Wolverhampton Civic Hall 7-12-04

[Pallet]

sad old gits eh?
You can't have much of an ear for music if you thought the sound was OK. Or are you one of those people who get totally p****d before a gig so you can enjoy it what ever it's like?

As I was the first to mention the sound I'd like to clarify something - the sound was terrible. Thats all I said. If they want to play over indulgent extended jams of recent recordings - so be it - it's their band not ours!
Little Feat are a touring band, playing different types of venues every night. Surely they could get it right - they owe it the paying audience, whether die hard fan or casually interested regular gig goer to get it right. It's Ok saying don't give up on them, but they won't have won any new fans last Monday - 'cause you couldn't hear it!

Last night I went to see Todd Rundgren in Manchester. He did mainly tracks from his new and more recent albums with a few oldies thrown in. It was brilliant - Why? - 'cause you could hear it!

[caprani]

Who said that the sound was OK? I don't remember seing that anywhere.

[tenntwister]

Once you get past folks' responses after misreading some of these posts and some of the unfounded assumptions put forth, it appears that yes, the sound at that hall was gawd awful, a few people didn't like the setlist, and some didn't like the noodling. Fair enough. I've got a great short version of Dixie Chicken from May 2nd here in Nashville - what a rarity!!!

Isn't it great we can spend all this time and passion talking about music here? Well, maybe too much time...

BTW, I hope the Rundgren set was brilliant for more reasons than that you could hear it.

;-)

Mac

[phishtez]

I was at the gig i was at the front so no real sound quality issues
as for pissed I stayed overnight so i had a few pints
I was not obnoxious threatening or falling about the place.
The last night at the proms is roudy and thats classical!!!!!!!
the only thing people can have a go at is the sound quality
the set list and noodling has been part of the band for many a year
one unrecorded song is not over indulgent
This is someone who saw genesis in liverpool in the 70s and they played the whole of lamb lies down on broadway without the album being released!
knock the venue
knock the person who booked it
although it seems other people use it dr john for one
but please do not fault the band for playing a style of music they have been evolving for over 30 years

[Pallet]

Hey tenntwister

The reasson I mentioned Todd Rundgren was to complete my point about Little Feat's sound. Todd hardly played any 'old' songs' and mucked around a liitle. However as you could hear it , it was overall, absolutly brilliant. However Little Feat played hardly any 'old songs' and you couldn't hear it. If you could have heard it properly I am sure I'd be saying it was brilliant too!

[featcovers]

Do you know what is good about all of this discussion? It is that it is just that - a discussion. we are all talking about Little Feat, their music, their albums, performances, likes and dislikes. (I don't like aubergines, BTW!) And this can only be a good thing can't it? Particularly as it is likely that somebody from the band will at least get the drift of what we are talking about down here in the basement of the internet!
cheers
Gary

[TonyC]

Much as my instincts tell me to put this thing to bed, I am going to respond to Hank once again. You talk about my 'snide comments about the band's age professionism and skill.' - well you are at best 1 from 3 here. The band's age, I thought I had made clear, was of no consequence - indeed the reason I cited the AWB was to show that musicians of a certain age can still make vital, dynamic and engaging live music for a mixed-age crowd. That I even more clearly described Little Feat as being 'as good as rock 'n roll gets' must surely suggest that their skill level was never in question. I certainly didn't enjoy the gig last week, nor am I enamoured of the band's new direction, but you cannot equate that with a dismissal of their musical aptitude. As to their professionalism, well, yes, based on the performance last week I feel they do have a case to answer. Much as some may dismiss the notion, rock 'n roll is an integral part of the entertainment industry, with the performer, in my opinion, honour bound to try and reach out to the audience as part of the live experience. Regardless of whether we are talking about a garage band with ninety-second songs or a free-jazz ensemble, the onus is on the artiste to foster a spirit of shared experience to generate a positive atmosphere. Sadly, Little Feat did nothing of the kind last week. As I actually attended the gig, Hank, and you didn't, I would like to think you'll give me the benefit of the doubt here - but I'm not holding my breath on it.

As per your other comments, well it may surprise you to discover that I have continued to purchase (yep, buy, not download, I have receipts, no trademark violations) Little Feat albums religiously right up to 'Kickin' At The Barn'. So whilst the group's rather more 'loosely-structured' style was certainly in evidence in, say, the 'Highwire Act' lve set, I was still mightily surprised (and not in a good way) by the extended - and frankly pretty boring - sloing in evidence at Wolverhampton.

