Tedeschi Trucks Band — Soul Revival at the Chicago Theatre

Derek Trucks makes a Les Paul weep, Susan Tedeschi makes a theater sing, and a 12-piece band makes you believe in the Fillmore again.

The Tedeschi Trucks Band is the best argument for the continued existence of the American rock-and-soul revue — a 12-piece ensemble that plays with the looseness of a blues band and the precision of a horn section, anchored by the best slide guitarist alive. At the Chicago Theatre, Derek Trucks spent the better part of two hours making aSGreentone SG sing in a language that is not taught anywhere. His solo on 'Midnight in Harlem' is still the sound of a man coaxing a melody out of the air; he plays notes that aren't on the fretboard, and you can hear the room exhale when he lands them.

Susan Tedeschi matched him step for step — a singers' singer who can growl like Janis and float like Aretha, and who never makes the mistake of trying to outsing the band. The horn section (a three-piece tonight) punched the choruses, the backup singers carried the gospel heat, and the rhythm section locked into a groove that the Fillmore would have recognized. 'Bound for Glory,' 'Keep On Growing,' and a closing 'I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free' turned a 2,500-seat theater into a revival tent. This is the band to bring your non-rock friend to. — Marcus