Rather than lay the band down and do the Allman gig full time, Trucks decided it best to play with the Allmans and spend his off time on the road with his band. The fruits of this is having the Derek Trucks Band’s live album, Live at the Georgia Theater, nominated for best live album by the Jammies.

Enough of the history for now, it’s time to see if Trucks and company could bring it to a live audience here in Houston, TX, which has a strong history of solid blues guitarists to hold Trucks up against.

First off, the Meridian looked the part nicely. Tables were lined up across the floor to give an old Juke Joint feel to the club, smoke filled the air and soul played on the sound system as gear was being set up on the stage. Everything felt right for a quality night of blues.

As the lights fell and the band took to the stage, Trucks began plucking notes with his fingers and vocalist Mike Mattison cooed into the microphone. Trucks’ soulful guitar licks combined with Mattison’s smooth as silk vocals brought everything together in a beautiful mixture that sent shouts from the audience and people into dancing fits.

After a few songs, Mattison took a breather as Trucks and the rest of the band went into a freeform jazz jam. Showing the understanding of his instrument that sets him apart from his contemporaries, Trucks effortlessly changed tempos and styles throughout the night bringing the sound to life in songs that had meanings and tales rather than guitar exhibitions that so many other guitarist turn their sets into.

This was a show that brought the house down as the beer flowed, spirits lifted and feet danced the night away. Glad to see the Meridian took a chance on a show like this and gave the audience something to be thrilled about. The blues just feels at home here in the Bayou City.