Tedeschi Trucks Band played their first of two nights at the Warner Theatre in Washington, DC on Friday night. About an hour before the show, the band learned that their forever keyboardist/flutist Kofi Burbridge passed away. Kofi had been on medical leave this year following recurring heart complications, and renowned keyboardist Gabe Dixon has been touring in 2019 in his place.
It’s been an insanely rough couple of years for Tedeschi Trucks Band, and yesterday marked their triumphant comeback with the release of SIGNS, marking their first record since 2016’s Let Me Get By. The extended period of time between albums was a result of the major losses experienced by the band over the last several years. During the recording process, the group lost several of their mentors: Leon Russell, Col. Bruce Hampton, and Derek Trucks’ uncle and original Allman Brothers Band drummer, Butch Trucks, followed by Gregg Allman later that year.
As the band noted in a press release, “Signs confronts loss, heartbreak, and politically troubled times with a credence and conviction that puts the group’s undying world-class musicianship and collaborative spirit on full display. It’s a genre-defying collection that runs the gamut from uplifting soulful anthems to bittersweet ballads and driving rock and roll.”
To celebrate the new record’s release, the band performed the entire album live for the first time ever, with the exception of the emotional closing track, “The Ending”, about Col. Bruce Hampton‘s mysterious death (listen immediately if you haven’t already). Following the 10-song surprise, the band continued with original favorites “Don’t Know What It Means”, “Bound For Glory”, “Midnight In Harlem”, “Part Of Me”, and “The Storm”. For the encore, they returned for the only covers of the night, Little Milton‘s “More and More” and Joe Cocker‘s “Space Captain”.
In the video below, you can see the band members console one another with their instruments during the parts of “Space Captain” when Kofi would traditionally take his solos. An emotional evening, indeed.
“Space Captain”
[Video: Vinny Allen]
You can also listen to the full show below, courtesy of vwmule.
[Audio: vwmule]
Tedeschi Trucks Band returns to the stage tonight before heading on to Hershey Theatre in Hershey, PA. For a full list of upcoming dates, head to the band’s website.
Setlist: Tedeschi Trucks Band | Warner Theatre | Washington, DC | 2/15/19
Signs, High Times, I’m Gonna Be There, When Will I Begin, Walk Through This Life, Strengthen What Remains, Still Your Mind, Hard Case, Shame, All The World, They Don’t Shine, Don’t Know What It Means, Bound For Glory, Midnight In Harlem, Part Of Me, The Storm
E: More and More, Space Captain