My excitement level was rather high as show time was approaching. It was the year of our Lord, 2010, All Hallows’ Eve. I was dressed as an old lady, specifically Reba’s grandmother, ladle in hand. I was attending a Phish concert at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ. This was the band’s sixth Halloween show where they would feature a musical costume for the second set. This meant they would cover another group or artist’s album. Up until then they had done The Beatles’ “White Album,” The Who’s “Quadrophenia,” my all-time favorite record, “Remain in Light” by the Talking Heads (see my “Remain in Light” AOTD for further reading pleasure), The Velvet Underground’s “Loaded” and the Rolling Stones’ “Exile on Main Street.” Phish also performed Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon” in it’s entirety two days after the “Loaded” performance in 1998. So, their is always quite a buzz around the Halloween show; what are the going to play? When you enter the venue, you are handed a “Phishbill.” It looks and mimics a Broadway style “Playbill.” When you receive your “Phishbill,” you then become aware of the album the guys chose for the evening’s show. On that night, Phish picked Little Feat’s “Waiting for Columbus.” Phish has always been big fans of Little Feat. Some Little Feat material had already been performed by Phish in the past. Their admiration for Little Feat was also described, including a tribute piece about Feat drummer Richie Hayward by Phish drummer, Jon Fishman, in the “Phishbill.” So it made sense that “Waiting for Columbus” got called up. Truth be told I wasn’t that thrilled about the selection. My hesitation soon vanished. Phish did a pretty decent job that night of re-creating the live Feat record while still putting their own spin on it. All in all it was a fun Halloween show. Now if you where to ask me about the Phish October 31, 2013 show, my entire disposition would change. Bitter, party of one, your table is ready. Let’s just say I was one of the Phish heads who did not like the 2013 Halloween show. But Oh how I still love those guys. Regression!
Little Feat was never a front and center band for me. Even though they were formed in California, I always thought of them as a Southern Rock band. For that genre, my money is always on the Allman Brothers Band. Still, I was familiar with the usual classic rock radio Little Feat fare. Considered one of the all time great live records, “Waiting for Columbus” is a nice compilation of strong Feat tunes and their hits. The stand out performances are Mercenary Territory, All That You Dream, Time Loves a Hero, A Apolitical Blues, Triple Face Boogie, Fat Man in a Bathtub, Sailin’ Shoes, Day or Night, Spanish Moon and the closer Feats Don’t Fail Me Now.
If you want a pretty accurate snapshot into the first decade of the band, and the only years with Lowell George in the group, then this live offering of swampy, blues rock is a solid pick.
p.s. The live performances on the record are from August 1977 at The Tower Theater in London and Lisner Auditorium in the District of Columbia. Shout out to “Cerphe,” a DC disc jockey that I remember from back in the day. He is the guy leading the audience into the “Feat” cheer after Join the Band on the album.^ That was a nice little tid bit to get today.
365, Album of the Day 2014 
October 24, 2014 at 2:13 pm
saw one of last concerts with Lowell, 9-15-1978, U-Hall Charlottesville–awesome show
October 24, 2014 at 2:40 pm
That’s awesome! 🙂