Guest Book

It was a wonderful evening at the Tower Records store in Buckhead as friends and family convened for a killer set by the Derek Trucks Band. I got there a little early to set up my Schoeps and ran into the lovely Brooke Smalley with adorable daughter Gwyneth. Later Susan T. brought Charlie up on stage and sat him behind Yonrico's drum kit as he really put on a show, beating the drums and cymbals with rhythm and enthusiasm, smiling and laughing, even pointing the drumsticks at various members of the audience as they applauded for him. This happened while the band was still on the bus in the parking lot and 17-month old Charlie had the stage to himself. A friend of mine had the presence of mind to start my DAT and capture Charlie's drum stylings on tape. Could this be the first-ever bootleg of Charlie Trucks? There were more than 200 people crowding around the stage of the cavernous record store and I ran into practically everyone I know in Atlanta, some for the first time. I won't even attempt to name all the GB folks I saw tonight, just fill in the names of the usual suspects. Mike Mattison was not in Atlanta for the gig, so Susan filled in admirably on vocals. Opening with Rastaman, our boys quickly established a standard of excellence despite a long hiatus. Derek mentioned to me later that the brothers had played in New Jersey the night before and he had driven on the tour bus straight to the Tower Records parking lot. As Derek whipped his solo in Rastaman to the climax, I felt the first of what would be several deep full-body rushes, the kind of feeling that can only happen TO you - you can't make it happen to yourself. Kofi began the next song on flute, as the beautiful strains of Afro Blue filled the air. Once again that heart connection thing Derek does evoked some serious body rushes in yrs trly. Then Susan took the stage for Feel So Bad, a song Mike usually sings, and I soaked it up from my vantage point 10 feet from Derek, just to stage right. I know I won't be able to get that close to him tomorrow, so I really appreciated the opportunity to watch the young master from up close. Yowza. One thing I especially enjoyed was watching Susan watch Derek - whenever she wasn't singing (and sometimes when she was) she had her eyes on him. At one point in the song Susan lowered her voice and sang so softly that I had to listen carefully to hear the lyrics - the result was a beautiful buildup between her and Derek, followed by a marvelous climax, quite different from when Mike sings the song. More body rushes. An extended version of Pedro was next (what version of Pedro isn't?) and I took a break to walk back to my mics to check the levels. They were running a little hot so I made a quick adjustment, hoping the sound would be OK in that huge space. The ceiling of exposed concrete was at least 20 feet high, and just a little back from the stage it sounded like they were playing in a cave. I quickly regained my spot next to the stage, surrounded by dancing toddlers and happy parents as Susan took the stage again. Derek ripped off a long slide solo that became the intro to Joyful Noise and Susan sang with the joy that she felt. All too soon the show was over. Afterward a table was set up and all four band members sat and patiently signed items for a line of fans that circled the store - CDs, shirts, posters, photos and more. I bought two copies of Soul Serenade for me and got them signed - plus, I even got Charlie to scribble with a Sharpie on one CD insert. He seemed to take delight in doing an artful job and signed where he wanted to instead of where I indicated. Might I have gotten his first autograph? There were a number of Atlanta musicians in the audience tonight enjoying Derek just as much as the other fans. I had a chance to chat with Colonel Bruce for a few minutes and hope a large part of the crowd made it to his show afterward - I had intended to, but just got too tired. I also spotted Barry Richman, Barron Ruth, Steve Mays, and several others. It was a night of beautiful music and beautiful famABBly. Incidentally, my good friend Donna Hopkins will be playing an unadvertised show at Fuzzy's this Tuesday the 12th and Barry and Yonrico both said they planned to be there. I hung out for more than an hour after the show and it is amazing to me how after they set down their instruments, my favorite musicians turn into just regular people that I enjoy being with. Kofi needed a ride home so I volunteered and we listened to a bit of the tape in my car. Yep, it's boomy. Then Kofi told me he's a Donna Hopkins fan too and also planned to stop by Tuesday! And the weekend is just starting …