Susan Tedeschi celebrated the summertime blues at Woodland Park Zoo.
Wednesday night’s Zootunes concert, which included an opening set my fellow Floridians JJ Grey & Mofro, featured a slew of songs from Tedeschi’s most recent album, “Back to the River,” a soulful disc produced by George Drakoulias, the studio wizard to has worked with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, The Black Crowes, The Jayhawks and others.
With temperatures in the high 80s, the zoo’s north meadow was a frying pan packed with overheated but enthusiastic concertgoers who grooved to 2 1/2 hours of hot blues tunes.
Grey took the stage at 6 p.m., dressed in a plaid, long-sleeved shirt and jeans. “I didn’t know it got this hot in Seattle,” he said, shielded by sunglasses against the blazing sun. He told the crowd he had packed warmer clothes, expecting “that natural air-conditioning” that usually makes Seattle so much different from Florida in the summer.
The crowd encouraged him to take off his shirt, but Grey declined, saying he wanted people to stay around for the remainder of his set.
In light of the weather, Grey’s set didn’t have to smolder, but it did. Standouts included a harmonica-enhanced “Lochloosa” and a powerful “Orange Blossoms,” the title song of Grey & Mofro’s 2008 album.
Tedeschi, backed by her five-piece band, opened her set with a double-barreled shot of songs from her new album: “True” and “Can’t Sleep at Night.” She followed with “Love Will,” another new song co-authored by husband Derek Trucks, and “700 Houses,” a song about hurricane destruction that created a perfect storm of outrage and compassion (another new Tedeschi-Trucks collaboration, “Butterfly,” came later in the set).
A Massachusetts native who now lives in Jacksonville, Fla., with husband Trucks, Tedeschi is a solid, commanding performer who projects a lot of warmth. She is also generous with bandmates, allowing them to take the spotlight on a number of songs. Guitarist Dave Yoke, sax man Ron Holloway and keyboardist and organist Matt Slocum were standouts in the spirited show.
Though blues anchored her set, there were elements of rock, folk and jazz that created a more complex sound.
Tedeschi’s voice was disarmingly girlish when she introduced songs and chatted with fans, but took on a gritty tone when she sang. She was especially powerful on “Little by Little,” the Jr. Wells classic, and Eric Clapton’s “Presence of the Lord” from his Blind Faith days. She also offered a nice turn on Allen Toussaint’s “Break in the Road,” a song from her current album.
Tedeschi’s early songs have held up well, in particular “Just Won’t Burn” and “The Feeling Music Brings.” But it would have been nice to hear “Rock Me Right.” The Beatles’ melancholy “For No One” (written by Paul McCartney) was remarkably moving; Tedeschi dedicated it to her dad and granddad.
Tedeschi and company took a bow at 8:15, returning for an encore of the wistful John Prine classic, “Angel From Montgomery,” and a raucous Jimi Hendrix’s “Spanish Castle Magic.”
The Zootunes series concludes with a sold-out concert by Amos Lee and Mutlu Aug. 26.