Review by Shawn Perry
Live Photos by Stan Johnson
When Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks came together in the Allman Brothers Band at the dawn of the new century, it was just the spark the veteran Southern Rock group needed to revitalize that classic ABB sound. They helped bring back the band back after an unfortunate fallout with original guitarist Dickey Betts.
Touring relentlessly and recording the Grammy-nominated Hittin’ The Note in 2003, this dream-team lineup spent the next decade ripping it up every which way until both Haynes and Trucks’ talents could no longer be contained. Haynes went full-time with his band Gov’t Mule, and Trucks formed his own group before teaming up with guitarist, singer, and wife Susan Tedeschi to create Tedeschi Trucks Band. Even so, the idea of Haynes and Trucks reuniting in some way was always in the cards.
On Haynes’ 2024 solo album Million Voices Whisper, Trucks joined his former Allman Brothers Band mate in the studio for the first time since Hittin The Note for “Real Real Love,” with the first few verses penned by the late Gregg Allman. That was only the beginning.
On February 28, 2025, the two guitarists came to pay their respects to another late band mate from the Allmans at the “In Memory of Dickey Betts” concert in Macon, Georgia. Then in April 2025, they turned up on stage together again, this time at Madison Square Garden for The Brothers concert, which featured former Allman Brothers Band members, including the last living original member Jaimoe, plus a variety of guest musicians.
Leaving the tributes and studio sessions behind, the next logical step, of course, was a Tedeschi Trucks Band and Gov’t Mule co-headlining Fall tour. With only six dates scheduled, I flew to Albany, New York, to cover the stop at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC). As I was to find out, the 25,000 seat venue was a full and happy house.
To get things started, Ohio-based singer, songwriter, and southpaw acoustic guitarist Nolan Taylor, accompanied by Trenton Jenkins on electric guitar and banjo, played a brief, pleasant set that drew a positive response. He couldn’t thank the audience enough.
Gov’t Mule took the stage just as the sun was coming down. You could feel the excitement purring within the 5,000 seat indoor part of SPAC, while the other 20,000 or so scrambled for the best view from the lawn. A few warm-up notes with Haynes sporting a 12-string Les Paul, and we were off to the races with “Railroad Boy,” which the Mule covered on 2009’s By A Thread.
With drummer Matt Abts on the sidelines recovering from performance-related aches and pains, Haynes was the sole original member tonight. Speculation ran high that the Mule may not sound like they usually do. All fears were immediately put to rest once the group locked in for a nearly two-hour, 12-song set.
Joining Haynes was longtime keyboardist Danny Louis, along with bassist Kevin Scott, who replaced Jorgen Carlsson in 2023, and drummer Terence Higgins, who also happens to play with the current Warren Haynes Band and has filled in for Abts at other gigs. They not only managed to pull off the mix of covers and Mule songs with ease; they injected an extra dose of fire and soul into each number at any given opportunity.
With an everchanging set list and nine studio albums to choose from, there was no way of telling which direction they’d go. The chunky groove of “Slackjaw Jezebel” from 2004’s Déjà Voodoo had Haynes winding up the flange over an expanding, upbeat trot.
It would prove to be a high energy romp through old and new, blues covers cast in black and red, wicked solos at every corner, and Warren Haynes very much at the center of it all. A solemn read of Bobby Bland’s “Ain’t No Love In The Heart Of The City” had Louis’ firm hand on the Hammond which, combined with Scott’s thunderous bass lines, created an undertow of sorts.
They revisited the 1995 self-titled debut, first with the punchy “Painted Silver Light,” then later for the classic “Mule.” That unilaterally opened the door for “Birth Of The Mule” from 1998’s Dose. They would tackle the rest of the catalog, with a dab of Junior Wells and Al Green, to fill out the night.
While Haynes took most of the solos, a combination of full-formed leads, slide, and everything in between, Lewis, who also occasionally plays a bit of rhythm guitar, also got in his licks to balance the mood and melody. His Hammond organ, along with Scott’s bass, drove the train that chugged “After The Storm,” the only number of the evening from the Mule’s most recent studio release, 2024’s Peace…Like A River. Lewis and Scott also gave Al Green’s “I’m A Ram” an extra shot of gumption.
Once “Fallen Down” from 2001’s Life Before Insanity fell into the cadence of the Grateful Dead’s “The Other One” and ended on “just a kiss away” from the Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter,” where could the ship go but into the deep South for a slice of Allman Brothers pie. Perhaps Hayne’s most beloved composition, “Soulshine” was brought into the Allman Brothers Band universe with Gregg Allman on vocals.
Then, and thereafter, however, it will always be a Warren Haynes song. You could sense that if they hadn’t closed the set with it, given the nature of the bill, a few Mule and old-school Allman fans in attendance might have felt a bit slighted. As it went, ending an unpredictable set with a predictable number was probably the best way to stir up the roaring ovation that followed. And everyone knew that wasn’t that the last we’d see of Warren Haynes.