I think you and I are simply going to have to agree to disagree about the fundamental ethos of the band's new direction. At least you have had the courtesy to respond with a concise argument to my posts - and perhaps I will concede - albeit slightly - that my earlier posts were perhgaps a little too barbed (they actually played like a second- rate Weather Report tribute band - okay, just kidding.) This is in stark contrast to those who choose to throw a few semi-abusive comments my way based, presumably, that I have the temerity to come on an open forum and air my views. I was particularly intrigued by the 'betting window' comment. What exactly would constitute a 'win' for Hank here? Would I have to change my mind completely and admit that I had a great time last week after all and I loved thge band's new sound? That's not going to happen - nor does Hank seem to type to cave, so I'm really not sure where you're coming from with that. If my comments distress anyone I recommend that you find the forum's service provider and ask for a sycophants-only firewall to be installed, or - heaven forbid - the threads may become open to others who want to tell it as they see it.

[phishtez]

As per your other comments, well it may surprise you to discover that I have continued to purchase (yep, buy, not download, I have receipts, no trademark violations) Little Feat albums religiously right up to 'Kickin' At The Barn'
THE BAND ALLOW ALL CONCERTS TO BE RECORDED
THERE ARE CERTAIN RULES THAT MUST BE OBSERVED
THEY ARE TO DE DISTRIBUTED FOR NO PROFIT(ASK GARY HE KINDLY GAVE AWAY THE SAMPLER FROM THIS SITE WITH INSERT FOR NOTHING)
IT IS ON THE UNDERSTANDING THAT YOU WILL SPREAD THE MUSIC OF THE BAND
I HAVE HAD STUFF SENT TO ME FROM AMERICA AND I HAVE SENT STUFF BACK
I ASK FOR NO MONEY AT ALL JUST THAT THEY GIVE A DONATION TO A KIDS CHARITY
THERE IS ACTUALLY A WEB ADDY ON THIS SITE FOR DOWNLOADING 66 FEAT CONCERTS
OVER 2000 BY THE DEAD
300 BY MOE
IT IS PERFECTLY LEGAL AND LEGITIMATE
I RECOMMEND HAVING BROADBAND
I HAVE CONCERTS FROM ALL ERAS AND EACH IS DIFFERENT
THE EARLY STUFF WITH LOWELL
THE CRAIG YEARS
THE HOPETOUN HOUSE 26/8/2000(THANKS JAMIE)
SPANISH MOON 12.47
DIXIE CHICKEN 19.31
SAMPLE IN A JAR 14.53
SO IM AFRAID THE FEAT HAVE BEEN PLAYING EXTENDED FOR OVER 5 YEARS
JUST LET THE BAND PLAY!!!!!!!!!

[tbayliss]

What a disappointment this show was. The Feat DVD at St Louis shows them to be still one of the best live bands in the world but this was such a letdown. As many have said, the sound was awful but the performance was also not as good as I expected - perhaps they had poor sound on stage too. "On Your Way Down" was the one highlight - perhaps the slower tempo and the more space in this song helped the sound. The choice of material was odd too - only "Stomp" from the latest CD from what I rememberTEXT(fast tempo again). I saw Paul's acoustic being tuned by a roadie at the back and thought "Willin" should sound good and perhaps Fred would get the mando out and they could do more slower or acoustic stuff but no - they carried on playing loud and fast - no Willin', Sailin' Shoes or any of the more acoustic songs from recent CDs. Hope we don't have to wait too long for another UK visit - and a better venue and performance.

[monopedfeat]

