Finally, they're back: 5 reasons to catch Tedeschi Trucks Band in Jacksonville this weekend

The Tedeschi Trucks Band, led by Jacksonville guitarists Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks, opens its annual Wheels of Soul Tour at Daily's Place on Friday. Here are five reasons you ought to consider going:

It's been awhile

This show was originally supposed to open the band's 2020 summer tour, with tickets going on sale in December of 2019, but the show was delayed by the pandemic. An abbreviated version of the band played two shows at Daily's Place in 2021, but the full 12-piece Tedeschi Trucks Band hasn't played a show in Jacksonville since June of 2019.

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New music

The band is releasing four new albums this summer, but will only play songs from the first "I Am the Moon" record at the Jacksonville show (the albums come out one a month, and the band won't play a song before it's released). None of the songs from any of the albums have been played before fans, but it's a safe bet that "I Am the Moon" and "Pasaquan" become staples of the band's live shows.

Old friends

When tickets for this show went on sale, Gabe Dixon and St. Paul & the Broken Bones were scheduled to be the openers. Dixon, who joined the Tedeschi Trucks Band on keyboards and vocals in 2019, is still opening, but Los Lobos replaces St. Paul & the Broken Bones on the bill. Los Lobos are old friends, having joined the Wheels of Soul Tour in 2016.  "I love Los Lobos," said Tedeschi Trucks Band singer Mike Mattison. "They’re an American Institution. The fact that they’re not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a crime against music. David Hidalgo is a guitar master. Back in the Derek Trucks Band days, he was actually going to produce one of our records, but the scheduling didn’t work out. But he came out to a lot of our shows. The DTB played a bunch of instrumentals back in those days, so I was stage-side a lot. Hidalgo picked up a broken drumstick, whacked my knee and said, 'Come on brother, get INVOLVED!' He walked onstage, stole one of Rico’s huge fish-shaped guiros and started hitting it until it exploded like a grenade. I’ve always appreciated his dedication to an idea."

New guy

The Tedeschi Trucks Band got a new member, drummer Isaac Eady, last year when he took over for J.J. Johnson, who left to join Gary Clark Jr.'s band. The band played with just one drummer, Tyler "Falcon" Greenwell, at last summer's two Daily's Place shows, so Jacksonville fans have not had a chance to see Eady in action.

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No Ringo

Music fans were sort of bummed when this show was announced, because Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band were booked to play the St. Augustine Amphitheatre the same night. Both shows were rebooked to 2021, when Ringo was supposed to play the night after TTB. The shows were moved to 2022 and booked for the same night again. But COVId, which caused all the rebookings in the first place, showed up again, forcing Starr to move his St. Augustine show to Sept. 15, eliminating the conflict.

Tedeschi Trucks Band

With Los Lobos and the Gabe Dixon Band

7 p.m. Friday at Daily's Place

$45.75-$85.75

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Tedeschi Trucks, Los Lobos to open tour Friday in Jacksonville