LITTLE FEAT ANNOUNCE “THE LAST FAREWELL TOUR,” BEGINNING APRIL 2026
RELEASE NEW SINGLE “FEATHERS AND A SMILE,” A PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED SONG WRITTEN BY BAND CO-FOUNDER LOWELL GEORGE AND FEATURING HIS DAUGHTER, INARA GEORGE ON VOCALS
READ EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE HERE, DISCUSSING THE FAREWELL TOUR, NEW SINGLE, AND HOW LITTLE FEAT HAVE REMAINED ONE OF ROCK’S MOST ENDEARING, ENDURING AND INVENTIVE CREATIVE FORCES
Today, Little Feat, your favorite band’s favorite band, who have been regularly touring in some form since their formation 1969, announced “The Last Farewell Tour.”
A tongue in cheek title referencing The Last Record album, Little Feat, will be soon starting the process of retiring from Little Feat touring and the band announced a plethora of dates starting April 2026 with shows in Austin, Orlando, New Orleans, Kansas City and more. Tickets will go on sale Nov 7. Pre-sale starts on Nov 5. For more information visit HERE
In an exclusive with Rolling Stone magazine, Bill Payne stated, “Everybody and their brother is retiring now. But I’ll be honest, I resisted it at first. I’ll be 77 in March, and [guitarist] Fred Tackett is 80 and [bassist] Kenny [Gradney] will be 76 next year. But what’s the rush on farewelling this thing?”
“It’s not an immediate cutoff,” he added, confirming the final global tour will take several years, “When I really thought about it, if you play a venue, you just knock it off your list and don’t have to jump on a bus and go places every night, which is probably not a bad thing. And you can do residencies, if they’re available, or play music with other people or do special events.”
Little Feat also released a new single, “Feathers And A Smile,” a previously unreleased song written by band co-founder Lowell George from an unreleased portion of “Crazy Captain Gunboat Willie Suite” from the band’s debut. It features Little Feat’s Bill Payne on piano and vocals, Scott Sharrad on Dobro, Fred Tackett on mandolin, alongside vocals from Lowell George’s daughter Inara George.
Discussing the new single with Rolling Stone, Inara stated, “There’s a sweetness to it, an innocence, that feels like it’s indicative of an earlier time,” she says. “The imagery is a little more Sixties. Part of my dad’s storytelling is that he used words that were not always expected, which is something I admire.”
Listen to song HERE
Rock legends Little Feat may be putting the tour bus to rest, but they remain in fine creative form. Fresh off a GRAMMY nomination for their recent album Sam’s Place and the release of their powerful new record Strike Up the Band, the band continues to prove why they’re one of rock’s most endearing, enduring and inventive creative forces. Produced by Vance Powell (Chris Stapleton, Jack White) and featuring contributions from Blackberry Smoke’s Charlie Starr and Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter, Strike Up the Band is a vibrant showcase of their sonic gumbo—a slinky mix of groove, grit, and far-out lyricism. Songs like “Too High to Cut My Hair” and “Shipwrecks” reaffirm that Little Feat still sounds as daring and alive as ever. It is a resounding fact that this album, “sounds like Little Feat.”
Formed in the late ’60s, Little Feat built a cult following with their genre-blending stew of New Orleans R&B, country, rock, funk, and jazz—earning admiration from The Rolling Stones to Bonnie Raitt, to Cher to Led Zeppelin. Through lineup changes and decades of evolution, Little Feat remain an unstoppable force. Today’s lineup—featuring founder Bill Payne alongside Fred Tackett, Kenny Gradney, Sam Clayton, Scott Sharrard, and Tony Leone—sounds revitalized, reminding fans that Little Feat isn’t a relic of rock history but a living, breathing, ever-evolving band still capable of striking up something extraordinary.
In a statement, Little Feat stated:
Playing is the joy and satisfaction of touring, but it comes with the hard part — travel, the endless miles on a bus. There’s no dodging the wear and tear, and Little Feat has been playing for quite a while.
With tongue stuck somewhat in cheek, Little Feat announces “The Last Farewell Tour,” which will begin in April 2026.
It’s definitely not an absolute, never-gonna-play again statement. This wind-down will take several years to accomplish, and while it does, Feat will continue to perform and record as long as they are able. It’s a retirement from the travel of touring.
Little Feat began in 1969 when Frank Zappa told Lowell George he should start his own band. As Lowell happened to have a pretty small shoe size, the name became obvious. He found a partner/keyboard player in Bill Payne and a drummer in Richie Hayward.
After a few transitions, they added Kenny Gradney (bass), Sam Clayton (percussion), Paul Barrere (guitar) and eventually Fred Tackett (guitar), and began a now 56-year journey that has produced dozens of songs – “Dixie Chicken,” “Oh, Atlanta,” “Willin’,” “Fat Man in the Bathtub” – and a thousand memories. One result was one of the best live albums in the history of rock ‘n’ roll, Waiting for Columbus.
The road (see above!) is hard, and it cost them first Lowell George in 1979, Richie Hayward in 2010, and Paul Barrere in 2019. The everlasting Little Feat groove demanded playing, and they added Scott Sharrard (guitar) and Tony Leone (drums), and may well be playing at the very height of their powers, recently releasing a well-received album of original material, Strike Up the Band. Their inimitable blend of rock, New Orleans swamp boogie, jazz, and blues is not only unique but an ongoing source of delight.
Feat has an incredible legacy of music and the celebration that comes with it, and the near future will see them honoring their own past with more playing. But it’s time to give the trusty tour bus, however comfy, a rest.
THE LAST FAREWELL TOUR DATES
Jan 11-18 – Fort Lauderdale, FL – Sandy Beaches Cruise 2026
Jan 18-25 – Fort Lauderdale, FL – The Big Easy Cruise 2026
Apr 10 Fri – Orlando, FL – The Plaza Live
Apr 11 Sat – Miramar Beach, FL – Joe Bonamassa’s Sound Wave Beach Weekend 2026
Apr 13 Mon – Knoxville, TN – Tennessee Theatre
Apr 14 Tue – Roanoke, VA – Jefferson Center
Apr 16 Thu – Chattanooga, TN – Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Auditorium
Apr 17 Fri – Montgomery, AL – Montgomery Performing Arts Center
Apr 19 Sun – Dallas, TX – Majestic Theatre
Apr 20 Mon – Austin, TX – Paramount Theatre
May 3 Sun – Houston, TX – 713 Music Hall
May 5 Tue – Eureka Springs, AR – City Auditorium
May 6 Wed – Kansas City, MO – Uptown Theater
May 8 Fri – Iowa City, IA – Englert Theatre
May 9 Sat – St. Charles, IL – Arcada Theatre
May 24 Sun – Thornville, OH – Dark Star Jubilee
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