Celebrating 50 years as a band, Little Feat returned to theirroots, and a capacity house at the immaculate Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills,for a Saturday night party on Memorial Day weekend. Though often referred to as a group withSouthern musical leanings, particularly those of New Orleans, Feat was, infact, born in Los Angeles five decades ago as the brainchild of the late LowellGeorge. So, it was with a fitting andfestive two-hour set that the sextet and their guesting three-piece hornsection, plus a little help from another L.A. legend, honored their historicbeginnings and their ongoing artistry before a loyal and appreciative hometowncrowd.
There was a discernible focus right from the drop, as thesix took on two of the repertoire’s more challenging entries, opening with“Time Loves a Hero” and “Day or Night.” Both were exercises in group dynamic, arrangement, and timing, with GabeFord holding down the drum chair once immortalized by the late RichieHayward. It’s never easy replacing alegend, but Ford has performed notably well in the seat over the past decade,cooking with bassist Kenny Gradney for a formidable groove that simmeredthroughout the night.
By no means a nostalgia trip, Feat made sure to visit theirmost recent album, 2012’s Rooster Rag,nearly as often as its chest of classics. They welcomed the horns for “One Breath At A Time,” then dipped back fora rousing “Oh Atlanta” that shifted the band and Saban audience from reservedconcert performance to summer shindig. The fans stood and danced. Theband smiled and relaxed. Little Feat washome again.
Guitarist and singer Paul Barrere dedicated “Old FolksBoogie” to himself, and percussionist Sam Clayton reached deep down into hisbluesy growl for the vocal on an extended “Spanish Moon” that slid effortlesslyinto “Skin It Back.” Barrere and hiscounterpart, guitarist Fred Tackett, switched to acoustic guitar and mandolin,respectively, for Tackett’s haunting Roostercut, “Church Falling Down.” KeyboardistBill Payne took the lead for the title track, “Rooster Rag,” mentioning hisrecent fruitful songwriting partnership with longtime Grateful Dead lyricistRobert Hunter, following that with a sentimental sing-along on the Featchestnut, and George’s most beloved song from the band’s first album,“Willin’.”
The mid-set acoustic workout rounded off with a nod to AllenToussaint, as Tackett sang “Everything I Do Gonna Be Funky” morphing into Barrere’swink to Hank Williams’ “Lonesome Whistle.” It was a pleasing pairing, paying tribute to two of the band’s early andenduring influences. Returning to theirelectrics, Barrere and Tackett brought on another guitar slinger, The Doors’Robby Krieger, for “A Apolitical Blues,” with Clayton again showing off hisbluesman chops as the six-stringers stretched out.
For the final three of the show, the band enjoyed extendedturns on “Fat Man in the Bathtub,” and, with Krieger, a penultimate renditionof their longstanding live centerpiece, “Dixie Chicken,” that showed just howspecial these musicians are individually and as an ensemble, especially asBarrere excited on guitar and Payne excelled on keys, once again. All that remained was the rollicking encoreof “Feats Don’t Fail Me Now” and the all but obvious sentiment that not onlyhas Little Feat never failed its faithful, these irrepressible six have agedinto their 50th year with vitality, dignity, and the undiminished mightto keep those dancing shoes moving all night.d
