PORTLAND — One of the summer’s most highly anticipated shows went down Friday night at Ocean Gateway in Portland as the Tedeschi Trucks Band made Maine the latest stop on its “Revelator” Tour.
“Revelator” is the debut CD from two artists who both have successful solo careers and a mess of other crazy talented players.
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TTB is singer-guitarist Susan Tedeschi, her Grammy-winning guitarist husband, Derek Trucks, and their scorching band of red-hot musicians. The 11-piece ensemble boasts former Allman Brothers Band bassist Oteil Burbridge, keyboardist Kofi Burbridge from the Derek Trucks Band, two drummers, three horn players and two harmony singers.
After an exuberant opening set – delayed by a downpour – from Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, it was go time for Tedeschi Trucks. About 2,500 people were eager to catch whatever the band was gonna throw.
Tedeschi’s scorching voice and guitar and Trucks’ set-the-night-on-fire slide guitar on the concert’s opening song, “Don’t Let Me Slide,” set the standard for what was to be an electrifying evening.
Adding to the enjoyment was the absolutely stellar, crystal-clear sound. On Tedeschi’s vocals, Trucks’ guitar and everyone else on stage, the sound was outstanding and much appreciated.
For the next hour and a half, the band delivered a steady stream of blues, soul, Southern rock and funk. Every song was the sum of its parts. Sure, Tedeschi and Trucks were the stars, but there wasn’t a person on stage who wasn’t worth their weight in gold. The dueling drums, pounding bass lines, keys, back-up singers and stupendous horn section made every song a multicolored feast to the ears.
Keys player Kofi Burbridge even busted out his flute for a song from the “Revelator” album and it was awesome.
Along with many “Revelator” songs, the band chose supremely well when it came to covers. Midway through the show, Stevie Wonder’s “Uptight” boasted drum madness by J.J. Johnson and Tyler Greenwell, equally insane trombone and soul-thumping bass from Burbridge.
The collaborative efforts of everyone in this band made for a tight performance that was also loose enough to be really fun.
The other cover that put the crowd in a frenzy was Sly & the Family Stone’s “I Want to Take You Higher.” It, like other songs in this show, went on for more than 10 minutes and many in the crowd helped out with the “yeah yeah yeah” refrain.
There’s been a lot of hype about this band and having seen and heard them first-hand, I get it. Sensational.
Staff Writer Aimsel Ponti can contacted at 791-6455 or at:
aponti@pressherald.com
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