When Ms. Sharon Jones and Tedeschi Trucks roll through your town, it’s sacrilegious to not get a ticket. Temps were pushing ninety degrees for my first concert of the year at Red Butte, but I didn’t care. The sweat felt good, and the ice clinked in my cocktail glass in that perfect mouth quenching way that summer has.
The Wheels of Soul tour featured three bands, with almost five hours of guitar riffs, blues belting sounds, and gravelly and smoky voices. First up was Doyle Bramhall II, someone I’d not heard of before, but won’t soon forget (his music and his bad ass Afro).
Next came Ms. Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings. I’ve been wanting to see this little firecracker for awhile, and her stage presence brought the house down! From pointing to various audience members to come up on the stage and get funky with her, to her amazing personal story of recently overcoming pancreatic cancer, Ms. Sharon Jones was amazing, all one hundred and ten pounds of her!
As the sun was setting Tedeschi Trucks rolled onto the stage, all eleven band members. Derek quietly plays his slide guitar better than anyone, and Susan’s smoky voice sends chills down my spine. Although I just saw TTB last November in LA, this time around was one of those shows that will be remembered for years to come.
Gotta love the Wheels of Soul!
