See Susan Tedeschi, Dave Matthews Band Cover Neil Young’s ‘Cortez the Killer’
Dave Matthews Band welcomed blues singer-guitarist Susan Tedeschi to the stage on Wednesday night for a searing take on Neil Young’s “Cortez the Killer.” The 11-minute version of the sprawling epic, originally found on Young’s 1975 album Zuma, was performed during the band’s show at the Vystar Veterans Arena in Tedeschi’s home city of Jacksonville, Florida.
Tedeschi, on a rare break from the road with her hard-touring Tedeschi Trucks Band, traded vocals with Matthews and took the opportunity to flex her guitar chops with a gritty, extended solo after the first verse. The cover also featured a particularly chilling organ break from Dave Matthew Band touring keyboardist Buddy Strong.
Matthews and company just started an extended tour that includes an appearance at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival on May 4th. Tedeschi Trucks Band are gearing up for their annual Wheels of Soul Tour, which begins on June 28th in Jacksonville at Daily’s Place Amphitheater and features support from Blackberry Smoke and Shovels & Rope.
Young recently announced that he’s planning to release his first new studio album with Crazy Horse since 2012’s Psychedelic Pill this fall. He’ll also appear on the new guest-heavy LP from his more recent backing band, Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real. The group’s upcoming effort, Turn Off the News (Build a Garden), will be released on June 14th and also feature appearances by Sheryl Crow, Kesha and Margo Price.