After a lightning storm forced the festival to evacuate, the 12-piece group came back with material from Future Soul and later shared stories from decades on the road.
A sudden storm at Bonnaroo last weekend paused Tedeschi Trucks Band’s festival appearance mid-interview. Lightning, wind, and heavy rain sent attendees scrambling for permanent restrooms or vehicles long before the band was scheduled to play. Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi, who were recording a live episode of Rolling Stone’s Nashville Now podcast, ended up waiting it out in their trailer.
Once the gates reopened, the 12-piece group took the What stage and delivered a set built around songs from their latest album, Future Soul. The performance sidestepped any lingering chaos, leaning on the tightness that comes from years of navigating large-scale tours with a big band—a topic they’d explore in detail the following day, when they returned to the podcast’s cabin studio.
The conversation touched on the financial and logistical realities of keeping that many musicians on the road, but one of the sharper moments came when Trucks recalled his 1999 audition for the Allman Brothers Band. Despite his uncle Butch Trucks being a founding drummer, the then-19-year-old guitarist wasn’t handed the gig. “It was basically, ‘Don’t screw up this rehearsal and you got it,’” he said. “But you didn’t have the gig until you had the gig.”
The remark landed
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ROMBO Editorial Staff
The collective voice behind ROMBO Magazine’s news, reviews, features, and cultural coverage.
