Little Feat “Waiting For Columbus” – Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre – July 29th

Last Saturday’s Little Feat and Hot Tuna show at Fiddler’s Green was a great night for fans of Classic Rock and Blues. Hot Tuna, the evening’s special guest opening the show and was a perfect complement to Little Feat, bringing their own brand of Blues-infused Rock to the stage. With Jorma Kaukonen’s virtuosic guitar and Jack Casady’s thundering bass, the group tore through a set of their own classic tracks, including “Been So Long” and “Ice Age.” Throughout the set, the interplay between Kaukonen and Casady was truly a sight to behold, with each musician bringing their own unique style to the stage. The bluesy wail of Jorma’s guitar and the thump of Jack Casady’s bass, brought the strains of “Hesitation Blues,” and the rollicking instrumental “Nine Pound Hammer,” to life. Jorma even cracked a joke when he said “We’ve done enough cheerful songs so we are gonna do one of my favorite Reverend Gary Davis tunes “Death Don’t Have No Mercy.” The sound was pure and the energy of these legends was crackling with the fire of inspiration.

Though they are decidedly past their prime, Little Feat did not disappoint. The band played the entirety of their legendary “Waiting for Columbus” album, showcasing their diverse musical styles and captivating the sparse audience with a high-energy performance. Despite the fact that Paul Barrere and Lowell George are no longer with us, their spirit was alive and well, and the night was ablaze with their musical legacy. Relative youngster Scott Sharrard stepped up and carried some of the most challenging guitar parts and vocal lines with ease. The band was in fine form, and the crowd was fully invested in the performance, singing and dancing along to every song. The rhythm section was tight, and the guitar solos were soaring, as the group played crowd favorites “Fat Man in the Bathtub” and “Dixie Chicken.” Founding Keyboardist Billy Payne shined on tracks like “Tripe Faced Boogie,” delivering intricate keyboard solos that showed off his musical prowess. The “Tripe Faced” was a clear highlight of the evening as Dobro master Jerry Douglas lent his lilting licks to it and the “Spanish Moon” that came before.

The evening featured a few other special guests as The String Cheese Incident’s Kyle Hollingsworth shared the piano bench with Payne for “Oh Atlanta” and Ronnie McCoury showed up on stage as well. But it was the set closing rendition of “Feats Don’t Fail Me Now” featuring Jerry, Kyle, and Ronnie that really brought the house down.

Sadly, the venue was not ideal for the show, as the lawn was closed and the seats were only half full. Despite this, the hard-core, grey-haired and tie-dye clad Little Feat fans in attendance had a blast as high-definition projections of classic Feat iconography by artists like Neon Park shined on the screen over the band and added a lot to the overall experience. The imagery was a visual feast, enhancing the already incredible music and bringing the concert to life in a way a simple light show wouldn’t have.

In the end it was a beautiful evening under the stars. The music was powerful, and the performance was better than I expected for two bands more than 50 years into their careers. Whether you got to see one of the original “Waiting for Columbus” shows or not, it was a night that longtime fans are sure to treasure.