Tedeschi Trucks Band (TTB) rolled into The Filene Center at Wolf Trap in Vienna, Virginia, on July 19 as part of their "Wheels of Soul Summer Tour." Now in its sixth year, this tour is Tedeschi Trucks Band's flagship multi-band summer tour, and Wolf Trap has been fortunate enough to play host to the last five.

This year Tedeschi Trucks would bring Los Lobos and The Gabe Dixon Band with them on this thirty-four-date trans-continental soul caravan. Los Lobos last graced the stage with Tedeschi Trucks Band in 2016, while Gabe Dixon is TTB's keyboardist, singer, and songwriter.

Tedeschi Trucks Band also brought their latest and most ambitious album to date along with them -  I Am The Moon. This career-defining album is TTB's fifth studio release and the band is releasing the album as four smaller albums under the umbrella of I Am The Moon. The album was crafted  during the pandemic and was inspired by a mythic Persian tale of star-crossed lovers who are emotionally driven by the isolation and disconnection of the pandemic era. For many of us who have lived through the last two plus years of this pandemic, we can relate the themes of this album. It is composed of twenty-four original songs that add up to over two hours of awe-inspiring new music. As each of the four albums is released, the band will release a video three days before the album release date.

At the time of this writing and performance, Tedeschi Trucks Band has only released the first parts of I Am The Moon - I. Crescent, and II. Ascension. Based on what we have heard in the first half of this album, we eagerly await III. The Fall, and IV. Farewell.

Gabe Dixon and his band walked on stage at 7 o’clock sharp with a beaming smile and remarked how much he loved Wolf Trap and considered it one of his favorite venues. Dixon radiated on stage while performing several original songs and showed off his prowess for tickling the ivories as he captivated the audience during a piano solo within Bob Dylan's "Tangled Up In Blue." Tedeschi Trucks Band incredible bandmates Kebbi Williams (saxophone) and Ephraim Owens (trumpet) sat in with Dixon during his set.

Next to hit the soulful stage was Los Lobos. Although Los Lobos may be best remembered by a casual music lover for their 1987 version of "La Bamba," they have released a staggering seventeen albums since their debut album Los Lobos del Este de Los Angeles (1978). This band continues to create new music and only last year released Native Sons (2021). For nearly an hour, Los Lobos showed why they are among America's most diverse and prolific bands. They weaved in and out of their song catalog while delving into "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone," by The Temptations and an unforgettable extended version of "Oye Coma Va," by Santana. During the last song of their set Susan Tedeschi joined the band for a breathtaking rendition of "What's Going On" by Marvin Gaye.  As Susan Tedeschi warmed up her vocal cords, Los Lobos  drove this song to a full crescendo and ended their set with a standing ovation.  

At 9:20 PM, as the 21-day-old Waning Gibbous moon crested above the horizon, Derek Trucks, Susan Tedeschi, and the rest of this prolific twelve-piece rock and soul powerhouse of a band hit the stage.

Tedeschi Trucks Band was eager to showcase their latest masterpiece album this evening as they started the performance with "Playing With My Emotions," the first track off of I Am The Moon: II. Ascension. In fact, Tedeschi Trucks performed five of the twelve released tracks from I Am The Moon during this performance, including "Hear My Dear," "Fall In," "Pasaquan," and the title track, "I Am The Moon."

After playing with our emotions, TTB settled in with one of their most well-known songs, "Made Up Mind." As the moon rose above Wolf Trap, Derek Trucks decided to wind up the pace of the performance with blistering guitar work to captivate the audience and prepare them for the next phase of the moon. Mike Mattison, known for his brilliant vocals,  came down from his place in the vocal accompaniment section with an acoustic guitar and  performed "Fall In" from "I Am The Moon. I: Crescent." It was with great delight to see Mattison add instrumental duties to the performance.

As the band settled in and performed "Outside Woman Blues,"  Susan Tedeschi and others left the stage to allow Derek and the remaining members to deliver a masterclass blues and percussion performance. As the band pressed on, Susan Tedeschi had not returned to the stage. Reflecting on the "Story of Layla and Majnun" and the new album, was Susan the Layla to Derek's Majnun? Was Susan, in fact, The Moon? Unlike this ancient Persian story in which Majnun was driven to madness by his unattainable love, Layla, there is no doubt about the love and connection between Derek and Susan. Through shared glances and interactions on stage, it is quite clear that both Derek and Susan are one another's moon, and one could only hope that a partner would look at us like Derek and Susan gaze upon each other.

Susan and the moon would once again return to the stage as the concert drove on. In fact, during "Midnight in Harlem," the moon visibly appeared on stage. The moon  looked down upon this performance as Tedeschi Trucks delicately played another one of their signature songs. As the last note of "Midnight in Harlem" echoed into the night, the projected moon set. 

TTB would immediately launch into another powerhouse in their catalog, "Bound For Glory." This last song would showcase the full power and breadth of TTB's music prowess, including the outstanding vocal performance by Alecia Chakour. 

Barely a minute after the band finished "Bound For Glory," and the audience rose to their feet, TTB decided to close out the night with yet another powerhouse of a song, "Get What You Deserve." Tedeschi Trucks' moon shone brightly throughout the night, but the last two songs would bring the audience to their frenzied feet.   

I Am The Moon: Episode I. Crescent

I Am The Moon: Episode II. Ascension

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To learn more about Tedeschi Trucks Band, please see the following web resources:

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• Nugs.net
• TIDAL

To learn more about Los Lobos, please see the following web resources:

• Webpage
• Facebook
• Instagram
• Twitter
• YouTube
• TIDAL
• Spotify