Summer of the Arts - Working at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts: Wheels of Soul

What better performance to follow a soft acoustic night than a loud raucous rock show? This was a long show full of great performances and headliners Tedeschi Trucks Band did not disappoint. The band formed in 2010 when singer-guitarist Susan Tedeschi and guitarist Derek Trucks combined their respective bands and started playing blues festivals around the US. Their first album, Revelator, reached the top 20 of the album charts and won a Grammy award for best Blues Album. They have released two more albums since then and have become one of the biggest concert draws due to their energetic performances. The band is made up of several talented musicians and their two drummer line-up combined with a horn section gives them an added punch when they're up on stage. Reminiscent of bands like the Allman Brothers and the Doobie Brothers, their straight up blues-rock has been a steady seller over the years and the band has been preparing a new album for release soon.

A near sold out crowd was very excited for this show and every artist had a little something to offer. the first group was the Marcus King Band and they were incredible. Led by 20 year old King, his voice and guitar virtuosity is astonishing and he was probably the most talented performer of the whole night. While his music was traditional, he played the blues like a seasoned veteran and he has great career lined up if he continues his act. The Drive by Truckers followed them and although they had a bigger sound, the music wasn't quite as powerful and versatile. Despite their name, the band is known for their liberal leaning attitude and lead singer Mike Cooley made sure his political voice was heard throughout their set. Tedeschi closed the night and it was quickly apparent how musically proficient this band was. Blues is a tough genre to play because its hard to stay true to the sound without sounding completely derivative. Tedeschi did a good job by combing traditional blues with an influx of soul and R&B. I've never been a fan of two drummers in one band but they actually pulled it off quite well by having more subdued percussion work. The band is quite a force live and despite a large group of musicians, they still accomodated brilliant guitar and vocal work. In the end, their songs did end up all sounding similar but the sound itself was enough to satisfy myself and their 7000 fans. I always enjoy seeing a good band kill it on stage and Tedeschi Trucks Band really pulled all the punches.

My favorite part of the night was when Tedeschi invited Marcus King back on stage to run through a couple songs. This guy really is the real deal and matched Derek Trucks note for note with his incredible guitar-playing. I hope someone big discovers him soon!

Looking forward to more shows in the future!

DC