Tedeschi Trucks Band Debut “Franklin’s Tower” with Jerry Garcia’s TB500 and Cover The Beatles with Grace Bowers at Red Rocks
Tedeschi Trucks Band, photo by Bill Kelly
Over the weekend, Tedeschi Trucks Band followed their sprawling Live in 25! Tour to the heart of the Rocky Mountains for two nights at Morrison, Colo.’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre. The storied Southern rock ensemble’s return marked their 20th and 21st performances at the iconic outdoor stage since their 2012 debut, a rare achievement that they properly honored with two massive, action-packed shows. Highlights from the series included a powerful tribute to the late Jerry Garcia on what would have been his 83rd birthday and a rare cover of The Beatles with support from Grace Bowers.
Tedeschi Trucks Band’s Red Rocks sets were an explosive outpouring of creativity and instrumental prowess from the 12-piece ensemble as they return to the road after just over two months away. Apart from a warm-up show last week in Tulsa, Okla., the pair arrived as the group’s first live dates since their astounding six-night run at New York’s Beacon Theatre in May. Bowers, the rapidly rising Nashville-based guitar prodigy, opened both shows with her only appearances on the Live in 25! run and her Red Rocks debut, backed by her tried and true ensemble of vocalist Summer Joy Roberts, guitarist Prince Parker, keyboardist Eric Wortham, drummer Brandon Combs and bassist Moe Hill.
To set off night one at Red Rocks, TTB presented a powerful tribute to Garcia, whose legacy was simultaneously honored in San Francisco with the Grateful Dead’s 60th anniversary concerts. The band paid their respects to the great jam originator with a new cover of the Blues for Allah essential “Franklin’s Tower,” delivered in a passionate, bluesy and kaleidoscopic style that reflected both their own eclectic sound and Garcia’s far-reaching influence. For the debut, guitarist and co-bandleader Derek Trucks was armed with Garcia’s iconic Travis Bean TB500 guitar, well known as the third most frequently used of Garcia’s instruments after “Tiger” and “Wolf.” The TB500, adorned with its classic “Ass, Grass or Gas” sticker, was Garcia’s go-to in 1976 and 1977, and can be heard on the Dead’s legendary ninth studio album, Terrapin Station.
Garcia’s Travis Bean brought a powerful sense of energy and reverence to the show-opener and carried Tedeschi Trucks Band off into a cover of Derek and the Dominos’ “Any Day.” Through the rest of their first single-set show at Red Rocks, the band lit up originals like “Don’t Let Me Slide,” “Soul Sweet Song” and “Bound for Glory,” as well as covers of Prince’s “D.M.S.R.,” Leon Russell’s “A Song for You” and two other Derek and the Dominos hits, then closed on an encore of Louis Jordan’s “Let the Good Times Roll” and their own “Made Up Mind.” Night two featured a smattering of covers like Dr. John’s “I Walk on Guilded Splinters,” John Prine’s “Angel from Montgomery,” Bob Dylan’s “Tangled Up in Blue” and Garcia’s “Sugaree,” which has been a live staple since 2012. To cap off the series, the band returned with a final encore of The Box Tops’ “The Letter” and The Beatles’ “With a Little Help from My Friends,” issued for the first time since 2021 with support from Bowers and Roberts.
Tedeschi Trucks Band will return to the stage Tomorrow, Aug. 5, with a follow-up at Bonner, Mont.’s KettleHouse Amphitheatre, then proceed into 30 more stops across the country through the end of October. Find tickets and more information here.
