Watch Tedeschi Trucks Band Extend Derek Showcase ‘Pasaquan’ For Nearly 20 Minutes At Wolf Trap

Tedeschi Trucks Band launched a two-night stand at the idyllic Wolf Trap in Vienna, Virginia on Tuesday. Guitarist Derek Trucks led TTB through an expansive rendition of his instrumental, “Pasaquan,” towards the end of one long set at the country’s lone National Park for the Performing Arts.

TTB kicked off the marathon frame with their recently debuted cover of Joe Cocker’s “Woman To Woman” ahead of “Anyhow” from their 2016 LP, Let Me Get By. Derek and the Dominos’ “Keep On Growing” then prefaced three more originals: “High and Mighty” — the title track to the band’s 2019 EP — “Part Of Me” from TTB’s 2014 record, Made Up Mind and a taste of vocalist/guitarist Susan Tedeschi‘s solo catalog in “Looking For Answers.”

The band then headed into cover territory with a trio of songs by blues and jazz greats beginning with Elmore James’ version of “Done Somebody Wrong” (also played by The Allman Brothers Band). Billy Taylor’s “Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free” and Louis Jordan’s “Let The Good Times Roll” followed.

TTB then dove into material from their most recent record, the four-part I Am The Moon, beginning with “Sweet Soul Song,” a tribute to late band member Kofi Burbridge, which appears on I Am the Moon IV: Farewell. Next came the I Am the Moon I: Crescent closer, “Pasaquan.”

Pasaquan is the name of an art installation in Buena Vista, Georgia. The 12-piece ensemble did a photo shoot for I Am the Moon there and also filmed much of the album’s accompanying film at the visonary site. Created by Eddie Owens Martin, “Pasaquan” roughly means “bring the past and future together,” a fitting title for a song on an album partially-inspired by an ancient poem.

Bringing the past and future together is also a great way to describe Derek Trucks’ mind-blowing guitar playing. His “Pasaquan” is an instrumental masterpiece in the same vein of his former band The Allman Brothers’ epic instrumentals. Trucks began the massive Wolf Trap version with an extended solo slide intro. The TTB configuration for the song — drummers Tyler Greenwell and Isaac Eady, bassist Brandon Boone and keyboardist Gabe Dixon — then joined in with the number’s rolling rhythms which saw Derek peeling off the main motif before he really started cooking around six minutes into the track.

Following Trucks extended solo, Gabe Dixon shined on the Hammond organ. The keyboardist slow-built his run at Wolf Trap in bringing it to a rolling boil. The song also showcased Greenwell and Eady, who played a locked-in drum duet before Trucks brought the nearly 20-minute excursion home.

Watch Derek Trucks and company on “Pasaquan” at Wolf Trap below:

Tedeschi Trucks Band continued with Blind Joe Reynolds’ “Outside Woman Blues” and Bob Dylan’s “Don’t Thnk Twice, It’s Alright” and then sealed the set with fan-favorite “Made Up Mind.” TTB returned to encore with two more covers: Wet Willie’s “Keep On Smilin'” and Joe Tex’s “Show Me.” Ziggy Marley hops on Tedeschi Trucks Band’s summer tour as opener for the next few weeks starting tonight in Richmond.

Audience Recording (Taped by Tim Brown)