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Derek Trucks (left) and Susan Tedeschi perform with their 12-piece supergroup, Tedeschi Trucks Band, at Warner Theatre, Feb. 21, 2020. (Photo by Ari Strauss)
February in DC, for the past five years, means the Tedeschi Trucks Band, the 12-piece blues-rock supergroup lead by married couple Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks, holds an annual residency at historic Warner Theatre. This year’s residency included four sold out shows over two consecutive weekends, Feb. 14 and 15, and Feb. 21 and 22.
The Tedeschi Trucks band performs at Wolf Trap on July 17, 2019. (Photo by Ari Strauss)
The Tedeschi Trucks Band had a stroke of good luck in the form of an early evening thunderstorm recently. The pouring rain cooled down what was a sweltering hot day, making the atmosphere at Wolf Trap for their performance decidedly comfortable.
Tedeschi Trucks Band performs at Warner Theatre on Feb. 23, 2019. (Photo by Ari Strauss)
In what has become an annual tradition, the Tedeschi Trucks Band recently spent two February weekends in DC for its fifth annual Warner Theatre residency. This year’s residency included four performances, each of which sold out the 1,847-seat venue. I was lucky to get a ticket and a photo pass for the final performance.
(Tedeschi Trucks Band performs at the Outlaw Music Festival on Sept. 8, 2018. Photos by Nathan Payne; Words by Jennifer Grant of Enlighten Life Now)
The 2018 Outlaw Music Festival Tour made a stop in the sweetest city on earth — Hershey, Pennsylvania — on Saturday, Sept. 8. The lineup included top names in music such as Willie Nelson, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Van Morrison, Sturgill Simpson, Lukas Nelson & The Promise of the Real, and The Particle Kid. Hersheypark Stadium hosted the star-studded music festival, a one-day event that creates a classic multi-day festival vibe by including several art and food vendors along with a full day of soulful and eclectic interpretations of blues and country music.
Tedeschi Trucks Band performs at Wolf Trap on July 11, 2018. (Photo by Ari Strauss)
I recently found myself musing on the merits of listening to recorded albums versus attending live performances for the different experiences they provide the listener. As a jam band, Tedeschi Trucks Band provides a live experience for the audience that is simply unequaled by the studio album. The heavy improvisational element of their performance means that every show is unique. Sure, their recorded albums are great, too — they won a Grammy for Best Blues Album with Revelator — but it’s as a live act that that they truly amaze. And amaze the band did at Wolf Trap on July 11 as headliners on their Wheels of Soul Tour.
Tedeschi Trucks Band (Photo by Greg Logan)
Blues rock group the Tedeschi Trucks Band last year released Life from the Fox Oakland, their second live album, via Fantasy Records. And speaking of playing live, Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks bring their namesake band to Wolf Trap on Wednesday, July 11 for their Wheels of Soul Tour with Drive-By Truckers and The Marcus King Band.
