Tedeschi Trucks Band closed a two-night stand at Wolf Trap in Vienna, Virginia, having used both shows to mark Dolly Parton's death. The song they chose was not one of the obvious ones. Susan Tedeschi, Alecia Chakour and Gabe Dixon debuted a cover of "Wildflowers" on the Friday and brought it back for Saturday's encore.
Parton wrote "Wildflowers" and recorded it with Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt for Trio, their 1987 collaborative album. It was released as the record's fourth and final single and reached number six on the Billboard country chart. Parton drew on memories of wandering through fields as a child, using wildflowers as a figure for her own restlessness.
The band handled it as a vocal trio rather than a full arrangement. On Friday the debut followed "Gin House Blues" and preceded "Anyhow", three days after Parton died in Nashville on August 25. On Saturday it opened a two-song encore, with "Let's Go Get Stoned" closing the run.
The rest of Friday was a typically loose night for the 12-piece band. They worked Sly and the Family Stone's "You Can Make It If You Try" into "Everyday People", then linked "Do I Look Worried" and "Shame" in a sequence that eventually arrived at Frank Zappa's "Willie The Pimp". Support act Lukas Nelson and his band joined for the encore, contributing to covers of Neil Young's "Helpless" and "Space Captain".
Saturday produced a return of its own. "They Don't Shine", from the 2019 album Signs, appeared for the first time since February 28, 2020. The band also paired The Rolling Stones' "Loving Cup" with "Leavin' Trunk", played "Ohio" with a "Machine Gun" tease, and worked "Love Has Something Else To Say" into "I Walk On Guilded Splinters" late in the set.
There was one more coincidence in the booking. The band covered "Fire and Rain" the night before James Taylor began his own three-show engagement at the same venue, which is either a courtesy or a challenge depending on how you read it.
Nelson opened both nights. The shows are part of the Future Soul 2026 Tour, named for the band's sixth studio album, and the run continued straight afterwards at Bethel Woods Center For The Arts in Bethel, New York.
The same tour had already produced a crossover with Alabama Shakes in Cincinnati earlier in the week, and a Hollywood Bowl encore with the Black Crowes before that. Their remaining rock and soul dates are on the tour guide.
The facts
- Tedeschi Trucks Band debuted a cover of Dolly Parton's Wildflowers on August 28
- They brought it back for the encore the following night at Wolf Trap
- Susan Tedeschi, Alecia Chakour and Gabe Dixon sang it as a vocal trio
- Parton recorded Wildflowers with Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt for Trio in 1987
- They Don't Shine returned on Saturday for the first time since February 28, 2020
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