Even an unhinged trombone and steamy weather couldn’t stop Derek Trucks, Susan Tedeschi and crew at Meijer Gardens on Friday, with the band unleashing an audience-pleasing spectacle. (Review, photos)
A wall of sound met a wall of fans Friday night when the Tedeschi Trucks Band rocked Meijer Gardens for yet another sold-out show.
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The Jacksonville, Fla., mega-band, which boasts a whopping 12 members, produced nothing short of a spectacle, a kaleidoscope of genres that flowed seamlessly together.
As expected, guitarist Derek Trucks blazed through solo after solo, his fingers flying over the fretboard with startling precision during the impressive two-hour-and-five-minute set that followed an opening performance by Austin’s Greyhounds. The audience swooned every time.
“I’m really enjoying the show.,” said fan Peter O’Donnell. “They have a wide variety of music, and they attract a wide variety of an audience. I wouldn’t put them in one category.”
Perhaps the most entertaining visual element of the show was watching the band’s two drummers, J.J. Johnson and Tyler Greenwell. The pair exchanged wide smiles as they juggled backbeats and solos. At times, one drummer kept to a simpler groove, while the other explored every inch of the kit in a more auxiliary fashion. At other driving moments, both drummers mirrored one another, pounding out a rhythm in perfect unison.
The band’s extensive and genre-free set featured tracks such as, “Don’t Drift Away,” a steady, simple and soulful groove that served as a vehicle for one of Truck’s most tone-rich solos, his guitar exuding the essence and clarity of a soulful voice.
FIERY VOCALS AND SOMETHING QUITE UNEXPECTED
Other tracks included the swampy, backwoods blues of “The Storm,” intro’d by a gritty electric guitar lick and determined, heavy drums, as well as “Right on Time,” a playful gypsy-rock track that utilized near-whispered vocals and a whimsical, muted-tromobone hook.
Without a doubt, the most memorable moment of the night came when backup vocalist Mike Mattison stepped to center stage. With no holds barred, the veteran singer rained a fire of soul on the amphitheater with his impassioned, screaming register.
Tall, with a sturdy frame, the vocalist danced in place, his long arms swinging every which way, as he let out one barking note after another, climbing the scale to what seemed like the point of no return. Then climbing even higher. A bit reminiscent of James Brown, Mattison screamed out the stratospheric notes as the amphitheater exploded in whistles, yells and applause.
After that, hilarity ensued: In the midst of a runaway instrumental, trombone player Elizabeth Lea got so carried away with a raging solo that the slide of her trombone extended too far and slipped off the instrument, leaving the slide in one hand and the rest of the instrument in the other and the musician flabbergasted.
The debacle inspired everyone – the amphitheater, security guards and the entire band – to burst into unrestrained laughter.
Tedeschi could be seen at her microphone, keeled over with a brimming smile, along with the other members, all exchanging glances of astonishment and chuckles. Still recovering after the song, Tedeschi leaned into her microphone and said:
“Well … you’re not gonna see that anywhere else.”
PHOTO GALLERY: Tedeschi Trucks Band and Greyhounds at Meijer Gardens
Photos by Anthony Norkus
Read the Local Spins interview with Susan Tedeschi.
Copyright 2016, Spins on Music LLC