Tedeschi Trucks Band Covers Grateful Dead With Derek Trucks Playing Jerry Garcia’s Guitar At Red Rocks

Tedeschi Trucks Band returned to Red Rocks Amphitheatre on Friday and Saturday for their annual two-night stand at the idyllic Colorado venue. Co-bandleader Derek Trucks used Jerry Garcia's 1976 Travis Bean TB500 #11 guitar for two songs at each show, including a pair of Grateful Dead covers.

Friday’s concert fell on what would have been Jerry Garcia’s 83rd birthday. Trucks emerged with the TB500 #11 in hand as the TTB took the stage on Friday following Grace Bowers & The Hodge Podge's support set. Tedeschi Trucks Band debuted a cover of the Grateful Dead’s “Franklin’s Tower” sung by Susan Tedeschi to open their 20th concert at Red Rocks.

Jerry Garcia played the 1976 Travis Bean TB500 #11 exclusively from August 4, 1976 through December 31, 1976. Garcia also utilized the instrument during the sessions that yielded the 1977 Grateful Dead album Terrapin Station.

Derek Trucks let it rip on the TTB’s first-ever “Franklin’s Tower” performance. Trucks also put the TB500 #11, which still has the “”Ass, Grass or Gas. Nobody Rides Free.” sticker Garcia affixed on it, to work on the version of Derek & The Dominos’ “Anyday” that followed the “Franklin’s” opener on Friday.

Tedeschi Trucks Band played a total of 17 songs at the Morrison, Colorado venue on Friday. Derek Trucks went with his own guitars for the rest of a show highlighted by lengthy takes on “Let Me Get By,” “Why Does Love Got To Be So Sad?,” “Shame” and “Bound For Glory.”

On Saturday, the TTB delivered a 19-song performance after Bowers & The Hodge Podge kicked off the action. The 12-piece outfit began their main set with a string of originals before they performed a run of covers. Derek Trucks once again played the TB500 #11 for a medley of John Prine’s “Angel From Montgomery” and the Grateful Dead’s “Sugaree.” Trucks came out towards the end of the former song and stuck around for all of the latter.

Susan Tedeschi then led the ensemble through her solo number “Just Won’t Burn” ahead of keyboardist Gabe Dixon and multi-instrumentalist Mike Mattison co-starring with her on the Bob Dylan cover “Tangled Up In Blue.” Fans at Red Rocks were then treated to the debut of new TTB original “Devil Be Gone.” The beloved “Midnight In Harlem” followed along with covers of Johnny Moore’s “How Blue Can You Get?” and the Joe Cocker-popularized “Space Captain.”

Tedeschi Trucks Band returned to the stage to get their encore underway with a fiery version of The Box Tops’ “The Letter.” Then, the group brought out Bowers and Summer Joy Roberts to help sing the Beatles classic “With A Little Help From My Friends” to punctuate the concert and visit to Red Rocks.

Watch highlights of Tedeschi Trucks Band’s Saturday night show at Red Rocks below:

Audience Recordings (Taped by Mariah Scheskie & Christopher Gray)