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TTB in Austin

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Jpick
(@jpick)
Posts: 13
Active Member
Topic starter
 

Well Music Lovers,

Summertime has finally arrived in Texas, It was so hot yesterday that the robins were using potholders to get the worms out of the ground! Sunday night was hot too, temperature and music wise.
The Wheels of Soul Tour with Doyle Bramhall II, Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, and featuring the Tedeschi Trucks Band rolled through town with enough energy to light up a small city. It was my first show at the new Circuit of Americas Formula One race track. Huge outdoor arena, 14,000 + seats, room for another couple thousand on the lawn area. Way too big of a venue for this show, probably 5-6,000 folks showed up, but the ones that did got treated to an all out rockin, rhythm and soul fest!

DBII open the show with a great set of all original, mostly new tunes that will be on his forthcoming album. What a talent this guy is! He's got all the pieces to make a big splash in the music world, hope the new record does it for him.

SJ & DK hit the stage with a 12 piece band featuring a full horn section, background singers, and enough soul to resurrect James Brown! They preceded to take the crowd to school on what real soul music is all about. It was really a throw back to the old Stax/Volt sound that was so everywhere in the late sixties/early seventies. Man, they were tight, so much fun, had the place dancing.

TTB hit the stage round nine just as the hot sun was going down and they brought a whole new energy level with them. The opening chords of Made Up Mind rolled off the stage and the show was on! This was the ninth time that I have seen this band and they just keep getting better, always another notch higher than the last time. They have added Alicia Chakour as a third backup singer and she is dynamite. The horn section was really featured a lot more this show and of course Derek's amazing guitar work never ceases to leave you breathless.

The sound system was really good, really clear, really loud, with that many pieces on stage it can be challenging to hear everybody, Derek's guitar was way up in the mix so you didn't miss anything he was doing. Susan's vocal are just incredible, modern day Aretha with a touch of Bonnie Raitt. The dynamics of this band are just amazing, from a whisper to a scream, all out rocking to a bone chilling flute solo, blues and soul driven by a really powerful, on time set of drummers who play together like they are Siamese twins.

This is the most diverse, dynamic, driven set of musicians to come along in a long time. The spirit of this band so reminds me of what the Allman Brothers had in the beginning and in the last years with Warren & Derek up front. There is no status quo in this band, there is no paint by numbers when they hit the stage, almost every song they played had a different arrangement that allowed some type of improvisation within the band. They are truly an amazing musical wonder!

The real treat of the night was the appearance of Jimmie Vaughn for two songs. There was a lot of reverence from the band as he took center stage for St James Infirmary and Key To The Highway. The link below is to a video of St James Infirmary, he was ready to leave the stage and Derek kept him on and went into Key To The Highway that let Jimmie solo a little more and then Derek proceeded to take everybody's head off with a mind numbing slide solo that left Jimmie just standing there shaking his head like he couldn't believe what he just heard.

They closed the show down with 20+ plus musicians from all the bands on stage for a duet with Sharon & Susan doing a great back and forth on Tell Mama followed by a Sly & The Family Stone medley of Simple Song/ I Want To Take You Higher. Boom Shaka Laka Laka indeed! I was just laughing all the way home at how ridiculously good it was. Four hours of hot music on a hot Texas night! It was truly a night to remember.

Set List:
Made Up Mind- fantastic lead song, really get the crowds attention
All That I Need - horns...oh my, so good
Wah Wah - great George Harrison tune
Let's Go get Stoned - featured all the background singers, Alicia Chakour has really got a set of pipes
Break In The Road - early 70's Betty Wright cover, Susan owns this one
Midnight In Harlem - what a song, they really changed up the horns charts for this one
St James Infirmary - with DBII and Jimmie Vaughn, Doyle is such a great singer
Key To The Highway - highlight of the night!
Idle Wind - one of the best things TTB has done
The Storm - another great signature song, the drummers kill this one

Encore:
Tell Mama - another great moment with Susan & Sharon dueling with each other
Simple Song/I Want To Take You Higher - what a way to end the party

The Wheels of Soul left a lot of tread in Austin!

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc ="s&source=web&cd=5&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CEMQqQIwBGoVChMI-I6ftpndxgIVVyqICh1DXQce&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.jambase.com%2FArticles%2F125756%2FVideo-Jimmie-Vaughan-Guests-With-Tedeschi-Trucks-Band-In-Austin&ei=QlqmVfjlONfUoATDup3wAQ&usg=AFQjCNH03OSVMpATFZ2CDk1axASRETFwJw&sig2=JwsjNCSNIQpl9GSp7R1iMg&bvm=bv.97653015,bs.1,d.eXY"

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Posted : July 15, 2015 8:02 am
BillyBlastoff
(@billyblastoff)
Posts: 2450
Famed Member
 

Thanks for the review Jpick. Glad you got a great show.

And thank you so much for the link. St. James Infirmary is one of my most favorite songs.

I've seen TTB about a dozen times and agree with your observations.

I wish they would release live shows. Their concerts have many moments of unique magic.


 
Posted : July 15, 2015 10:47 am
islalala
(@islalala)
Posts: 731
Prominent Member
 

Based on you report and the show Sirius XM 29 replayed from The Greek in Berkeley a month ago, I need to make sure I see TTB ASAP.

Last time was in 2010 or 2011 at Chicago Theater


 
Posted : July 15, 2015 11:00 am
Jpick
(@jpick)
Posts: 13
Active Member
Topic starter
 

For me they have taken the place in my heart that as always been held by the ABB, not that they have replaced the Brothers but the Brothers are now history and so now my focus has become the TTB. I have never walked out of a show feeling anything less than WOW!

Derek has really become quite the bandleader and the commitment to excellence is evident from what you hear when they play. I've never followed a band that continues to progress and evolve like this band does. They are simply not content to be satisfied with where they have been and what they have done. It's evident that they are looking for the next level.

It's always great to feel a connection with a band and identify with where they are and where they are headed, count me in for this ride!


 
Posted : July 15, 2015 11:27 am
cmgst34
(@cmgst34)
Posts: 670
Prominent Member
 

I am SO. STOKED. to see these guys next month. I don't recall being this fired up for a show in a while. It's been almost 3 years since I've seen Derek. Way way too long.


 
Posted : July 15, 2015 2:21 pm
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