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Schaefer Center Hosts ‘Magical Night’ in Boone as the Tedeschi Trucks Band Brings Down the House

Tedeschi Trucks Band performs at the Schaefer Center last weekend. Photo by Dave Mayo
Tedeschi Trucks Band performs at the Schaefer Center last weekend. Photo by Dave Mayo

By Jesse Wood

Nov. 5, 2013. The nearly 1,700 people who attended the sold-out Tedeschi Trucks Band show at the Schaefer Center on the campus of ASU last Friday were certainly in for a treat as the 10-piece band, set with a three-piece horn section and one of the best guitarist in the world, rocked the house for a jamming-good time.

“Every now and then, Boone has magical nights, and we are blessed to have had that one here,” said Randy Kelly. 

As for the quality of the acoustics of the new Schaefer Center, Kelly quipped seriously, “How could you tell? It was too damn loud.”

Derek Trucks is the lead guitarist and his wife Susan Tedeschi, plays guitar and sings. The rest of the band consists of a keyboard player and flutist, two drummers, two vocalists and the horn section – a saxophonist, trumpeter and trombonist.

Trucks formed the Derek Trucks Band in 1996, when he was a teenager, and by the time, he was 20, Trucks had already shared the stage with the likes of Bob Dylan, John Lee Hooker and Buddy Guy.

While Kelly “really” became a fan of Trucks during a recent performance at MerleFest, Kelly recalls seeing Trucks perform at Sollecito’s Pizza in the ‘90s when Trucks was a teenager and had acne on his face. At the time, Trucks was earning his high school diploma through Watauga High Schoo while on the road, touring has a musician. 

Even though Trucks was described as a prodigious talent back then, Kelly said he wasn’t anywhere near as polished as he is today.  

Photo by Dave Mayo
Photo by Dave Mayo

When David Brewer heard that Tedeschi Trucks Band was coming to Boone, he was thrilled.

“It’s not like Boone is getting a lot of big rock shows at the Schaefer Center,” Brewer said. “While I can appreciate the diversity of the performing arts, sometimes people like to get their face melted.”

A musician himself, Brewer was impressed with the “big sound” and the fact, considering the economics of touring, that the musicians would take less of a cut to tour with about a dozen musicians, as opposed to three to five fellow musicians, for the sake of the song. 

“There’s only one way to get [that sound],” Brewer said. “It’s awesome they are willing to give up money to get that big sound.” 

Megan Stage, public relations manager for the Office of Arts and Cultural Programs, said that the concert sold out in the Schaefer Center, which has a capacity of 1,671 people.