a century ago.
To be sure, the members of Tedeschi Trucks Band were no slouches in that regard. Once they took the stage for their Sunday show, every song became a canvas upon which the band brilliantly displayed its musical prowess. And not just from Derek and Susan, either, though they were certainly featured front and center. That sharing of the spotlight came early and often during a set that lasted for more than two hours.
TTB tipped off its portion of the proceedings by playing the first movement of its career-defining epic I Am The Moon in its entirety. That portion, as ever, began with Susan working a vocal duet with keyboardist Gabe Dixon on “Hear My Dear”, followed by rhythm guitarist Mike Mattison’s melting voice on “Fall In”,
Susan’s signature bluesy rasp got plenty more play alongside Gabe’s voice on “I Am the Moon” and “Circles ‘Round the Sun”, with interludes from her husband’s Gibson SG. Then, Derek and his instrument took the reins completely on the ever-extended jams of “Pasaquan.”
From there, TTB embarked on a playlist replete with covers and guest appearances.
Susan shone bright, on both the mic and her own guitar, during a rendition of her solo song, “Just Won’t Burn”. After doubling back to TTB material with ‘Part of Me”—with a star-worthy vocal accompaniment from Alecia Chakour—the band burst through with the live debut of a Led Zeppelin-tinged rendition of Sonny Boy Williamson’s “Bring It On Home” that afforded Derek ample opportunity to shred.
For a cover of Elmore James’ “The Sky is Crying”, TTB welcomed Los Lobos’ Cesar Rosas to tangle with Derek on guitar. The band then invited its former bassist Tim Lefevbre back into the fold on “Bound For Glory” and its version of Aretha Franklin’s “It Ain’t Fair”, with Alecia once again stepping forward to command vocals. Tim stuck around to play on a cover of Blind Faith’s “Had to Cry Today”, and was joined by another member of Los Lobos: David Hidalgo. Susan retook the lead on an uplifting nod to Wet Willie with “Keep On Smilin’” before wrapping up the main set with “I Want More” into a delightful Derek-led rendition of Jeff Beck’s “Beck’s Bolero”.
The covers kept on coming into the encore with Mike Reid’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me”. To end the evening, the entirety of Little Feat came out to join Tedeschi Trucks Band for Sleepy John Estes’ “Leaving Trunk” and Rahsaan Roland Kirk’s “Volunteered Slavery”.
For all that musical talent onstage, there was no shortage of spectacular displays. On more than one occasion, Isaac Eady and Tyler Greenwell went toe-to-toe on their respective drumkits. The brass section of Kebbi Williams on saxophone, Elizabeth Lea on trombone, and Ephraim Owens on trumpet got to strut their stuff, as did Gabe on his many keys.
It’s no wonder, then, that TTB is so beloved by fans and fellow performers alike. They are all musicians’ musicians, and always seem eager to collaborate with their peers and use their platform as a pedestal for greatness.
In some ways, the very name Tedeschi Trucks Band is a misnomer. It implies that the group’s purpose is to prop up the talents of Susan and Derek. While those two are the main draws (and for good reason), they are hardly the only ones worth admiring. Nor, in this case, was TTB the only band on the bill that was worth the price of admission.
They’ll be plenty worth catching as the Tedeschi Trucks Band Dueces Wild North American tour marches through mid-November. Find tickets and a full list of tour dates here and some fan-shot videos from John Ziegwied-Front & Center Concert Videos below. The band also recently began uploading audio of its shows to nugs.net, available here. [Editor’s note: Live For Live Music is a nugs.net affiliate. Ordering your subscription or purchasing an audio download via the links on this page helps support our work covering Tedeschi Trucks Band and the world of live music as a whole. Thanks for reading!]
Tedeschi Trucks Band — “Bring It On Home” (Sonny Boy Williamson) — 6/9/24
Setlist: Tedeschi Trucks Band | Greek Theatre | Los Angeles, CA | 6/9/24
Set: I Am The Moon: 1. Crescent: Hear My Dear, Fall In, I Am The Moon, Circles ‘Round The Sun, Pasaquan
Set (continued): Just Won’t Burn (Susan Tedeschi), Part of Me, Bring It On Home (Sonny Boy Williamson) [1], The Sky Is Crying (Elmore James) [2], Bound for Glory [3], It Ain’t Fair (Aretha Franklin) [3], Had to Cry Today (Blind Faith) [4], Keep On Smilin’ (Wet Willie), I Want More > Beck’s Bolero (Jeff Beck)
Encore: I Can’t Make You Love Me (Mike Reid), Leaving Trunk (Sleepy John Estes) [5] > Volunteered Slavery (Rahsaan Roland Kirk) [6]
[1] Led Zeppelin arrangement, TTB live debut
[2] w/ Cesar Rosas
[3] w/ Tim Lefebvre
[4] w/ Tim Lefebvre and David Hidalgo
[5] Taj Mahal arrangement, w/ Little Feat
[6] Derek Trucks Band arrangement, w/ Little Feat
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