Tedeschi Trucks Band at the El Rey Theatre, 7/18/11

By Ali Trachta Tue., Jul. 19 2011 at 10:24 AM

Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks of the Tedeschi Trucks Band.

Tedeschi Trucks Band
July 18, 2011
El Rey

Imagine a woman swallowed Mariah Carey and a chainsaw, and then belted out all the rough, raw power notes that got shredded up inside. Susan Tedeschi is something like that; a raspy, thunderous vocalist who sings with all her might, managing to rile us up and break our hearts all within one set. She's a woman. The real kind. With pretty blonde hair and a Bonnie Raitt sensibility, she's the kind who makes other women want to trade in their pinchy stilettos for cowboy boots. The kind who makes a man forget about the ditzy 22-year-old who didn't call him back last week. She's a cleaned-up version of what Janis Joplin might have become, had the poor thing pulled herself together.

But last night wasn't all about Susan. It was about Tedeschi Trucks Band--the newborn love child created with her guitar god husband Derek Trucks. Both have enjoyed successful music careers -- playing with the likes of Eric Claption and Herbie Hancock, as well as recording solo albums -- but they've put all that aside for now to make a record together and take it on the road. You could describe both Trucks' and Tedeschi' sounds as a soup of bluesy southern rock, and that remains the foundation of their new group, though they splash in a little bit of funk and a whole lot of jammin.'

The El Rey was packed with enthusiastic supporters ready to cheer on the collaboration -- albeit from their seats, nicely laid out in rows. The act drew a bit of an older crowd, but within the sea of white hair one could tell this was a room full of people who'd been rockin' forever.

TTB kicked things off with "Bound for Glory," laced with not one but two guitar solos from Derek Trucks. His playing sometimes invoked the holy spirit -- inspiring many air guitar knockoffs -- and other times kept it low and slow like a rolling river, as on "Midnight in Harlem."

Trucks shared the wealth on the solos, giving just about everyone their go. We got a sax solo, a flute solo on "Anyday," and the keyboardist took over on "Don't Got Over." The trumpet and the drums also had time to shine, during the cover of "Uptight." Even the trombone player got his moment during "Give It Up." And the backup singers -- who kicked ass on every song all the way from the corner -- came to the main mic at certain points to give Susan a run for her money.

All those musical components came together, often like a fireworks display, crescendoing over time into flailing, raucous booms. Every one felt like it could be the grand finale.

When they finally did get there, two hours in, the audience finally made it to their feet, saving their best enthusiasm for the end.

Personal bias: I came of age listening to Susan Tedeschi and thought God sent her directly to me to solve all my petty, juvenile problems. I grew up and realized how ridiculous I was. Kind of.

The crowd: Former rootin' tootin' rockers who now have all their money in stocks and bonds, along with a handful of youngins who know what's up.

Overheard in the crowd: "Remember that time [insert crazy story of drunken night from 30 years ago]? Oh man, that was righteous."

Random notebook dump: Susan and Derek are clearly rock solid, but they display little musical PDA. There's no "I Got You Babe" on this stage.

Set list:
Bound for Glory
Don't Let Me Slide
Until You Remember
Comin' Home
Midnight in Harlem
Anyday
Done Got Over
Manic Depression
That Did It
Uptight
Space Captain
Simple Song --> Take You Higher

Encore:
I've Got a Feelin'
Give It Up
Love Has Something Else To Say

Location Info

Venue

Map

El Rey Theatre

5515 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA

Category: Music

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Ali Trachta, El Rey, Tedeschi Trucks Band

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Altogringo

Pardon me for being decrepit but whatinhell does PDA mean in this context? Is it hipster shorthand using the device as metaphor? Is it acronym code for something else? I know it's my problem, I only figured out SEO a couple months ago.

Ali Trachta

It's short for "public displays of affection." No worries!

Daniel Aron Cromwell

Front Row...AWSOME SHOW!!!

Theebigguy

First off lets set it straight Susan Tedeschi is awesome. It is a shame that anyone with such great vocals and guitar talent is not a common household name. She really is that good of a singer. Now the reality of the show. Felt like a bar gig with a bunch of friends and everyone had to have a showcase at one point or another. I'm sorry but the star of the show is Susan Tedeschi and her husband who is a great slide guitar player Derek Trucks. That's it, I'm sorry, but we had more than enough of.. trombone solo, the trumpet solo, the saxophone solo, the piano solo, the drum solo, the bass solo, the background singers who come forward and sing lead, the bass player singer who sang a song and on and on and on... I have seen it before at local dives when a bunch of friends get on stage and everyone has to have there time in the light, but this was not the place. Till Tedeschi Trucks as a band understands that the star is Susan and Derek then they will not have the stardom and success that this group of talented musicians deserve. And one last note the El Rey has put seating on the center floor, and crammed 300 people down the two sides. It made a disaster for anyone who had to stand crammed into a hot room.

Feltie

Sorry dude....Wrong Take!

This is no bar band, every one of those 11 musicians could lead a band and take it on tour. It amazes me that this show left you with anything close to the thought of a bunch of friends playing a dive. My thoughts were more like, "What just happened?" "Was that show real?" "Can a band really be that good and not play arenas?" "When and where is their next show and how do I get there?"

They wanted and created a family band specifically so that it would not be limited to being the Derek and Susan show. They could save a lot of money and keep all of the glory by touring as a duo and pull it off easily. That's not the mission they're on. I saw this band three times in 2012 (all a few months apart) and they are just getting their thing together, which is a scary thought. They were so much better each time I saw them. In short, leave your expectations at home. There is plenty of Derek and plenty of Susan in their generous set. I'll never ask for less Derek, but I don't find anything wrong with the idea of a trombone solo in between the 23rd and 24th guitar solo. It's like having some bread with your cheese and beer.

(Thebigguy, I totally agree that the El Rey made a poor choice by making the floor seated, I just completely disagree with your musical take.....different strokes)

Melyssa P

I was there and can attest it was almost a religious experience, moving, and sublime night of music. Love it when you can see them having fun and connecting to the audience. Los Angeles music lovers did well last night!