reCAP :: Little Feat :: 2015.09.12
Team Little Feat received a hero's welcome during this Saturday night love-fest, fueled by palpable crowd energy and a warm vibe that seemed to tacitly acknowledge how full-band Little Feat shows aren't as easy to come by these days as they once were.
What this show lacked in fire it made up for with what might be called an island pace: happy, groovy and unhurried. Guitarist Paul Barrere eased the band into "Time Loves A Hero" and nearly right away, he and multi-instrumentalist Fred Tackett and keyboardist Bill Payne were on the move, trading licks, throwing out calls to jam, sitting on fat pockets from the rhythm players, enjoying their feel.
The band hit most of its hallmark songs; "Fat Man in the Bathtub" had a great crowd singalong, "Dixie Chicken" slinked along, "Willin" was as melancholy-beauteous as ever. But the best moments of the set were the less expected, including a surprise summoning of The Band's "Rag Mama Rag" that had just the right balance of boogie and back porch, and the more recent Feat tune "Rooster Rag" that might have been a placeholder between far more anticipated songs but drew energy from a rambling jam segment.
Opener Connor Kennedy, a Woodstock music scene regular, ripped through a hot set of bar-room rock and blues with his Minstrel band, welcoming out Payne on piano for their last song. He's sure proving out his recent string of good notices; many of the songs expanded into guitar-led jams that touched several different textures, from Pink Floyd-style psychedelia to Traffic-like haze, without trading any momentum.