Review: Tedeschi-Trucks

Photos by Jill Toyoshiba/The Star

Stubborn devotees of The Allman Brothers Band insist that the influential act's artistic peak ended with the death of extraordinary guitarist Duane Allman in 1971.  Even if the conventional wisdom is correct, a lot of memorable music has been made by the subsequent lineups of The Allman Brothers Band, its splinter groups and associated acts in the intervening 40 years.  

Thursday's performance by the Tedeschi Trucks Band at Crossroads KC suggests that the relatively new act merits consideration as one of the most worthy of these post-Duane Allman projects. An audience of more than 1,000 attended the superlative concert.

The Tedeschi Trucks Band is linked by blood to the original the Allman Brothers Band.  Derek Trucks, 32, is the nephew of Butch Trucks, one of the Allmans original drummers. He and Warren Haynes are the Southern rock band's current guitarists.  Trucks married Susan Tedeschi, 40, a blues belter from New England, in 2001.  The couple recently formed a new ensemble with nine additional musicians and are touring in support of its soulful debut album Revelator.

Precise but not repressed, the 11-piece band employed excellent arrangements that allowed plenty of separation between each instrument Thursday.  Even the dual drummers- a signature feature of The Allman Brothers Band- didn't seem excessive.  And most importantly, the stunning vocals of Tedeschi and the awe-inspiring guitar work of Trucks were showcased to perfection.  

Trucks' spectacular solo on "Love Has Something Else to Say" evoked John Coltrane's sheets of sound.  His sitar-style introduction to "Midnight In Harlem" was an unlikely surprise.   The song has the glorious heft of the R&B hits of Solomon Burke.  Trucks and saxophonist Kebbi Williams added an adventurous free jazz element to an exploratory version of Delaney & Bonnie's "Comin' Home."  While her husband ventured far from the band's bluesy roots, Tedeschi's conventional guitar work and powerhouse vocals kept the band grounded. 

Each musician took obvious pleasure in the contributions of his and her bandmates.   Even the famously impassive Trucks grinned occasionally.  Teamwork salvaged more than one song in the nearly two-hour performance.  When a lull loomed during "Bound For Glory," for instance, the three-piece horn section interjected punchy lines that instantly resuscitated the song.  

Mike Mattison, a background vocalist in the Tedeschi Trucks Band, opened the concert with a thirty-minute set with his blues band Scrapomatic.   His cherubic appearance belies his voice, a raw instrument of the type usually associated with years of hard living.   Scrapomatic was followed by Trampled Under Foot.  Its 45-minute set of brawny blues demonstrated why the trio of siblings has long been a favorite of Kansas City audiences.  The blues isn't usually associated with positive family bonding.  Thursday's family affair at Crossroads KC , however, was a wonderful exception.

|  Bill Brownlee, Special to The Star

Comments

[Larry Luper]

I like this act alot...

[NEW]

While nothing is as viable as the original, the Haynes/Trucks/Bainbridge lineup with ABB is every bit as accomplished and exploratory as the Allman/Betts/Oakley lineup. Sorry I missed this show. I look forward to catching up with them in a few weeks.

[onthemark]

"the stunning vocals of Tedeschi and the awe-inspiring guitar work of Trucks"

Well said Bill!

[WinstonKC]

Props to the promoters/bands for putting TUF in the middle of the lineup rather than as the first opener.

TTB was fantastic..many moments of pure joy watching/listening to this show!

And as always....the mulch was sublime!

[Big Joe]

This show was Incredible. There was an exponential difference from the Voodoo Lounge show last year. Everybody got to display their talents this time. My mind is completely blown.

All three acts were perfect.

[joe]

Agree 100% Big Joe. I too was at last years Voodoo and this was much better. And I really enjoyed last year's Voodoo show. This, though, was on a completely different level. I think the hot swampy feel had something to do with the vibe too...

[wadkc]

While I'm not "that guy" that hates the Crossroads venue, I avoided this show even though I LOVE them. My wife and I went to Jonny Lang a couple of weeks ago at the same venue and left half way through because I as I tried to enjoy the music, people were talking...LOUD...and it never stopped. I tried, I really did. I moved 5 times and each time it was all the same. Chatter. I heard someone's workout for the next day. A chick's diet and my favorite... wait for it... another concert they were planning on going to. How about enjoying the one you're at!

So I passed. Sadly.

[Sammy]

It is a good thing you are not "that guy" or Kilby would hate you sooooo much... and he would be looking for you, to beat you off... or something ;)

You made the right to skip this show. The dump is not a real venue, it is more like someone's back yard, and people treat it like that. These people who love the dump (known as "dumpsters") dream that they are in their own back yard and chat chat chatty chat chat chat. fkn dumpsters

The dump attracts the wrong kind people, lets hope that it hosts NO shows next year.

