Tedeschi Trucks Band: Deuces Wild
The jams are blooming as Richmond’s Spring concert season kicks off with two unbelievable nights from Tedeschi Trucks Band at the Altria Theater.
I previously gave a brief history of the Altria in my piece about the Grateful Dead’s history in Richmond. This historic venue holds a special place in the hearts of the local community, acting as a premier venue for Broadway musicals, comedians like Chris Rock and Jerry Seinfeld, to local productions and graduation ceremonies. But from time to time, rock bands come to enjoy the theater’s ornate designs and pitch-perfect acoustics.
TTB have established themselves as one of the biggest names in the jam band world, and they’ve formed a special take on the music born from a different kind of bond than you might be used to. Most jam bands are built around a group of guys who came together somehow and discovered some musical chemistry. Through the music, they develop a brotherly connection that keeps them going down the road.
TTB on the other hand, is built around a married couple who both also happen to be impeccable musicians. That’s a completely different dynamic to build the music around. Brothers tend to push each other – sometimes creatively, sometimes emotionally – whereas spouses (ideally) provide more well-rounded support to build emotional foundations, both as a couple and as individuals.
Listening to the tape, you’d be hard-pressed to know which guitar parts were coming from either Tedeschi or Trucks. Watching live in person, and it’s a wonder to see how they trade off solos. They complement each other in their playing so well, it’s almost like the classic troupe of a married couple finishing each other's sentences, but through the strings of a guitar.
For two wonderful nights, Richmond welcomed the powerhouse couple and their band of stellar musicians during their excellent Deuces Wild tour, and fans from across the entire number line showed up to take in the moment.
A Generational Audience
Their reputation includes a following largely skewed towards the older side of the audience. Plenty of younger fans are in attendance as well, but you’ll often hear in fan circles that crowds at TTB don’t appreciate it when you stand up and dance. They’d rather sit and calmly take in the music more observationally.
This doesn’t always sit well with fans who’d rather stand and boogie down. The Altria is built with seats covering almost the entire floor minus the orchestra pit, so it’s not the most danceable space, but both sides of the crowd were in attendance to see the magic unfold in this incredible setting.
I had a wonderful view along the right aisle in row L. A great spot to look around and take in the immaculate space during a heartfelt jam. The crowd was largely sitting down for the first set, except for three young fans standing directly in the middle of the central section of seats. While I respect the right to dance, they were sticking out quite a bit. When finally, from the back of that section came the screams, “Sit down! Sit down!”
Repeatedly she yelled, until the young girl turned around and not so politely said no. An odd piece of conflict in an otherwise warm atmosphere. But I think that’s at the heart of what TTB represents: pushing the traditions of rock and blues into more modern perspectives. This naturally creates a bit of a divide in TTB’s audience. The old guard would rather sit back and take in the wonderful music, but the younger audience tends to engage with the show more directly through dancing.
While many younger and middle-aged rockers filled the audience, there was a strong presence of older couples as well. This venue suits this section of the audience well, with its austere designs provoking a night at the theater more than it does a jam band show. Frequently, the venue hosts Broadway-level productions, where the wealthiest in town crowd together with their season passes, but tonight, white-collar rockers rubbed elbows with young hippies and even a few wooks.
Poster Art by Jon Vogl
The bond between Derek and Susan is the heart of this particular brand of music and the central point to this part of the band’s audience. You can feel the emotional connection that develops between husband and wife radiate from their playing, just as you can feel the connection between the silver-haired couple, decades into their lives together, calmly watching the stage with their hands clasped together and smiles on their faces.
While TTB have a tremendous songbook of original material, they also lean heavily into covers and material from their previous bands and older influences. Nostalgia takes on new meaning when you’ve found the bond of matrimony. Tedeschi and Trucks get to look back on their musical memories in the presence of an audience that largely feels the same way they do; filled with joy to have experienced them and eternally grateful to be here to remember them.
Creating Memories
TTB celebrates those memories while masterfully creating new ones every step of the way, and these two nights in Richmond highlight the band playing at a high level. Out of the gate, the band leans into their original material, with set one featuring just one cover with “Everybody’s Got to Change Sometime”. It’s clear from the start that this is exactly the kind of house for this music. Regal yet at the same time full of life.
The back and forth between the bandmembers is impeccable. Even with 12 people in the equation, everything feels balanced behind Susan’s warm and soaring voice that wraps the whole room in a warm blanket. Meanwhile, Derek lays down the grooves with full support behind him. The second set leaned hard into the influences with callbacks to The Beatles, Bob Dylan, and the band’s second-ever performance of “Into the Mystic” by Van Morrison.
A night so full of excellent music would’ve been enough, but we were lucky enough to have TTB back for a second, and they used the opportunity to dig even deeper into their immense repertoire. I was fortunate enough to nab a first row balcony seat for this one, and my bird’s eye view over the floor put me right in the middle of the night’s intimate jams. A lot more people were on their feet this night, a sign of the increased energy from night one.
I could listen to Susan’s wonderful singing all evening without tuning out a single note, but for me, the highlight of this run came at the end of the second night’s first set. Derek took center stage while Susan and several other band members exited, leaving him to lead a more traditional lineup of guitar, bass, keys, and drums.
The excursion into the winding roads of “Passaquan” brought the entire audience into an awe-inspiring journey and a wondrous feat of musical storytelling. Derek played with phenomenal fluidity, but he left plenty of room for the rhythm section to spread their wings, especially the drummers during an extended breakdown. A sequence like this proves Trucks is one of the standout players of this generation, and how lucky we are he has surrounded himself with the love of his wife and his bandmates.
The fireworks didn’t end there. Set two kicked off with the group’s first-ever performance of “Caravan” – another Van Morrison classic. The final stretch unfolded over a wonderful mix of originals and their deep bag of covers, including a standout pairing of Derek and the Dominos standards “Bell Bottom Blues” and “Why Does Love Got to Be So Sad?”
This two-night stand provided just about everything this widely diverse audience could ask for. Thrilling jams, rocking blues, and tender love letters to what brought us all there in the first place. As fans, we might not always see eye to eye with what we want from a show – especially if you’d like to sit and your view is blocked by the dancing wook two rows down – but the talent of this large ensemble and the loving duo at its center unites us all and brings everything forward in time.
Ultimately, when we walk away from the venue at the end of the night, it’s the music we remember, not the disagreements. Most marriages eventually find disagreements along the way, but as long as the love is there, we always find a way through it, because those memories don’t last. Memories like these shows and the sensational music we were all a part of, do last. I’m glad Derek and Susan found each other and used their bond to further our bonds with the music. Through their love, we get to create new memories and grow the love in our own lives.
Thank a Taper and check out the AUD recordings from these excellent nights of music: Night 1 and Night 2
