Little Feat Kicks Off By Request Tour At The Capitol Theatre

Little Feat launched their By Request Tour at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York on Thursday. The aptly-named tour sees the band taking requests submitted to their official website.

Just days before last night’s tour launch at The Cap, sole surviving founding member of Little Feat keyboardist Bill Payne announced that he would be leaving The Doobie Brothers to pursue Little Feat full-time. Read a note from Bill below:

I just completed the Doobie Brothers’ 50th Anniversary Tour on October 29th. A few weeks ago I let them know I would be committing 100% to Little Feat from here on. I came to that decision not least because Little Feat has been brought into a relationship with Vector Management in Nashville, headed by Ken Levitan, and our day-to-day manager, Brian Penix. Ken has assembled a team of folks that will work with our team, including Dick and Linda Bangham, Seth Rappaport, and Dennis McNally, along with our friends and family. It is an extraordinary opportunity for all of us. We could not be in more capable hands.

I leave the Doobies with some great memories, and, most importantly, lasting friendships. Both bands go back a long way. They could not have been more supportive of my return full time to Little Feat. My wife, Polly, and I are forever grateful to them for allowing us a safe haven over the years, along with their unwavering kindness. I truly enjoyed playing music with the gang. I congratulate them on being admitted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. They are unquestionably deserving of that honor.

Little Feat is now officially back and ready to tour. We can’t wait. We are excited about a world of music that is open to us to explore, perform, and share. That said, I need to let everyone know that while we look forward to seeing everyone, we will have to do it from the stage. Like the Doobies tour, Little Feat will be in a Covid-free bubble. We won’t be able to visit with anyone on this tour. We simply can’t afford to bring things to a halt by anyone in the band or crew testing positive. I know most of you will understand this position. My hope is next year will allow us the chance to share a round of hugs. Until then, we’ll give you everything we have from the stage. We love you and want us all to be safe.

The future for Little Feat looks, and is, indeed, bright. Look for reissues of our catalogue, previously unreleased historical recordings, and new music from the band.

The Capitol Theatre By Request Tour launch got underway with “Spanish Moon.” The band — longtime members Payne, bassist Kenny Gradney, percussionist Sam Clayton and multi-instrumentalist Fred Tackett along with guitarist Scott Sharrard and drummer Tony Leone — then split Time Loves A Hero’s (1977) “Rocket In My Pocket” and the title track with the stellar early Feat tune, “Easy To Slip” from their 1972 album Sailin’ Shoes.

The fan-picked set also included the title track to Sailin’ Shoes along with other classics like “Day Or Night,” “Oh Atlanta” and “Dixie Chicken.” Fans also selected some cuts from LPs the band released after founding guitarist Lowell George’s death including “Cajun Girl” from their 1988 come back album Let It Roll as well as “Texas Twister” from 1989’s Representing The Mambo. Little Feat closed out the set with the staple “Tripe Face Boogie.”

The band would return to the stage for an encore of the favorite “Willin.” After beginning with “Spanish Moon,” fans decided to bookend the show with Feats Don’t Fail Me Now songs as Little Feat brought the evening to a close with the LP’s title track.