Live review: Tedeschi Trucks Band

April 12, 2011

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Tedeschi Trucks Band

McGlohon Theatre

April 11, 2011

The Deal: MaxxMusic brings in 11-piece Tedeschi Trucks Band to rock the McGlohon Theatre for two-hour set packed with punch.

The Good: The band hit the stage a little before 8 p.m. and played "5 Minute Rule," an instrumental jam that quickly showed off the talents of all nine band members (there are also two backup singers). The song quickly transitioned into "Bound for Glory," showing off the vocals of singer Susan Tedeschi. The song is one of the tracks from the band's upcoming album, Revelator.

From there the band rolled into its first cover, The Meters' "Just Kissed My Baby." Showing a display of blues, rock, soul and funk, the band powered through each song with ease. The horn section hit the right notes, bassist Oteil Burbridge looked to be having an absolute blast all night while his brother Kofi, a Charlotte resident, worked on the keyboards.

The ease with which Trucks plays guitar is stunning. Whether he is finger picking away at a riff, soothing with a slide or tearing into Hendrix during the band's cover of "Manic Depression," it's jaw dropping. Meanwhile, Tedeschi's soulful vocals are simply stunning — hitting with direct emotional impact every time she opens her mouth.

Kofi Burbridge lit up his solo during "Standing on the Edge of Love," while the two drummers dueled it out on "Uptight."

The band mixed in other tracks from its debut, such as "Midnight in Harlem," with covers such as the set-closing Stevie Wonder tune "Uptight," followed by Joe Cocker's "Space Captain." The band's two hour set was completed with a two-song encore that kicked off with an instrumental jam between the drums and saxophone.

The Bad: At one point Trucks broke a string... and kept playing. Seriously? Not one thing bad about this show!

The Verdict: Always great to see that much talent on one stage, as well as catching it at a smaller venue with a more intimate feeling in the room. Combining the vocals of Tedeschi with the guitar-work of Trucks is good enough, but when you add in the supporting talent, it's over the top.