Photo by John Patrick Gatta

Black Crowes/Tedeschi Trucks Band
The Mann Center
Philadelphia, PA
August 11

After suddenly returning this spring from a two year, side-project filled hiatus, The Black Crowes have kept their slightly reformed touring machine rolling through the summer, teaming up with The Tedeschi Trucks Band for a co-headlining tour. The two bands arrived at Philadelphia’s Mann Center on a gorgeous summer night, accompanied by heavy rocking opener The London Souls. Though the co-headlining concept forced both The Black Crowes and Tedeschi Trucks Band to play shorter sets than they might on their own, between standout playing and sit-ins aplenty, they managed to combine for a soul-drenched rock and roll jubilee.

The Tedeschi Trucks Band took the stage first and launched into a cover of George Harrison’s “Wah Wah.” “Wah Wah” felt like a most appropriate cover for this eleven-piece band, as Harrison’s original recording found him joined by eleven others, with layers of guitars and horns swirling around his vocals. The Tedeschi Trucks Band’s similar setup features a three-piece horn section and two drummers, but the powerful voice of Susan Tedeschi always broke through to the forefront. Though this band doesn’t venture as deep into pure jazz improvisation as The Derek Trucks Band used to, “Nobody’s Free” and “Midnight In Harlem” gave Trucks ample room to demonstrate why he is in a class of his own as a guitarist. The explosive “Sing A Simple Song” and “I Want To Take You Higher” Sly & The Family Stone medley found Chris Robinson sitting in, playing tambourine and singing a few lines, but it was backup singer Mike Mattison who stole the spotlight with his stunning vocal range.

The Black Crowes kicked their set off with a comfortable take on Traffic’s “Feelin’ Alright’” before dipping deeper into their catalogue for “Seeing Things” from their debut album, which found Chris Robinson’s howl as strong as ever. Though the band has delivered an abundance of greatest hits on this reunion tour, they continue to reinvigorate “Wiser Time” and “Thorn In My Pride” with creative, expansive playing. Between the hits heavy setlists and massive amphitheater crowds, it feels like there may have been a strong financial incentive behind the reunion, but there is no question that they continue to take their music as seriously as ever, and new addition Jackie Greene injects a fresh voice into the lead guitar slot.

For an encore, The Black Crowes invited the entire Tedeschi Trucks Band onstage for a soulful cover of “Space Captain” that found Robinson and Tedeschi sharing vocals, before The London Souls also joined in for a rowdy, blazing take on “Turn On Your Lovelight.” With four guitarists, five percussionists, three bassists, two keyboardists and too many singers to count onstage as the clock ticked past curfew, the musicians seemed to nod to the golden days of The Fillmore, when anyone who felt inspired would climb onstage to play and curfew was nothing more than a vague concept. As “Lovelight” wound down and ended a show full of searing blues guitar solos, wailing vocals and sing-along choruses, the night served as potent reminder of that classic rock spirit that still thrives today.