Post by chadgumbo on Aug 29, 2004 16:04:35 GMT -5
With the exception of ZZ Top on the 27th and The Allman Brothers Band on the 31st, the lineup to appear on this year’s Grandstand stage at the Minnesota State Fair is forgettable at best. A bright spot for the fair, which is oft referred to as the “Great Minnesota Get Together”, could be found at the much more intimate band-shell concert stage. For the price of your fair admission, $9.00, fairgoers were offered the chance to see Little Feat in concert on Saturday August 28th, and LF will appear again tonight (the 29th) at 8:30 PM on the same stage. With back to school looming large for my kids, I decided to make Saturday a day at the fair for the whole family.
Driving north on Highway 52, I slipped Ain't Had Enough Funinto the CD player. As I listen I wonder absently if we’ll hear any of the songs playing on my car stereo at the concert. Given the plethora of music the band has to choose from I realize I may not, but am also sure it will be a fine show.
Later, at the fair, after my sons had spent some time on the midway and my wife and I had been Kickin’ It at the Barn (sorry couldn’t resist) ;D checking out the various farm animals, we all ate something fried on a stick and then headed over to the band-shell to settle in for the concert. After not getting satisfactory photos of the band a year earlier when I tried to photograph them with my digital camera without the use of the flash component, I have taken Hank Randall’s advice (see his interview at the LF website) and loaded my 35mm Canon with 800 speed film and hope for better luck.
Going to a free concert draws out Feat fans and those who are just curious to see who’s playing. I hear a woman behind me ask her husband “Well are they Little Feat or are they Hot Tomato? It says both on the banner up there.” The husband replies something to the effect that they must be an “Indian band” with a name like Little Feat. There are still five minutes remaining before show-time so I quickly turn to them and give them a brief history of the Little Feat/Tomato correlation, and let them know that they’re aren’t any Native Americans in the band.
The man who is going to introduce Little Feat steps on the stage and makes an announcement “Please remain in your seats… there will be no dancing allowed in front of the stage, only to either side of the stage… and no coming down to center stage to photograph the band. Please take your pictures from where you’re seated.” I figure I’ll deal with that a little later in the show. Now the band is making its way onto the stage. Paul steps up to the mic and says something to the effect that we should pay no attention to that man behind the curtain, thus negating the dancing and photos announcement.
Fred launches into a rhythm with his guitar. Richie keeps pace with his drums and begins to build his rhythm in volume. All at once Kenny jumps in on bass and Cajun Rageis under way. Next Shaun sings Romance Without Finance, and this is followed by Sam singing Forty-Four Blues. Then Sam comes out to center stage and sings That's a Pretty Good Love with Shaun. So my previously idle thoughts about “Aint Had Enough Fun” have been answered as 3 of the first 4 songs come from that album and we’re only at the bottom of the 2nd inning.
Now the band introduces the first song they’re going to perform from [glow=red,2,300]Kickin' It at the Barn[/glow] and it’s Why Don't It Look, which thrills me as that’s my personal favorite from that album. A couple of songs later and they’re doing A Night on the Town. The crowd is offering up enthusiastic applauses, but as requested by our now departed fair official, nobody is dancing just below center stage. Everyone is keeping to their seats and I begin to wonder if I’ll get a chance to shoot some close-up photos or not. Bill strikes up a bluesy tune on the piano, Kenny's laying down a solid base line, and Shaun begins singing It Takes a Train.
At 9:50 PM the band begins its set closer, Dixie Chicken, and the fans can’t contain themselves anymore. The dancers move in just below center stage. I sense my opportunity and I’m off and running with my camera. The 800 speed film allows me to honor the request of no flash photography and now I’m close enough to get some good close-ups and some real help from the stage lighting. After a few shots of Fred and then Paul, I find myself focusing in on Bill. I’ve moved to my left and Bill casually glances to his right, spots the lens that is fixed on him, smiles and actually lifts his left hand for a moment to offer a wave. I’m so surprised by this gesture that I completely blow the photo-op and can only smile myself and mouth the words “Thanks Bill.” I get a nice shot of him later though whilst he was unawares of my attention. A couple more shots of Shaun and Sam as they’re now leading the encore song Feats Don't Fail Me Now. I’d like a nice close-up of Kenny, but I’ll have to fight quite a crowd to make my way over there and I chance a shot from 25 feet.
