Little Feat Debuts Randy Newman Cover In Arkansas

Louisiana was still on the members of Little Feat's minds on Tuesday when they resumed their The Last Farewell Tour in Eureka Springs, Arkansas after two weeks in New Orleans. The band ceded the stage to keyboardist Bill Payne towards the middle of the show at Eureka Springs City Auditorium for a poignant cover of Randy Newman's “Louisiana 1927.”

The iconic 1974 song was written by Randy Newman about the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927. “Louisana 1927” details the callous response the of the federal goverment to a devastating act of nature that left 700,000 people homeless in Louisiana and Mississippi.

A similar response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005 brought the song back into the spotlight. Aaron Neville performed “Louisiana 1927” during NBC’s “A Concert For Hurricane Relief,” while Newman sang it at the multi-network television fundraiser “Shelter From The Storm: A Concert For The Gulf Coast” and with an orchestra for Saturday Night Live’s “Mardi Gras Special.”

Little Feat has been giving Payne a turn in the solo spotlight at select Last Farewell Tour stops while the stage is prepared for their second of two electric sets. The keyboardist addressed the crowd on Tuesday, after a full-band acoustic performance of the beloved “Willin’.”

“This is where they allow me to do a tune … whatever I want to play. I was in New Orleans with these cats, I got there early. I was on a tour with Randy Newman a long time ago, with Mike McDonald, Fred Tackett, Willie Weeks and a bunch of folks. This one is a Randy Newman song — it’s called ‘Louisiana 1927,'” Payne said.

Bill Payne delivered a heartfelt solo rendition of the Randy Newman song for its Little Feat debut. “Louisana, Louisiana, they’re trying to wash us away, they’re trying to wash us away,” Payne sang to the captivated audience.

Watch Little Feat’s Bill Payne perform “Louisiana 1927” in Arkansas via fan-shot video below:

Little Feat pulled material from nearly every era of their legendary career to fill out the setlist in Arkansas. Two electric sets were split by an acoustic set that ended with “Louisiana 1927.” The show was stacked with classics such as “Fat Man In The Bathtub,” “Oh Atlanta,” “On Your Way Down,” “Time Loves A Hero,” “Skin It Back,” “A Apolitical Blues,” “Spanish Moon” and “Dixie Chicken.”

The Last Farewell Tour moves on to Iowa City, Iowa on Friday, May 8. Little Feat has dates scheduled through the fall, with their final excursion expected to span multiple years.

Stream an audience recording of Little Feat’s visit to Eureka Springs taped by Neil Frost :