Tedeschi Trucks Band, Gov’t Mule and Nolan Taylor at the Xfinity Center
Photo: Andrew Blackstein
In the closing stanzas of Tedeschi Trucks Band’s rendition of “With A Little Help from My Friends,” guitarist and singer, Susan Tedeschi, took the opportunity to express her gratitude for the thirteen musicians aside her on the stage of the Xfinity Center. It was the final song of an outstanding evening extended late after a weather-delayed start now curtailing, slightly, TTB’s headlining set; there could be no encore. Really, though, there was no better way to finish off another scintillating appearance by the dozen-strong ensemble.
So, as Tedeschi offered her thanks to the powerhouse band she shares with husband and guitarist, Derek Trucks—as well as nods to friends, Warren Haynes and Danny Louis of Gov’t Mule, sitting in—not only did it match the spirit of The Beatles-penned, Joe Cocker-adopted classic, it reinforced the notion of Tedeschi Trucks Band as a true collective. It’s something the group has emphasized and nearly perfected for over a decade; giving the spotlight, over the course of the two-hour show, to each of its members. This stormy September Saturday in the great woods of Mansfield was no exception.
TTB’s appearance followed Gov’t Mule’s smoldering, then inferno-like 90-minute run- the middle slot on a bill that opened with Nolan Taylor’s gentle foray, after lightning in the southern Massachusetts area kept the gates closed. Nevertheless, Tedeschi Trucks Band managed to hit the stage roughly 30 minutes past its scheduled time, and wasted not a moment in energizing the rain-slogged crowd with a charged reading of “The Letter.” The twelve then tore into a pair of originals, dropping a sizzling “Do I Look Worried” and “Who Am I” into the stew.
Singer Mike Mattison stepped to center-stage, taking the vocal reins for some of Dr. John’s voodoo on “Walk On Gilded Splinters,” then passed the vocal baton to keyboardist, Gabe Dixon, for the funky slink of “Ain’t That Something.” Next, the band surprised the grateful crowd at the X with a new, unreleased song, “Future Soul,” followed by the blitzing stomp of “I Want More” that segued into the heavy cycling wash of “Beck’s Bolero.”
It deserves mention, as with virtually every Tedeschi Trucks Band performance, the phenomenal guitar work of its namesakes. Trucks weaves through influences that range from folk blues to Indian raga, blending all that into a singular voice and tone that amaze with each run on the fretboard. His spouse, with her stings of blues and hues of wah-wah, is the ideal counterpart in their incomparable twin-guitar marriage. Still, as much as any show could be considered a showcase for Trucks and Tedeschi, there is the trio of horns- Kebbi Williams on sax, Emmanuele Chem guesting on trumpet, and Elizabeth Lea on trombone—that routinely astound, or the sterling vocal work of Mattison, or Mark Rivers, on “Made Up Mind,” or Alecia Chakour, on “It Ain’t Fair.”
Yet, it was all prelude, perhaps, to the show’s peak, when Haynes entered the fold for a captivating take of The Allman Brothers Band’s “Dreams,” that curled into a rumbling run of ABB’s “Stand Back,” both featuring Tedeschi, Dixon, and Haynes trading vocals. Then, it was time for the finale, and for Louis to join the fun.
And, as Tedeschi, a native of the Bay State, finished her thankful intros, she capped it with a question, asking if the Red Sox would win the World Series. This nod to Fenway’s boys of summer played well to the hometown faithful. A last smile on a night of so many, of searing musicianship from an unparalleled ensemble, for another transcendent gathering of Tedeschi Trucks Band family and friends.