And then the show is over. I find myself wishing I could return again Sunday night for the next performance on the same stage, but it just won’t work out. So I’ll say a prayer for the Good Lord to watch over Little Feat for another year and hope that the Tomato will safely bring them back to Minnesota again for another great night of music next year.
- chadgumbo
Driving north on Highway 52, I slipped Ain't Had Enough Funinto the CD player. As I listen I wonder absently if we’ll hear any of the songs playing on my car stereo at the concert. Given the plethora of music the band has to choose from I realize I may not, but am also sure it will be a fine show.
Later, at the fair, after my sons had spent some time on the midway and my wife and I had been Kickin’ It at the Barn (sorry couldn’t resist) ;D checking out the various farm animals, we all ate something fried on a stick and then headed over to the band-shell to settle in for the concert. After not getting satisfactory photos of the band a year earlier when I tried to photograph them with my digital camera without the use of the flash component, I have taken Hank Randall’s advice (see his interview at the LF website) and loaded my 35mm Canon with 800 speed film and hope for better luck.
Going to a free concert draws out Feat fans and those who are just curious to see who’s playing. I hear a woman behind me ask her husband “Well are they Little Feat or are they Hot Tomato? It says both on the banner up there.” The husband replies something to the effect that they must be an “Indian band” with a name like Little Feat. There are still five minutes remaining before show-time so I quickly turn to them and give them a brief history of the Little Feat/Tomato correlation, and let them know that they’re aren’t any Native Americans in the band.
The man who is going to introduce Little Feat steps on the stage and makes an announcement “Please remain in your seats… there will be no dancing allowed in front of the stage, only to either side of the stage… and no coming down to center stage to photograph the band. Please take your pictures from where you’re seated.” I figure I’ll deal with that a little later in the show. Now the band is making its way onto the stage. Paul steps up to the mic and says something to the effect that we should pay no attention to that man behind the curtain, thus negating the dancing and photos announcement.
Fred launches into a rhythm with his guitar. Richie keeps pace with his drums and begins to build his rhythm in volume. All at once Kenny jumps in on bass and Cajun Rageis under way. Next Shaun sings Romance Without Finance, and this is followed by Sam singing Forty-Four Blues. Then Sam comes out to center stage and sings That's a Pretty Good Love with Shaun. So my previously idle thoughts about “Aint Had Enough Fun” have been answered as 3 of the first 4 songs come from that album and we’re only at the bottom of the 2nd inning.
Now the band introduces the first song they’re going to perform from [glow=red,2,300]Kickin' It at the Barn[/glow] and it’s Why Don't It Look, which thrills me as that’s my personal favorite from that album. A couple of songs later and they’re doing A Night on the Town. The crowd is offering up enthusiastic applauses, but as requested by our now departed fair official, nobody is dancing just below center stage. Everyone is keeping to their seats and I begin to wonder if I’ll get a chance to shoot some close-up photos or not. Bill strikes up a bluesy tune on the piano, Kenny's laying down a solid base line, and Shaun begins singing It Takes a Train.
At 9:50 PM the band begins its set closer, Dixie Chicken, and the fans can’t contain themselves anymore. The dancers move in just below center stage. I sense my opportunity and I’m off and running with my camera. The 800 speed film allows me to honor the request of no flash photography and now I’m close enough to get some good close-ups and some real help from the stage lighting. After a few shots of Fred and then Paul, I find myself focusing in on Bill. I’ve moved to my left and Bill casually glances to his right, spots the lens that is fixed on him, smiles and actually lifts his left hand for a moment to offer a wave. I’m so surprised by this gesture that I completely blow the photo-op and can only smile myself and mouth the words “Thanks Bill.” I get a nice shot of him later though whilst he was unawares of my attention. A couple more shots of Shaun and Sam as they’re now leading the encore song Feats Don't Fail Me Now. I’d like a nice close-up of Kenny, but I’ll have to fight quite a crowd to make my way over there and I chance a shot from 25 feet.
And then the show is over. I find myself wishing I could return again Sunday night for the next performance on the same stage, but it just won’t work out. So I’ll say a prayer for the Good Lord to watch over Little Feat for another year and hope that the Tomato will safely bring them back to Minnesota again for another great night of music next year.
- chadgumbo
