The summer’s first concert in the renovated Meijer Gardens amphitheater had to tangle with Mother Nature, but Susan Tedeschi, Derek Trucks and crew jammed on with a robust, fan-pleasing set.
Wowing Fans: Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi on stage at Meijer Gardens on Wednesday. (Photo/Derek Ketchum)
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Charlie Parr played his acoustic guitar on the concourse of Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park as concertgoers filed into the venue for the first of 31 marquee shows slated for 2018.
‘The Sky is Crying’: It did eventually, with rain falling on the newly renovated amphitheater. (Photo/Derek Ketchum)
That’s not the usual spot for the opener to set up shop but with a storm and heavy rains reportedly on the horizon, Parr was bumped from his opening slot on stage, making way for the headlining, 12-piece Tedeschi Trucks Band to kick things off promptly at 6:30 p.m. at the recently revamped amphitheater.
With the exception of a few early raindrops, the weather held off until shortly after 7:45 p.m., when the show was called mere moments before the skies opened up, dousing attendees on their way to their respective vehicles.
While the projected thunderstorms never took place overhead, those in the sold-out audience witnessed 75 minutes of pure lightning coming from Derek Trucks’ guitar, and the energy intensified with each passing note of the evening.
TTB opened its shortened set with four originals, including a scorching “Shame,” a bluesy “Made Up My Mind” and a delicate “It’s So Heavy,” with the latter showing off both the powerful and angelic sides of Susan Tedeschi’s wide-ranging voice. A fitting “Sky is Crying” followed, before Trucks and company flowed into a cover of Derek & the Dominos’ “Tell the Truth.”
A GUITAR-PLAYING FRONTMAN WHO’S LIKE ‘A GREAT QUARTERBACK’
Time and time again, Trucks served as the seamless transition from one bandmate to another, never upstaging but constantly impressing with some of the most flawless soloing ever cut from the Southern rock jam cloth. At just 38 years of age, understanding where the ceiling may be for the man who cut his teeth with the Allman Brothers in the late ’90s may leave fans scratching their heads, but his true talent may be the way in which he ignites the playing of those around him.
Jaw-Dropping Vocals: Susan Tedeschi (Photo/Derek Ketchum)
Fan Jason Scherer, who drove in from Chicago for the show, put it this way: “He’s clearly the frontman and the bandleader, but he has such a different take on what that means than anyone else does. He’s the opposite of a James Brown, yet in a lot of ways he is just as boisterous and audacious as James Brown or someone of that ilk. … Like a great quarterback, say Peyton Manning, he makes other players around him better, and his other players are already great.”
From the exceptional voice of Trucks’ wife, Susan Tedeschi, who dropped jaws with a late-set rendition of Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right,” to supporting vocalists Mike Mattison and Mark Rivers and Alecia Chakour, a three-piece horn section, two drummers, bassist Tim Lefebvre and the keys and flute-playing of Kofi Burbridge, TTB is as complete and tight as one is going to find playing today. Unfortunately for those in attendance Wednesday, they only got about two-thirds the show they paid for.
“I think they made the wrong call in canceling the show,” Scherer said. “There was no lightning, there were no major thunderstorm watches or warnings imminent … but at the same time, they had our best interests in mind, and they did an awesome job at communicating to us the way things were going to go all night long. I’m not going to stew over it. We had a great show.”
Public relations manager John VanderHaagen said the concert was halted 75 minutes in due to the potential for lightning, noting that “crowd safety is the No. 1 concern.” And, he noted, starting the Tedeschi Trucks Band set early ensured that fans got to see as much of the headlining act as possible.
‘NEEDED’ UPGRADES TO THE SPONSOR SEATING AND LAWN AREA
Fan reaction to amphitheater improvements — most notably the installation of 410 permanent sponsor seats at the top of the amphitheater (which is now lined with a concrete wall) and some additional lawn seating space — seemed positive.
Standing Ovations: Fans in the revamped amphitheater on Wednesday. (Photo/Derek Ketchum)
“I think that the upgrades to the VIP section were needed. There’s a lot more VIP seating and it’s a lot nicer area overall with the new stadium seats and the concessions,” said Grand Rapids resident Emily King. “The wall I can see being a really beautiful addition to the space once the ivy grows in as well.”
King, who has been attending 20-plus shows per year at the venue for the past decade, has been on the waiting list for VIP seating for five years now. And while seating areas have been expanded, the amphitheater’s 1,900 capacity hasn’t changed. “For a sold-out show, it doesn’t feel nearly as crowded,” she said. “Just looking across the venue, you can see a lot more space.”
Read more about the recent renovations in this Local Spins story.
(Time — and more concerts — will tell whether altered acoustics due to the concrete walls will affect the way higher-end frequencies resonate in the upper reaches of the amphitheater, though few concertgoers seemed to take notice.)
UP NEXT AT MEIJER GARDENS: Gladys Knight on June 3, The Decemberists on June 4 and Jackson Browne on June 6. Tickets are available online at meijergardens.org.
PHOTO GALLERY: Tedeschi Trucks Band at Meijer Gardens
Photos by Derek Ketchum
VIDEO: Opening Night at Meijer Gardens 2018
SET LIST: Tedeschi Trucks Band at Meijer Gardens
1. Shame
2. Made Up My Mind
3. It’s So Heavy
4. Sky is Crying
5. Tell the Truth
6. Let Me Get By
7. Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right
8. Get What You Deserve
9. Swamp Raga Intro/I Want More
10. Soul Sacrifice
Copyright 2018, Spins on Music LLC
