Words by Olivia Schilder Photos by Marc Millman Tuesday night made for a beautiful evening of music in Port Chester. Old man winter seemed to disappear and The Capitol Theatre flung the venue doors open to the streets, letting the unseasonably warm February air into the room. It was as if Mother Nature knew the Tedeschi Trucks Band was coming into town and that concertgoers would be dancing their hearts out to the sold out show. As per usual, the band delivered an impressive set of tunes just shy of twenty songs, opening with a super tight version of “Do I Look Worried” from the 2013 album Made Up Mind. One of my favorite qualities about this band is their ability to just get straight to the music. There is very little talk directed to the audience, if any, and usually only from Susan. TTB is there to deliver a performance. The stage is certainly not their soapbox. The first set was perfectly smooth; the crowd was easy going and ready for whatever was coming. Third song of the night was the epic “Until You Remember” from the 2011 album Revelator. This song is a reminder (in case you have bumped your head and forgotten) just how much of a powerhouse Susan Tedeschi is. Her vocals soar and even though myself, like many others have seen this band countless times, I am always blown away at how effortless she makes it look to sound just that good. The first set had some great covers including Charles Segar’s “Key to the Highway” and what has recently become a fan favorite “Alabama” by Neil Young. TTB let it rip with “Talking About” from Susan’s 2008 solo album Back To The River and closed out the set with an amazing “Idle Wind” jam from Made Up Mind showcasing the cohesiveness of the band, specifically Tyler Greenwell and J.J. Johnson on the drums. Isn’t it amazing how a few simple chords in music can evoke such a response out of a crowd? The second set began with “Statesboro Blues” by Blind Willie McTell, made famous by The Allman Brothers, and those first sounds coming from Derek’s slide had grown men and women jumping. Kofi Burbridge and Derek were a dynamic duo throughout the song; it is always a special experience when TTB plays the Allman Brothers and last night was no exception. The band played a jazzy version of “Let Me Get By” packed with spacey drum and organ solos accompanied by great backing vocals. The rest of the set was filled with some great blues covers like “Goin Down Slow” by St. Louis Jimmy Oden. Mike Mattison and the horn section brought their own soulful stylings to that one. As an ode to their late, dear friend B.B King with Susan on lead guitar and vocals, the band crushed “How Blue Can You Get” thanking King at the song's conclusion. The set ended with the gospel song, written by Billy Taylor “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free.” This became an anthem for the Civil Rights Movement when the late Nina Simone released it in 1967 on her album Silk and Soul. The band takes this raw, powerful, 16 bar song and makes it their own while still encapsulating the message with that Tedeschi Trucks power sound. It is always a guessing game with any show when it comes to the encore, and last night the crowd was pleasantly surprised when Susan put on the harmonica holder and the band began to play “You Don’t Know How It Feels” by the wonderful Tom Petty. The show closed out with a fire version of “Laugh About It.” During the chorus Susan slipped in “Put your hands up for those kids” to the crowd, referring to the tragedy at Parkland High School in Florida. [gallery link="file" ids="|"] Words by Olivia Schilder Photos by Dino Perrucci Tedeschi Trucks Band brought the house down on Wednesday for their final evening in Port Chester with a high energy set that had the fans whirling at the shows conclusion. The band opened with an absolute barnburner called “Shame” which they debuted this past June at the Merriam Theater in Philadelphia; I had never heard it done before and was blown away. The song is intense, powerful, and even spooky at moments. This tune gave way to “Don’t Know What It Means” from the latest album Let Me Get By and the Derek Trucks Band song “Swamp Raga.” Slowly, The Capitol Theatre turned down the lights to that dark purple hue, and saxophonist Kebbie Williams began to serenade the crowd. Flutters of Tyler and J.J’s cymbals in the background paired with Derek teasing on the slide only meant one thing, it was midnight up in Port Chester! If you are familiar with TTB you probably know where I am headed with this one; “Midnight In Harlem” gives me an undeniable euphoric feeling every time I see it live. This song is a spiritual experience, no matter where you are seated in the venue, and the emotion it evokes from the crowd is something only music can do to a person. Naysayers will comment on the fact that Susan stumbled on the lyrics in the beginning of the song. I didn’t feel it hurt the performance in the least, and judging by the crowd response, they agreed. Calm, cool and collected as always, Derek delivered and the band went straight into “Don’t Let Me Slide” off of Revelator. This song showcases the talent in this twelve-piece band, specifically from Ephraim Owens on the trumpet and Kofi Burbridge with his flute solo. Once again, the band paid tribute to the victims of the tragedy that took place at Parkland High School in Florida, with the beautiful “All The World.” Fittingly, the next song up was a cover of Elmore James “The Sky Is Crying.” If there is one indisputable fact about this band, it is that they can certainly jam the blues. Both Derek and Susan delivered insane solos during this nearly 9-minute rendition, which had the crowd raging. At this point, audience members were looking at one another expecting a set break; everyone was mistaken because there would be no set breaks! Mike Mattison stepped up the mic and went all in for the DTB “Get What You Deserve.” Afterward, the band slowed it down with a tune and a dedication to their friend Scott Boyer who sadly passed away last week with a song called “All My Friends” by his band Cowboy. The rest of the evening featured some great covers including the uplifting “Sweeter Than Ever” by The Four Tops and “Will The Circle Be Unbroken”, a hymn which has been recorded by many over the years, like Johnny Cash, John Lee Hooker and The Staple Singers. The last segment of the show was filled with fan favorites like “Bound For Glory” and John Prine's “Angel From Montgomery” into Robert Hunter and Jerry Garcia's “Sugaree.” Kofi’s piano accompaniment on both of these songs was gorgeous, and you can’t beat hearing a Jerry tune sung by Susan Tedeschi in Port Chester. The 15-song set closed out with a super tight version of “I Want More” off of Let Me Get By, the peak of the song was absolutely roaring and they teased Santana’s “Soul Sacrifice,” causing Derek to bust a string. TTB certainly took us higher with a Sly & The Family Stone mash up encore consisting of “Sing A Simple Song” and “I Want To Take You Higher.” These jams had everyone on their feet and you could tell how much fun the band was having delivering these songs. It is safe to say an amazing two nights of music were had this week at the Capitol Theatre, the Tedeschi Trucks Band is such a force and we can’t wait to hear what they have coming next. [gallery link="file" ids="|"]