Wheels of Soul Tour Returns Featuring Tedeschi Trucks Band, Los Lobos and the Gabe Dixon Band

2022-06-30

Tedeschi Trucks Band | Wheels of Soul Tour 2022 | Indianapolis, IN. | Photo by: ©Pix Meyers 2022

Indianapolis, IN – It’s been two full years and two rescheduled dates since the Wheels of Soul tour made its way through Indianapolis. Heck, Indy’s even built a permanent amphitheater at White River State Park since the band last visited (Susan commenting from stage she “liked what we’d done with the place”). Always a fan favorite tour, this year’s line up featuring Tedeschi Trucks Band included support acts Los Lobos and Gabe Dixon Band.

Gabe Dixon Band | Wheels of Soul 2022 | Indianapolis, IN. | Photo by: ©Pix Meyers 2022

Kicking the night off was The Gabe Dixon Band featuring Gabe Dixon. Joining the TTB family in 2019 as the keyboardist after the untimely passing of Kofi Burbridge, Gabe as a solo artists is getting ready to drop his third EP, Let Me Be Your Melody on July 1st (via Rolling Ball Records). Gabe got his start as a teenager playing keyboards professionally around Nashvillle, before studying classical piano at the University of Miami and launching the Gabe Dixon Band with his then roommate Jano Rix (The Wood Brothers). Gabe broke out on a solo career in 2010 and became a go-to musician for some of the biggest names in the industry, including tours with Paul McCartney, Alison Krauss, and O.A.R. before joining up with TTB. Make sure to check out his new EP, along with his 2021 album Lay It On Me.

Next up on the bill was the Latin Grammy’s Lifetime Acheivement winners, Los Lobos.

Los Lobos | Wheels of Soul 2022 | Indianapolis, IN. | Photo by: ©Pix Meyers Photo

Spanning a career of 5 decades, original members Louis Perez (drums, guitar, percussion, vocals), Steve Berlin (saxophone, percussion, flute, midsax, harmonica, melodica), Cesar Rosas (vocals, guitar, mandolin), Conrad Lozano (bass, guitarron, vocals), David Hidalgo (vocals, guitar, accordion, percussion, bass, keyboards, melodica, drums, violin, banjo) along with Alfredo Ortiz (drummer) took the stage to the crowds delight and wasted no time getting down to business. Currently out in support of their 2021 release Native Sons (which won the band their 4th Grammy for Best Americana Album), Los Lobos will be out on the Wheels of Soul tour through September before joining up with The Mavericks in October. If you haven’t already, make sure to capture Los Lobos while they are out touring. These dudes are legendary musicians and performers. I would personally like to thank the band for closing their set with the Grateful Dead’s “Bertha” (coincidently Dead & Co. were playing at the other amphitheater across town on the same night)!

It was time for the main event and what a night of music it was going to be. The band had recently taken on an epic project with the I Am The Moon album series; releasing four new albums featuring 24 original songs with each album having a companion film featuring studio and performance footage, along with atmospheric photography of the band’s creative process. The first album, I Am The Moon: Crescent was released June 3rd and the second installment I Am The Moon: Ascension is set to release July 1st.

As the crowd stood and cheered the band on stage, the twelve member ensemble featuring husband/wife duo Derek Trucks (lead guitar) and Susan Tedeschi (lead vocals, lead guitar, rhythm guitar), along with Gabe Dixon (keyboards, organ, vocals), Tyler Greenwell (drums, percussion), Mike Mattison (harmony vocals, acoustic guitar), Mark Rivers (harmony vocals), Kebbi Williams (saxophone), Ephraim Owens (trumpet), Elizabeth Lea (trombone), Alecia Chakour (harmony vocals), Brandon Boone (bass), and Isaac Eady (drums, percussion) kicked the night off debuting two songs off the new album, I Am The Moon: Ascension.

The sound of the band has matured and deepened over the years and this was on full display as the band rocked their way through two Derek & the Domino’s covers with the help of Los Lobos’ David Hildago. Next up, the band proceeded to play every song off I Am The Moon: Crescent with Derek giving a jaw-dropping guitar performance on the albums final tune, “Pasaquan” while the rest of the band took a short break.

As the rest of the band joined Derek on stage, TTB kicked out some beloved classics with John Prine’s “Angel from Montgomery” flowing into Jerry Garcia’s “Sugaree” and then blowing the new roof off the amphitheater’s with Sly & the Family Stone’s “I Want More/Higher” – the band thanked the crowd and took a quick break before returning for a one song encore and calling it a night! As the crowd made their way out of the venue, you could feel the joy and positivity throughout; It was a fabulous night of music!

TEDESCHI TRUCKS BAND Photo Gallery