Last night marked Tedeschi Trucks Band’s third performance at NYC’s famed Beacon Theatre, as the remarkable 12-piece ensemble continued their six-night run with a beautiful, Tuesday night showing. There’s something truly special when a band finds a venue that absolutely suits them, and the magic of both the Beacon and TTB sets the pace for perfection.

Indeed, the Tedeschi Trucks Band is no stranger to the Beacon, having performed multi-night runs there over the last few years. Derek Trucks played the storied venue as a member of The Allman Brothers Band for too many shows to count. There’s just an enormous energy that Tedeschi Trucks Band bring to the table, and the band seemingly grows stronger and tighter with every passing performance. The band was gelling, taking chances that paid off at every turn. It was a great show, to say the least.

The night opened with a set from Dave Mason, founding guitarist of the band Traffic. Mason’s guitarwork seems to have sharpened over the years, as he was shredding impressively throughout the performance. Backed by a tight-knit four-piece, Mason treated fans to a handful of Traffic tunes, including “Rock and Roll Stew,” “Dear Mr. Fantasy,” and an alternate arrangement of “Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys.” He concluded his set with “All Along The Watchtower,” and informed the crowd that his acoustic guitarwork is featured on Jimi Hendrix’s iconic rendition of the classic Bob Dylan song.

Tedeschi Trucks Band came out firing, opening up their set with a rocking rendition of “Going Down To Mexico.” Interestingly, it was singer Mike Mattison who got to lead the vocals on the opening number, but Susan Tedeschi was soon featured on the second song, “Let Me Get By.” The title track of their 2016 album featured a jazz-influenced solo from Kofi Burbridge, and of course great guitarwork from the band’s titular members.

The grooves continued with “Laugh About It,” another Let Me Get By rocker, before a beautiful rendition of the Leonard Cohen classic “Bird On A Wire” provided a sentimental moment. They took that song into “Just As Strange,” played without the “Within You Without You” introduction for the first time in recent memory. The psychedelically-inspired tune bled into another TTB classic, as the band rocked out on “Idle Wind.” Drummers Tyler Greenwell and J.J. Johnson really let loose here, leading a rhythm-heavy jam.

The twelve members of TTB pared down to just three, as Tedeschi, Mattison and Alecia Chakour harmonized on a stripped-down cover of “Color Of The Blues” with Susan on guitar. Just like that, the Beacon was rocking with “Don’t Know What It Means” and “Get What You Deserve.” The band then called on Eric Krasno, who joined in for a joyous rendition of Sly and the Family Stone’s “I Cannot Make It.” The roots run deep between Krasno and the Tedeschi Trucks family, who most recently collaborated on the Krasno original “Curse Lifter” – the new music video premiered on Live For Live Music yesterday. Krasno was really flying on his guitar solo, which made for an energetic conclusion to the sit-in.

@erickrasno shredding with @derekandsusan at the Beacon! #erickrasno #tedeschitrucksband #liveforlivesitins #l4lm

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The show kept rolling as the band tore into hits like “That Did It” and “I Wish I Knew (How It Would Feel To Be Free).” Mattison again took the lead vocals on the latter, as the song was a staple of the Derek Trucks Band catalog and appeared on the 2006 Songlines album. Mattison gave all of the vocalists a chance to shine in the gospel standard, but it was the Let Me Get By hit “I Want More” that kept the set rolling. The song then segued seamlessly into a rousing cover of Santana’s “Soul Sacrifice,” putting an energetic finish on a great set of music.

With just time for a few more songs, Tedeschi Trucks Band returned to perform two classic covers. “Night Time Is The Right Time” by Ray Charles came first, which really showcased the band’s three-piece horn section of Kebbi Williams (saxophone), Elizabeth Lea (trombone) and Ephraim Owens (trumpet). Afterwards, the band welcomed Dave Mason back on the stage, and all four of his band members turned the 12-piece into a 16-piece ensemble!

During Mason’s set, the only song notoriously absent was arguably his most famous original, “Feelin’ Alright.” The song was a natural selection, especially considering Tedeschi Trucks Band’s recent Joe Cocker tribute at Lockn’ Festival 2015. Cocker’s version is arguably more famous than the original, but Mason proudly claimed that he wrote the song as a 19-year-old when he took the stage. Mason’s keyboardist Tony Patier opened up the iconic introduction, and the whole Beacon Theatre crowd was on their feet, dancing to the classic song. Seeing Dave Mason playing his famous song with fifteen incredibly talented musicians behind him made for quite the special concert moment.

Feelin’ Alright with Dave Mason and @derekandsusan at the Beacon! #tedeschitrucksband #DaveMason #FeelinAlright #liveforlivemusic

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Tedeschi Trucks Band continues their Beacon run tonight, October 5th, with Jorma Kaukonen opening the show. Check out the setlists from last night, below.

Setlist: Dave Mason at The Beacon Theatre, New York, NY – 10/4/16

Set: Only You Know And I Know, Rock and Roll Stew, Low Spark Of High-Heeled Boys, Dear Mr. Fantasy, We Just Disagree, Look At You Look At Me, 40,000 Headmen, All Along The Watchtower

Setlist: Tedeschi Trucks Band at The Beacon Theatre, New York, NY – 10/4/16

Set: Going Down To Mexico, Let Me Get By, Laugh About it, Bird On A Wire, Just As Strange, Idle Wind, Color of the Blues, Don’t Know What It Means, Get What You Deserve, I Cannot Make It*, That Did It, I Wish I Knew (How It Feels To Be Free), I Want More > Soul Sacrifice

Encore: Nightime Is The Right Time, Feelin’ Alright**

* = w/ Eric Krasno
** = w/ Dave Mason