Auto-Roo, Day 1

Made another road trip last week back to Tennessee, albeit two months late for Bonnaroo, so I filled the cabin with my own personal festival for the ride.  Live acts were provided by Bobbed Kilts Concerts and I scheduled the order of programming.  For the northbound portion of the drive, the show opened with Chickenfoot.

Remember the days of general admission shows for major artists, you know, the ones with ten thousand ticket holders, not a couple of hundred?  That's what this day reminded me of, the multiple act shows at the Lakeland Civic Center, circa 1978 or so.  I haven't seen Chickenfoot as an ensemble, but I have seen each individual member in a live setting before.  Therefore, let's hang back and enjoy from afar, allowing the party to rock happily in front of us with Sammy and the boys...



Next on the bill is another supergroup, Black Country Communion.  By now I have elbowed my way down front for the experience.  For any of you who are under the age of 35
and call yourself a fan of classic rock music, you need to love this band, you need to know who they are, because they are your generation's Led Zeppelin.  There's a living legend on bass and lead vocals (sounding incredible for a sixty-year-old), a future legend on guitar, and the son of a legend on drums.  Keyboardist is no slouch but he's no legend, though.  Check out that bass in the clip.  It looks 60, too.  The Zeppelin references are obvious...


This was a 100-minute set of fine rock 'n roll...

Since you're already down front by the stage, you stick around for Gary Moore.  Listening to this album was bittersweet, knowing he passed away seven months to the day after this performance. 



He was returning to his heavy rock days of the late 70's/early 80's, introducing three new tracks of that ilk from an unfinished recording as well as playing about an hour's worth of gems from his metal glory days.  You will see in the video that Moore had become a little thick (I don't recall ever seeing him that big) and at times during the show he struggled with his vocals on the older rock songs.  Back in the old gen ad days, that's when I would have left the floor for a beer and/or buzz, then edge my way back down front for the final third of the set with the blues tunes he's famous for, "Still Got The Blues" and the show's finale...



Seeing the faces of some of the young people in attendance...it made me want to cry.  It's as if they knew he wasn't going to be around much longer.  Fifty-eight, overweight, most likely a much younger girlfriend, and a blood alcohol level of .40 will cause that massive heart attack.  Guess he truly was just like his old buddy, Mr. Lynott.

OK, enough of the downer, it's time for tonight's headliner, Grammy Award-winning Tedeschi Trucks Band.  This 106-minute set offers up a substantial portion of their "Revelator" album, but don't expect a note-for-note re-creation, no sir.  Extended versions, for sure, but the band toys with the pacing and arrangements, and if you're on stage, you are going to get a feature solo, no matter the instrument.  Even the well-chosen covers get a TTB makeover.  It was a couple of minutes into the title track before I realized it was the song Harry Nilsson made famous!  Trucks' guitar work makes every Southern rock fan stand up and cheer, but don't discount the Missus' fret work just because she's one of the best female vocalists in blues/rock today.  There is some inspired lick swappin' happening throughout the show.  This video doesn't prove that statement, but I have always loved this John Sebastian tune...



Did you see her face as she watched the slide solo late in the song?  Best view in the house...
As darkness fell around me, this was a perfect closing set for Day 1 of AutoRoo.