[gsp]

sammy=DT

[gsp]

DT=gsp

[Sammy]

Sammy=cowardly, shut-in loser.

[Big Joe]

This was my first time at this venue. I got their early, got an easy spot in the free parking lot, then went into the venue and posted up on the rail. There was never a line at the bar and I had a great time. It was one of the best shows i've ever seen.

I didn't have any problem with any chatter because I did what I had to do to get there early enough to stake a claim way up front.

There's 7 billion people on this planet, so if you want to enjoy a concert the way you want to enjoy it, it takes a little tiny bit of planning to get there ahead of the pack.

Anyway, now that I have a frame of reference about this place, I had to post my opinion that it really isn't that bad of a place at all.

[wadkc]

Biggie,

Oh I plan. In fact I was up front. I actually had to move in front of one of the speakers to help drown out the nonsense. To no avail.

[live music fan]

"as I tried to enjoy the music, people were talking...LOUD...and it never stopped."
Posted by: wadkc

That's what pisses me off the most when I go to see music. If you're not gonna listen, what are you doing there? Especially at a show like this where it was probably at least $20 to get in. The only thing that I can think of is that some people go to shows just to be seen and/or to say that they were at the show. Because if you're not gonna listen to the music that's the only explanation that I can think of.

And why do some people always brag about CrosstownKC's free parking? What music venue DOESN'T have free parking?

[onthemark]

wadkc, you are going to run into that problem at just about every venue anymore. So, that sucks.

I cannot figure out why people will buy a ticket to see/hear a band then spend all their time talking while the band is playing!

[live music fan]

Obviously I meant to say CrossroadsKC.

[NEW]

@LMF. I guess they are trying to compare themselves to other downtown venues who do not have parking at all and patrons either need to look for parking on the street or pay to park in a garage. The funny thing is their parking lot has maybe a hundred or so spaces. Nothing even close to accomdate a capacity crowd.

As for the talking, that is certainly not restricted to Grinders. I was seeing Steely Dan and Theivery Corp in Snowmass this past weekend and people didn't shut up there either.

[gsp]

I would like to go to jazz aspen snowmass but I am afraid of heights and being around large groups of people. I mostly like to stay at home with my 36 cats.

[live music fan]

"As for the talking, that is certainly not restricted to Grinders. ... in Snowmass this past weekend and people didn't shut up there either."
Posted by: NEW

I brought it up because someone else did, but yeah, it happens everywhere live music is played. Even if there are less than ten people there, it's guaranteed that at least two are engaged in a conversation and not paying attention to the music.

[joe]

last time I saw Richard Thompson acoustic, I don't recall hearing any conversation. A few select acts get that kind of respect, but not many...

[onthemark]

Another quiet performance was the recent Dave Alvin show at the Folly. I mean, Dave and the band absolutely rocked, but once the applause stopped after each song it was eerily quiet.

Tom Russell gets the same sort of quiet at his Knuckleheads shows.

[Gates]

Oh yes how delighful..... yeah right, saw the same scene in a movie once, I think it was "1984" (or some other commie movie) and everyone was VERY well behaved, or they were shot.

For the record, if a band REALLY "absolutely rocked", then talking is not an issue.

Get over it and stop going to pussyazz mellow fests. Go to a real rock show, turn it up to 11.

[NEW]

I was actually taking a stab at the parking thing you brought up LMF and the fact the 100 or so off street free spots at Grinders are hardly anything to brag about. The talking issue was in response to DTs claim that it's particularly bad at Grinders because it attracts the wrong kind of people. From what I've seen and as you seem to concur, it does not appear to be any worse at Grinders than anywhere else not just locally but nationally and even a festival like Snowmass where the crowd is pretty upscale, people are still yammering away. As Jose pointed out, it seems to vary by act more than venue.

[NEW]

"Get over it and stop going to pussyazz mellow fests. Go to a real rock show, turn it up to 11."

Have you ever even seen Dave Alvin either with the Guilty Men or with X, DT? Didn't think so.

[ZoDare]

"SO THERE!!!" hehehehe... lol ;)

ps
nope nope nope, Although I have not been to the dump since I started the (spreading)boycott, from what we all have read on this blog (and every word is factual) the crossroadskc seems to attract more talkers per capita(total crowd) than any other place (I would say any other venue, but we all know crossroadskc is not a real venue)

SO THERE!!! ;)

[low hanging fruit]

Every time I read one of your comments I think well, the stupid tree is bearing fruit again.

And btw, psychotic personal opinions are not the same thing as facts.

[total source forklift parts]

Blues is not usually associated with positive family bonding. Family Affair Thursday at Crossroads KC was a wonderful exception.