On Wednesday night, Tedeschi Trucks Band wrapped up the mid-week portion of their 2019 residency at New York’s Beacon Theatre with a guest-filled performance featuring an opening set by John Moreland.
Derek Trucks, Susan Tedeschi, and company took the stage just before 9:00 p.m. and kicked off their single-set performance with “High & Mighty”. An energetic “Let Me Get By” continued to elevate the energy in the hallowed room. “It’s So Heavy” and a particularly strong, Mike Mattison-led rendition of Derek and the Dominos‘ “Anyday” featuring a powerful sax solo by Kebbi Williams and a “Blue Sky”-reminiscent closing jam from Trucks was up next. From there, Susan led the band through a slow-burning take on Signs track, “I’m Gonna Be There”.
Part of what makes TTB’s annual Beacon residency so special is the surprise guests, and Wednesday’s show didn’t disappoint in that category. First, guitarist Eric Krasno joined the band on stage for takes on “Misunderstood” and “Sweet and Low”, a pair of songs he co-wrote for TTB’s 2013 album, Made Up Mind. Of note, Derek Trucks had just joined Krasno this past weekend at his own NYC residency at the Blue Note.
We’re over the hump, night four of six and deep in the groove. Highlights so far include “Anyday” with “Blue Sky” quotes abound, @erickrasno on “Misunderstood” and “Sweet and Low” and Pedrito Martinez on percussion for the whole set. pic.twitter.com/zOoFWFd2dI
— Tedeschi Trucks Band (@DerekAndSusan) October 3, 2019
After Krasno cleared the stage, Susan welcomed up their next guest, an artist with whom they’ve been friends for the better part of two decades: Steel guitar master Robert Randolph. Randolph helped add some extra guitar firepower to a searing “Leavin’ Trunk” > “Volunteered Slavery” combo.
As Randolph made his exit, Trucks started into his delicate intro to fan-favorite power ballad, “Midnight In Harlem”, which built up to its customary raucous peak. Following a combo of “Don’t Know What It Means” > “The Letter” (the latter a residual setlist staple from their 2015 Mad Dogs & Englishmen set), the band spotlighted their three-piece percussion section (augmented by guest percussionist Pedrito Martinez, who performed with them for the entirety of the set) with a rendition of Santana classic, “Soul Sacrifice”.
From there, the band turned to the blues with a standout performance of “How Blue Can You Get?” which saw Susan adjust the “$10 dinner” line to “$100” to account for inflation—this is NYC, after all, where $10 for dinner only gets you a “snack” to begin with.
As the clock hands pushed toward curfew time, Eric Krasno emerged once again for an outstanding rendition of the Allman Brothers Band‘s “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed”, a song that always feels that much more special when played at the Beacon, the Allmans’ home away from home throughout the later years of their career. After the nearly 18-minute “Liz Reed” expedition, Krasno exited once again as the band led into the final song of their set, a celebratory rendition of classic civil rights anthem, “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free”, which featured tag-team vocal leads from each of the band’s singers including Tedeschi, Mattison, Mark Rivers, and Alecia Chakour.
Finally, after a brief break, the band returned to the stage along with guitarist Mark Whitfield and keyboardist Deshawn D’Vibes Alexander to close things down with a sing-along “Let’s Go Get Stoned” encore. As Susan reminded the crowd while the band took their final bows, “We’ll be here this weekend. Be safe. Don’t get too high, but have a good time.”
Tedeschi Trucks Band’s sold-out 2019 Beacon residency finishes up this weekend with performances on Friday and Saturday, 10/4 and 10/5. For a full list of the band’s upcoming tour dates, head here.
Below, you can listen to a full audio recording, watch a selection of videos, and check out a gallery of photos from the show courtesy of photographer Kevin Cole (@oldkingcolephotography).
Tedeschi Trucks Band – The Beacon Theatre – 10/2/19 – Full Audio
[Audio: edtyre2]
Setlist: Tedeschi Trucks Band | The Beacon Theatre | New York, NY | 10/2/19
Set: High & Mighty, Let Me Get By, It’s So Heavy, Anyday, I’m Gonna Be There, Misunderstood*, Sweet & Low*, Leavin’ Trunk^ > Volunteered Slavery^, Midnight In Harlem, Don’t Know What It Means, The Letter > Soul Sacrifice, How Blue Can You Get, In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed*, I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free
Encore: Lets Go Get Stoned&
*with Eric Krasno (guitar)
^with Robert Randolph (steel guitar)
&with Mark Whitfield (guitar); Deshawn D’Vibes Alexander (organ)
