Little Feat | March 17, 2022 | Ryman Auditorium | Nashville, TN – Concert Review

Review by Shawn Perry

Some people with way too much time tend to argue about the great live albums of the 70’s. Which is understandable because there are so many of them. There are Live in Leeds from the who At Fillmore East from the Allman Brothers Band, Made in Japan from Deep Purple and of course Frampton comes alive, to name just a few. Everyone has a favourite. When it comes to Waiting for Columbus, the 1978 live double album Little Feat, there’s not much to argue about. That’s because the four-night recording in 1977 when the band played London is a sweet slice of perfection. That was more than apparent when the group celebrated the album’s 45th anniversary in Nashville for two nights at the Ryman Auditorium.

Little Feat – Keyboardist and founding member Bill Payne, drummer Sam Clayton (member since 1972), bassist Kenny Grandney (member since 1972), guitarist Fred Tackett (member since 1988), guitarist and vocalist Scott Sharrard (member since 2020), and drummer Tony Leone (Member since 2020) – were joined by several special guests in Nashville. On Wednesday night, Charlie Starr and Tommy Emmanuel took the stage for a couple of numbers. Tonight, as it’s St. Patrick’s Day, it felt a little more special. Musically, one can hardly imagine a more entertaining concert.

Amy Helm – daughter of Levon Helm, who sang and played drums with The Band – appeared on stage in a bright green dress. Supported by her three-piece band (guitar, bass drums), she opened the evening with a short set. For a rousing cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “Atlantic City,” Helm and company were joined by singer-songwriter-guitarist Connor Kennedy, vocalist Nicki Bluhm and members of the horn section of the Midnight Ramble Band, who backed Levon Helm for his famous Midnight Rambles at his farm in Update New York. Helm, Kennedy, Bluhm and the Horns supported Little Feat throughout the night.

Everyone knew Little Feat would be back Waiting for Columbus; They just didn’t know how or in what way the band and their guests were going to bring the music out – which made it all the more exciting. The interplay between the core band is enough to keep you on your toes and yearning for more. Adding other voices and instruments to the mix only enhanced the experience. The green speckles dotting the Ryman’s hall greeted Little Feat as they took their places, and the final fluttering notes of Sam and Dave’s “Hold On” echoed off the ceiling. Once “Join The Band” had settled, Payne, wearing a yellow and green plaid blazer, led the ensemble through an unabashed “Fat Man In A Bath Tub.”

Perhaps the guitars lack the barking sustain and flange of Lowell George and Paul Barrere, but both Tackett and Sharrard have plenty of chops to keep the jams fluffy and intense. A musician of unprecedented dimension, Tackett doubled mandolin and trumpet when light and brass were called for. Sharrard, who worked with Gregg Allman for nearly 10 years, took a significant chunk of lead on many songs including “All That You Dream”, “Time Loves A Hero”, “Day Or Night” and “All That You Dream”. -Vocals a convincing “Willin”. Between Tackett and Sharrard, Payne’s subtle but sure touch of the keys often pushed the arrangements into sonic overdrive. All you could do was run for cover and save your life.

When Eric Church was announced as the band’s next guest, almost everyone in the audience stood up and pointed their cameras directly at the man. Minutes earlier, the famous Nashville singer was just across the street at the Bridgestone Arena, where he was sitting with fellow country music superstar Morgan Wallen. Now here he was, an acoustic in hand, his signature fliers positioned just right, clearly mortified by the extraordinary musicianship, and commissioned to sing “Dixie Chicken,” one of Little Feat’s most iconic numbers. It definitely suited his style as he wrapped his vocals around the lyrics – “If you’ll be my Dixie Chicken, I’ll be your Tennessee Lamb.” You can only imagine the collective swoon as Church delivered those lines. That certainly explains why so many younger fans were in attendance. Luckily most of them stayed after Church left.

The night’s other big guest was infamous soul singer Bettye LaVette, who popped up for a jazzy journey through Allen Toussaint’s ‘On Your Way Down’ and then returned with Sam Clayton for a duet with a searing rendition of ‘A Apolitical Blues’. At 76, LaVette can still mist the windows with her cat-scratching snarl. You could tell certain members of the audience were moved to tears by her mellow mood and cool detachment. Oh, the stories she could tell.

Other highlights included keyboardist JoJo Hermann from Widespread Panic sneaking up alongside Payne to give him a run over the ivory on “Oh Atlanta” and “Old Folks Boogie.” Jeff Hanna, a founding member of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, also showed up to strum and verse on “Sailin’ Shoes.” One might have thought they’d closed up after a rousing “Feats Don’t Fail Me Now,” but the troupe returned for an encore of “Fool Yourself,” the only song of the night not to appear Waiting for Columbus. Written for Little Feat 15 years before he became a full member, its significance as Fred Tackett’s first song, written 15 years before he became a full member, could not have escaped the notice of the numerous Feat devotees proudly sporting their “Weed, Whites and Wine” t-shirts. For the rest of us it was the final lap of an incredible stand in Music City.