Co-Headliners Alabama Shakes and Tedeschi Trucks Band Graced St. Louis on August 23
— by Carrie Zukoski
Alabama Shakes and Tedeschi Trucks Band teamed up on a few dates for a co-headlining tour, and St. Louis’ Hollywood Casino Amphitheater was one of the stops.
On this cooler, low-humidity August Sunday night, TTB kicked the evening off at 7:30 p.m. sharp for 90 minutes of their southern Americana blues rock. The Florida-based, Grammy Award-winning band that’s been laying down jams since 2010 has been touring to support Future Soul, their first studio album release in four years. And the full band had fans on their feet, swaying to their 15-song setlist that spanned the years from the dreamy, soulful “Midnight in Harlem” to their newest material, including the rhythmic “What in the World” and the melodic “I Got You.” They tossed in several covers including “Got My Mojo Working,” “Everyday People,” “Ohio,” and “Beck’s Bolero,” which included an extended tease of Chicago’s “25 or 6 to 4” as Chicago was scheduled to perform at the venue the next night.
While TTB is full of technically talented musicians, the showmanship was simply missing. With a dozen members on stage, I found myself bored halfway through their set, checking my watch. Maybe it’s just me, I thought, but a quick internet search later on found that many people have mentioned how static they are during a live performance. So yes, they sounded just fine, but there was little to no emotion or chemistry flowing that I could tell from as close as row 15. Two of the few times the energy popped were a trombone solo during a cover of “You Can Make It if You Try” and during “Anyhow,” that included extended, funky, powerful jams from the guitarists, drummers, and saxophonist that garnered great cheers from the fans.
Several in the crowd came solely for TTB and left after their set, while just as many appeared solely for the rhythm and blues roots rockers, Alabama Shakes, who went on promptly at 9:30 p.m. for their half of the night. During the next 90 minutes, the large stage was bathed in hazy but brilliant lights that shifted from blue and purple to orange hues (as opposed to TTB’s set that relied mainly on video screens playing behind them and had a darker stage). While still an impressive number of members on stage (9), they were more spread out than TTB.
The also Grammy-winning band, who began in 2009 in Alabama, has reunited after taking a break since 2018 and is touring to support the release of their new studio album, I Must Be Dreaming, on August 28. Their set began with the swirling, soft “Time” from the new album before switching gears to the more jaunty “Guess Who.” Dressed in a champagne blue shimmering, feathered floor-length kaftan, lead vocalist and guitarist Brittany Howard engaged fans with subtle movements and by sharing tidbits about songs, including “the meaning behind this song is don’t want something if you’re not going to take care of it” before sliding into the powerful longing of “Don’t Wanna Fight.” They included the sweet, light, floaty/spacey “Sound & Color” and fan favorites “Hold On” and “Hang Loose.” A three-song encore ended with Howard saying, “I hope you have a good night. A good sleep. A good morning. Get to call into work. If your car’s in the shop, I hope they call and tell you nothing’s wrong with it. If you’re with the wrong person. I hope you leave them. And I hope all your pets live to be 30.” As the band slid into the bouncy “Always Alright” to close out the night.
Two fan bases. Two different opinions. Tedeschi Trucks Band fans will believe that TTB was the better set, while Alabama Shakes fans will believe Alabama Shakes put on the better set. Can both viewpoints be true? Of course they can. We just hope that both bands garnered new appreciation from folks who came for the full concert and might not have been as familiar with one of them.
PS: Midwest Rewind only had approval to photograph Alabama Shakes, which is why there’s only one cell phone photo from far away of Tedeschi Trucks Band.