I imagine a big reason why Tedeschi Trucks Band is closing the shows on this tour is partly because they comprise 12 musicians as opposed to Gov’t Mule’s four. However, there’s more to it than just that. Even though the band is named after Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks, all the musicians are highlighted for their individual talents, which is why turnover is rare and a true chemistry has been established.
Tonight, they showed SPAC they are a world-class band that thrives on tradition, experimentation, and near-miss adventure. To call them a jam band is an oversimplification. TTB incorporate a myriad of styles and disciplines while maintaining a down-to-earth charm that is both confounding and endearing. How can they be such good musicians with so much charisma?
They came on strong with “Don’t Let Me Slide” from their 2011 debut album, Revelator. Then, like an antelope in the wild, they veered left and ran through a couple of new ones, “Crazy Cryin’” with a smooth, catchy riff and a snappy little rocker called “I Got You.” If radio played hit-bound Americana, these two would be a shoo-in.
I can’t say I’ve ever heard a Tedeschi Trucks Band song on the radio (though they made the hit parade on a truck commercial). That may be because I rarely listen to radio and pretty much look at Tedeschi Trucks Band as a live unit. The group’s five studio albums give them a wealth of material to draw from; their individual talents in a concert setting transcend those records, allowing the musicality to rinse and cycle every scale to a newer, bolder height.
The last time I saw the band was at the Ryman in Nashville. Within a more intimate setting, the intensity of their then-new album (actually a four EP series), I Am The Moon, felt right at home in the Mother Church of Country Music. Pulling in three numbers — the title track, “Circles ‘Round The Sun” and the mid-bending, genre-hopping instrumental “Pasaquan” — from the album at SPAC underscored its significance. Judging from the new songs, the group’s next release looks to be a bit more mainstream and less idiosyncratic.
Even so, Let’s hope they don’t abandon the ambition of I Am The Moon. In between solicitous turns at favorites like “Midnight In Harlem” and “Bound For Glory,” the musicianship of each player grabbed the spotlight. It’s hard to resist the sizzle of Trucks’ unique touch on the fretboard. At every opportunity, he never failed to provoke dropped-jaw eruptions of adulation and wonderment from the faithful.
Tedeschi’s bucolic, sweet-laced voice was equally matched by her own dexterous workout on her autographed Teal Fender Stratocaster. Tonight, she took on more solos than usual, skillfully blowing through the notes at every interval. Like the rug in The Big Lebowski’s apartment, she tied the whole room together.
When Tedeschi wasn’t singing the lead vocal, smokey-voiced Mike Mattison slid in for a verse or a full number, like “I Feel So Bad.” When he was massaging and plinking the ivories, Gabe Dixon also piped in on a few verses here and there. Add in singers Mark Rivers and Alecia Chakour, and you practically have a choir to complement every chorus.
On the other side of the stage, the three-horn team of trombonist Elizabeth Lea, trumpeter Ephraim Owens, and especially saxophonist Kebbi Williams operated like a brassy underbelly with occasional bursts of outlandishness. That’s one way to keep your attention, and Williams’ incessant bouncing was no exception.
Directly behind Tedeschi and Trucks, drummers Tyler Greenwell and Isaac Eady continually engaged in Allman Brothers Band and Grateful Dead-like syncopation, even during their solos. No twirling sticks or buzz rolls for these guys — it’s all about working off each other.
After Chakour came out front and blew away the first 25 rows with her vocal prowess, there was no other choice but to bring Warren Haynes and Danny Lewis into the fold. At once, you could see Haynes and Trucks huddled together, just like the old days. Only this time, they were the main attraction that everyone came to see.
It’s likely everyone was expecting to hear an Allman Brothers song. Then again, Tedeschi Trucks Band and Gov’t Mule followers never know what to expect, and on that note, they were not disappointed. Certainly, no one ever thought they would take on an all-in version of Little Feat’s “Spanish Moon,” which slipped on easily as an old Army jacket. Tedeschi, Lewis, Trucks, Haynes, bassist Brandon Boone, even Greenwell and Eady took their respective solos before the two former Allman Brothers Band colleagues faced off in a fiery exchange.
After that, you may have thought you had died and gone to jam band heaven, but the best was yet to come. Tedeschi Trucks Band fans are well aware of the group’s affection for the music of Derek & The Dominos. After all, that’s when Duane Allman and Eric Clapton played together. So it was no surprise that the night came to a close with a rousing run through of Charles Segar’s “Key To The Highway,” which also happens to appear on Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs, the one and only studio album by Derek & The Dominos.
Mattison, Tedeschi, and Haynes all chimed in on the verses before the two guitarists once again raised the temperature and played off each other to the delight of anyone and everyone within earshot. This is what the folks at SPAC wanted to see, and the payoff was like hitting the three-cherry jackpot in Las Vegas. All without paying taxes.
Tonight, Gov’t Mule came on like a screaming locomotive, while Tedeschi Trucks Band rolled through like a freight train. Together, they gave the audience at SPAC a ride to remember. The Allman Brothers Band gave them their breaks; over 10 years later after their final bows in New York City, Gov’t Mule and Tedeschi Trucks Band are keeping the music of the Allman Brothers Band alive and well. All while creating legacies of their own.
