All good things must come to an end, and Sunday night at Red Rocks, Tedeschi Trucks Band wrapped up their now-annual Wheels of Soul Tour. With the help of the Marcus King Band and Drive-By Truckers, the Florida natives closed out their tour and two-night Red Rocks stand in spectacular fashion.

Despite heavy winds and tempestuous clouds during the opening acts, the storms held off as Greenville, South Carolina’s own Marcus King Band took the stage. Over the course of a fairly short set, the 22-year-old King floored the audience with his virtuosic guitar playing and unique breed of mind-boggling, psychedelic blues rock. Reminiscent of Duane Allman, Jimi Hendrix, and even Derek Trucks himself, the young prodigy has proved himself a force to be reckoned with in the coming years.

Following a gritty set from Athens, Georgia’s Drive-By Truckers, Tedeschi Trucks took the stage right around 8 p.m. The opening riff to the classic “Statesboro Blues” rippled over the crowd, and the band was off and rolling. A clean, concise rendition of the song made famous by the Allman Brothers Band was followed by “Get What You Deserve” off of the 2009 Derek Trucks Band album, Already Free. Vocalist Mike Mattison led the band through the upbeat number before settling into “All That I Need” off of 2013’s Made Up Mind. Bandleader, guitarist, and all-around female powerhouse extraordinaire, Susan Tedeschi took the reins on vocals before taking a moment after the song to pray and hope for the thousands of children currently separated from their families on our southern border. As a fitting tribute, the band dropped into “Lord Protect My Child,” a Bob Dylan tune that Susan covered on her 2005 album Hope and Desire.

The group followed the beautiful tribute with their timeless song, “Bound for Glory.” Interestingly enough, Susan introduced the song as another Bob Dylan composition. Seemingly, she was referencing “This Train is Bound for Glory” off of Dylan’s 1994 release of some of his earliest recordings, “The Minnesota Tapes.” Regardless, the TTB staple featured some tight interplay between guitarist Derek Trucks and keyboardist/flautist Kofi Burbridge. Though slightly shorter in length, the jam developed beautifully between the two melody makers, before coming back full circle. Derek then led the band through a brief rendition of the Allman Brothers Band’s “Little Martha” before dropping into “Midnight in Harlem.” Susan absolutely laid it all out with her vocals, digging deep, and hardly sounding like a singer at the end of a 2-month tour. Following an energetic “Part of Me”, the band welcomed out bassist Todd Smallie for “Yield Not To Temptation”, dedicated to the late great Col. Bruce Hampton. From there, the band went into Bobby Bland’s classic rave-up, “Turn on Your Lovelight.” With a strong foundation from bassist Tim Lefebvre and jaw-dropping “backing vocals” from Mark Rivers and Alecia Chakour, the group powered through the tune before returning to their own songbook with “Laugh About It.”

Keeping the energy high, the group busted out another cover, Joe Tex’s “Show Me (A Man That’s Got A Good Woman).” The song provided yet another chance for the group’s phenomenal vocalists and horn players to strut their stuff. Returning to more familiar territory, the 12-piece ensemble dove into “I Want More” from 2016’s Let Me Get By. Then, with little warning, came the opening notes that so many fans wanted to hear; the intro to “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed.” With the help of Marcus King, Tedeschi Trucks tore through the Allman Brothers Band tune with absolute ferocity. King took the lead on the first solo before bowing to Trucks for the second. Trucks led the group into a short drum solo in true Allman Brothers fashion. Drummers J.J. Johnson and Tyler Greenwell danced around each other’s rhythms, never losing sight of the music ahead, and effortlessly, the band slipped back into the end of “Elizabeth Reed,” nailing the ending and putting a hell of an exclamation point on an already incredible set.

Though still early in the night, the group took a well-deserved bow and then returned for an extended encore. A perfectly-executed take on Ray Charles’ “Night Time is the Right Time” was followed by a barn-burning cover of Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World.” With the help of Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley from Drive-By Truckers, Tedeschi Trucks played the classic rock anthem remarkably true to form. Hood’s vocals and Cooley’s guitar work were practical shoe-ins for Neil Young circa 1989, and Tedeschi Trucks made a bold statement that much of their music only dances around.

In troubled times and times like these, the Tedeschi Trucks Band’s music amplifies the soul and the spirit of humanity. Though rarely directly political, their music is always inspiring and always progressive in nature. Last night at Red Rocks, on the final evening of their tour, they went ahead and got political. It’s hard to blame them considering the current state of our country and our country’s humanity. So, just like Neil Young did for George H.W. Bush back in 1989, Tedeschi Trucks rocked the f**k out to show our Commander in Chief that we’re not backing down.

“Statesboro Blues”

[Video: Rober Fontneau]

“Lord Protect My Child” > “Bound For Glory”

[Video: Jake Lowenstein]

“Midnight In Harlem”

[Video: Rober Fontneau]

“Show Me” with Marcus King

[Video: Rober Fontneau]

“In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed”

[Video: Rober Fontneau]

“Night Time is the Right Time” > “Rockin’ In The Free World”

Listen to the full audio below, courtesy of vwmule.

While it would be picturesque to say something like the Wheels of Soul Tour “rolls on,” the band took their final bow of the summer at Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre after a magnificent Sunday night show. Tedeschi Trucks Band continues touring this fall including appearances at LOCKN’, the traveling Outlaw Music Festival, and their annual stand at the Beacon Theatre in New York, NY. For a full list of tour dates, visit the band’s website.

Setlist: Tedeschi Trucks Band | Red Rocks Amphitheatre | Morrison, CO | 7/29/18

Statesboro Blues, Get What You Deserve, All That I Need, Lord Protect My Child, Bound for Glory, Down in the Flood, Little Martha > Midnight in Harlem, Part of Me, Yield Not to Temptation > Turn On Your Lovelight*, Laugh About It, Show Me^, I Want More$, In Memory of Elizabeth Reed$

E: Night Time is the Right Time#, Rockin’ In the Free World@

* Todd Smallie (bass).
^ Marcus King (guitar), Deshawn D’Vibes Alexander (keys), Justin Johnson (trumpet) and Dean Mitchell (saxophone).
$ Marcus King (guitar).
# Deshawn D’Vibes Alexander (keys), Dean Mitchell (saxophone).
@ Patterson Hood (guitar, vocals), Mike Cooley (guitar)