Indianapolis, IN – What a fantastic night of music! As a dear friend said to me the next day, “It was just jam, after jam, after jam!” Blues & soul jam band sensation Tedeschi Trucks Band returned to the TCU Amphitheatre at White River State Park to a SOLD-OUT show Saturday evening and brought along Reggae royalty Ziggy Marley as the opening act. Historically the popular summer run of TTB is named “Wheels of Soul” tour featuring TTB, along with two other support acts with past tours featuring such names as Los Lobos (2022), The Wood Brothers (2017), Marcus King (2018) and Blackberry Smoke (2019) just to name a few.
This year, there was no “Wheels of Soul” tour title but we did get Ziggy Marley and that was pretty f*$king good if you ask me! Not to mention, not having the “Wheels of Soul” title didn’t mean it was a show with no soul. The “Swamp Family” (title for TTB’s fan club) showed up in numbers to experience the good vibes and positive message that both bands were laying down (and Indy was ready and willing to receive the message).
Did I already say, “What A Night”?
Kicking off the night’s activities was Jamaican singer, songwriter, musician, actor and philanthropist Ziggy Marley along with his band featuring Takeshi Akimoto (guitar), Adam Zimmon (guitar), Santa Davis (drums), Pablo Stennett (bass), George Hughes (keys), Jason Borger (keys), Natasha Pearce (Vox), Tracy Hazzard (Vox), and Norm Jones (percussion).
Opening the show with “Rebellion Rises“, Ziggy took the fans through an hour plus set featuring hits from his catalogue like “Justice“, “Beach in Hawaii“, and “Love Is My Religion” while still showcasing power tunes “War” and “Get Up Stand Up” that his dad Bob Marley made famous. The crowd could not get enough! By the time Ziggy and the band rolled into Bob’s “Jamming” there was not one single person sitting still. The whole crowd moved and flowed like the music through the air. It was hard to hear the performers as the crowd sang along. It was magical…and that was just the opener.
SETLIST: INDIANAPOLIS
- Rebellion Rises
- Be Free
- Personal Revolution
- Wild & Free
- Beach in Hawaii
- The Lucky One
- Circle of Peace
- See Dem Fake Leaders
- Justice (Ziggy Marley & The Melody Makers cover)
- Get Up Stand Up (The Wailers cover)
- War (Bob Marley & The Wailers cover)
- We Are The People
- Love Is My Religion
- Jamming (Bob Marley & The Wailers cover)
- Look Who’s Dancing (Ziggy Marley & The Melody Makers cover)
At the stroke of 8:30, the fans rose to their feet to welcome Susan Tedeschi (lead vocal, guitar), her husband Derek Trucks (slide guitar, guitar) along with fellow band members Gabe Dixon (keyboard, organ, vocals), Tyler Greenwell (drums, percussion), Mike Mattison (vocals, 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) also known as The Tedeschi Trucks Band.
Susan took to the mic and kicked the set off with a cover from Dr. John before heading into the blues heavy “Do I Look Worried” from their second studio album Made Up Mind then rolling onto the title track “I Am the Moon” from their most recent project by the same title. The momentum on stage continued to build; never knowing what the band was going to play next, the crowd was not disappointed as the band continued with hit after hit. This tour is always one of the hottest tickets of the summer and judging by the song list, it doesn’t take long to figure out why. This band is HOT. They always deliver. ALWAYS!! They are in-tune with each other and consider each other “family” and you can feel it in the music. It’s like a wave that flows over you. Not to get all hippie on y’all but it is definitely a peace/love vibe that makes you move your feet and feel good. Nobody leaves this show unhappy. If you are, it’s just because the night has come to an end and you wanted it to last forever.
SETLIST: INDIANAPOLIS
- I Walk on Guilded Spirits (Dr. John cover)
- Do I Look Worried
- I Am The Moon
- Ain’t That Something
- Life Is Crazy (Mike Mattison cover)
- Playing With My Emotions
- Keep On Smilin’ (Wet Willie cover)
- Circle ‘Round the Sun
- Dreams (The Allman Brothers Band cover)
- Little by Little (Junior Wells)
- Midnight in Harlem
- Gravity
- Angel From Montgomery (John Prine cover)
- Sugaree (Jerry Garcia cover)
- Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker) (Rolling Stones cover)
- Made Up Mind
ENCORE: Joined on stage by Ziggy Marley & some of his band
- Rasta Man Chant (traditional cover)
- Sing A Simple Song / I Want To Take You Higher (Sly & the family Stone cover)
And with that, another show has passed. I will leave you with one of my favorite covers that TTB performs. I’m grateful that the last two years they have treated Indy with this medley. I hope you enjoy!
Tedeschi Trucks Band, along with Ziggy Marley will be continuing dates across the U.S. for the rest of the summer. Make sure to check your local listings or either bands website for a show near you. This is one you won’t want to miss…it’ll raise the hair on your arms and fill your soul with the sounds of sweet music!!
Show Date: 07.15.2023