Hank... TonyC. It's been a few days and things seemed to have settled somewhat and I don't wish to stir things up between you. You both state your cases far more eloquently than I could ever hope to, but I would like to add that I think the two of you may be standing on ground that is more common than you realize. Hank made an important point that, I think, may lend support to TonyC's concerns. Hank said (and this may not be an exact quote) that at age 51 he had been to at least that many shows in the last 6 years. LF fans on the American side of the ocean do enjoy an advantage in that we do have greater access to their touring schedule. LF tours heavily on both coasts, but even in the midwest (where I live in Minnesota) we generally have at least one opportunity every year to see Little Feat. I don't know how often they tour Europe, but I'd wager it isn't every year. So if the acoustics at a venue aren't good, and the concensus of those in attendance seems to indicate it was considerably less than that, the disappointment could only be magnified for the fans considering the level anticipation many of them were feeling prior to the show.
As for what they play during a show and what they currently record on their CDs I can only say I'm happy they enjoy the freedom they do in both settings. Chinese Work Songs and Kickin' at the Barn are simply a joy to listen to, and TonyC... you're right about the first 5 albums being about as good as rock gets!
How's my balancing act on this fence so far? I should have had a spot on the cover Live Highwire Act don'tcha think?
And Phishtez, I couldn't agree more that Little Feat is far and away the most generous band out there in terms of allowing taping of their shows. Now if I could just convince them to allow me to run video, but I imagine a couple hundred blinking red lights in the audience might get more than a little annoying!
Last August my wife and I traveled to Saint Paul (Minnesota) to see Grand Funk Railroad and the Doobie Brothers. On the 75 mile drive up (that's 120 kilometers for you metric folks) I popped my Doobies greatest hits CD into the player. I virtually listened to that CD a second time at the show. Little Feat... thank you for not turning into a tribute band to yourselves!
To clarify a little further, some folks may think the definitive Deep Purple puts Ian Gillan at the mic and Roger Glover on bass, while some see the definitive band is David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes in those spots with Lord, Blackmore, and Paice. But this is where Little Feat differs. The 1970s LF with Lowell George is certainly a definitive line-up, but the current line-up, in my humble opinion, is every bit as definitive! As was the Craig Fuller years. Little Feat isn't just a band, it's a family. And they are making music that is just as vital and relevant in 2004 as they were in 1971. Not many bands have that kind of legacy!
- monoped

[featcovers]

Well, I just got the recording of this show. It rocks! The sound is great! The band are great! I am great! It is available for download from the live archive.org - just google for it, i can't remember the whole thing. It rocks! Dd i say that already?

[Guy]

The 2 shows known to have been successfully taped in England recently are now available and I'm going to set up a tree to distribute to interested parties. The shows are Wolverhampton Civic Hall 12th July and The Astoria,
London 13th July. They are great recordings of 2 wonderful but very different shows.

Please send me a private e-mail if interested with the following info:

Your e-mail address
Your geographic location
Whether you prefer trade or B&P

The set lists were:

Wolverhampton Civic Hall 12th July 2004

disc 1:

One Clear Moment > Just Another Sunday, Down On The Farm > Candyman > Down
On The Farm, Spanish Moon > Skin It Back, On Your Way Down, Love You Like A
Woman, Stomp


disc 2:

Under The Radar, Easy To Slip > I Know You Rider > Easy To Slip, Dixie
Chicken > Bass solo > Key solo >
Corazones Y Sombras > Gringo > Tennessee Jed > Dixie Chicken > I Do What The
Telephone Tells Me To Do > Dixie Chicken, E: Fat Man In The Bathtub > Get Up
Stand Up > Fat Man In The Bathtub



Astoria, London 13th July 2004



disc 1

Cajun Rage, Driving Blind, Time Loves A Hero > Day Or Night, Why Don't It
Look Like The Way That It Talk, Cadillac Hotel, Rocket In My Pocket, Willin'
> Don't Bogart That Joint > Night On The Town

disc 2

It Takes A Lot To Laugh, Dixie Chicken > Bass solo > Key solo > Fighting The
Mosquito Wars > Dixie Chicken, Spanish Moon>Let It Roll, E: Fat Man In The
Bathtub > Gringo > Get Up Stand Up > Fat Man In The Bathtub(w/ Vinnie Amico
and Jim Loughlin of moe., on percussion)

Guy

[e-mail]

[featcovers]

I just revisited this thread after a year (oh my god a year since I saw Little Feat!!) I recently listened to the recording of the show again, and I have to say i enjoyed it a heck of a lot - much better than I enjoyed the actual gig. I've also been listenong to some other new Feat shows, and they rock too. So check them out. then today, playing "let's pick a random tape from this useless pile of Maxells (remember them?)" I realised that I'd picked the tape of Lowell's final gig. Oh man, what an emotional car trip that was for me - i was signing, crying and driving all at the same time. So, old style or new style, this band rock!!
oh, and the Little Feat Covers Annexe www.featcovers.com has been updated a bit, with more coming Real Soon Now!