Mitch Chakour Joins Tedeschi Trucks Band In New Haven

Tedeschi Trucks Band welcomed acclaimed musician Mitch Chakour to sit-in on keyboard for the “Space Captain” that brought their Wednesday concert in New Haven, Connecticut to a close. Joe Cocker’s former musical director (and the father of TTB vocalist Alecia Chakour) played organ on the finale at Westville Music Bowl.

Last night’s show was the latest stop on the 12-piece ensemble’s Wheels Of Soul Tour 2022. Keyboardist Gabe Dixon‘s solo band and Los Lobos each performed a set before the Tedeschi Trucks Band took the stage.

The group led by Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi opened with a powerful “Signs, High Times”/”Do I Look Worried” combo. Wednesday’s set followed a similar blueprint to other Wheels Of Soul performances as the two originals gave way to covers of Derek & The Dominos’ “Bell Bottom Blues” and “Why Does Love Got To Be So Sad?” along with all five tracks from I Am The Moon: I. Crescent.

Susan fronted the group on “Just Won’t Burn” from her pre-TTB days after the Crescent section of the show. The soul-laden “Part Of Me” came next. From there, the band paired covers of Dr. John’s “I Walk On Guilded Splinters” and “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free” by Billy Taylor to end the set.

Wednesday’s encore began with “So Long Savior,” the evening’s lone offering off the just-released I Am The Moon: II. Ascension. Alecia Chakour beamed with pride as her father emerged for “Space Captain.” Mitch Chakour played the Joe Cocker-popularized tune many times during his long tenure as Cocker’s musical director. Watch fan-shot video featuring last night’s “Space Captain” below:

The Wheels Of Soul tour rolls into Philadelphia on Friday night. A livestream is available via nugs.net.