Tedeschi Trucks Band will close out their 2016 touring slate with a finale at the Orpheum Theatre in Boston and leading up to that, Derek Trucks delivered a pair of revealing interviews regarding his apparent lack of interest in participating in a potential Allman Brothers reunion. 

Now, the Trucks name will always be synonymous with the Allmans. Derek himself cut his teeth on the ABB circuit as a young guitarist, playing alongside greats like Warren Haynes. Trucks signed on for fifteen years of Brothers shows, including their recent finale at the Beacon Theatre. With reunion rumors swirling, Trucks said he’s left that in the past. 

“I get those group texts every once in a while,” Trucks said to Ultimate Classic Rock about preliminary reunion talks (Oteil Burbridge alluded to these mysterious group texts earlier as well). “I don’t know how far down the road they are looking. I do know know far down the road I am. I’ve moved on.” 

When pressed again, Trucks doubled down: “Not for me. I’ve moved on.” 

He went further, saying, “I feel like we went out on the right note, and if anything is being put together, it’s probably not to enhance the legacy. It might be more pocket-driven, and I’m not interested in that. There’s enough cynicism in the world, and I’m not going to contribute to it.” 

Naturally, quotes like these ignited internet comment sections everywhere. Some said good riddance, others dreamed up scenarios where Trucks’ absence could open up the door for a Dickey Betts reunion, and some applauded the guitarist for his conviction. I fall in the last of those categories, tipping a cap to Trucks for his honesty about a reunion that seems better left untouched, particularly in a current landscape that encourages money-grab reunions with automatic top-billing at major festivals. 

With Gregg Allman bowing out from the road after struggling to find enough health to get on stage, this may all be moot. The Allman Brothers Band may never play together again as currently constituted, but Trucks’ comments speak to a growing maturity in the guitarist, as he leads (along with wife Susan Tedeschi) one of the most dynamic live bands in music today. 

The Tedeschi Trucks Band is his focus at the moment. He said in the same interview that “at the end of the day, the Tedeschi Trucks Band is going to sink or swim on its own merit, not on my association with the Allmans or Clapton,” which is an unsurprisingly humble statement from the gentle giant of rock and roll. But it holds a lot of merit. Trucks and Tedeschi certainly run the show but waste no time handing the show off to their incredibly versatile bandmates. It’s not Derek’s band, or Susan’s band, but the Tedeschi Trucks Band, and that’s what makes it tick. 

It’s so rare in rock and roll that we see a group as expansive as it is cohesive, with the ability to stretch out their original to 15 and 20 minutes, then deliver a soul-crushing cover of Allen Toussaint, Bob Dylan, B.B. King or David Bowie (among countless others). Trucks will always be asked about his time in the Allmans, but he deserves credit for holding his ground and be willing to put it in the past to focus on an emerging force in the music world. 

For almost his entire life, Derek Trucks has been known for who he has played alongside. Now, Trucks wishes to be known as a force of his very own. I say we celebrate that.