Daytona Beach, Florida is know for it’s fun in the sun and sand. On January 22, 2022 the weather was cold and an uncommon 47 degrees in the streets in front of the Peabody Auditorium, a block from the Atlantic Ocean. Fans were huddled in their cars with their heaters on as they awaited the warm confines of the theater to open their doors at seven o’clock. Little Feat featuring Jack Broadbent as the opener had made Daytona Beach their second stop on the short By Request Tour. All Music Magazine had just reviewed Little Feat’s “Waiting For Columbus” retro album review last month and I was extremely excited to get inside for the show. “Waiting For Columbus” was released 45 years ago. It was on of those albums that changed my life, well my musical life anyway. I still remember when and where I was when I heard Dixie Chicken the first time in 1978!
The opening act, Jack Broadbent hit the stage a few minutes after 8:00pm with a chair, a microphone, and two acoustic guitars. Laying a guitar across his lap, he immediately got the crowds attention opening with “On The Road Again” by Canned Heat. He played the slide guitar with reckless abandon as his hands were just a blur throughout the piece. Those in attendance were mesmerized by his skill and motion. The set was a warm up as the crowd settled into their theater seats upon arriving and leaving the cold frigid oceanfront breeze that blanketing this Florida beach town. Jack conversed back and forth with the audience which really brought the auditorium into his performance. Appropriately he completed his display of talent with a sing along version of “Hit The Road Jack,” The 1962 hit from Ray Charles! Which was a genius subconscious way of leaving his name with the audience.
Jack Broadbent isn’t a new comer as he has released six albums to date, but being from the UK he isn’t well know in the United States. Broadbent states his influences as John Lee Hooker, Little Feat, and his father, who also plays the bass tracks on his latest album release RIDE. If your lucky enough to experience Little Feat on their By Request Tour through January 27, 2022, don’t be late and miss the opening act. Jack Broadbent is a slide guitar wizard that will leave a long and lasting impression on your rock and roll soul!
Little Feat hit the road again and made Daytona Beach, Florida their second stop of the abbreviated By Request Tour that runs through January 30 and ending when they head to Jamaica for Feat Camp 2022. After Jamaica, the band sails off on Rock Legends Cruise IX for a week before kicking off the Waiting For Columbus Tour which runs all summer hitting 50 some stops. The horn section will be added to the “Waiting For Columbus Tour” giving the band their signature bluesy New Orleans signature sound.
On this night in Daytona Beach, Florida, Little Feat exploded on to the stage at 9:00pm opening with “Let It Roll” and “Fat Man in the Bathtub.” Both songs were highly recognized by the audience and the party was on! Those two songs were followed by another two songs from the album Waiting For Columbus, “Spanish Moon” and “Oh Atlanta” and the audience was singing and dancing and having a great time. The set slowed down from here and the energy was slowly leaving the room. It wasn’t until “Mellow Down Easy” and the addition of Michael “Bull” Lobue on stage playing harmonica did the crowd wake up and start to get back into the initial groove of the show. At the start of “Dixie Chicken” fans were actually leaving their seats and rushing the stage, be it at walking speed to join the party dancing in the isles. This I hadn’t witnessed in years! In all, the show was two hours with a two song encore covering 19 songs. And in retrospect, I wish I was covering “The Waiting For Columbus Tour” with all the songs from that live double album set, but this was the By Request Tour, and only half the songs in the set from that album. The show was great and it’s been over 30 years since I saw the band live. If they came back to Florida on The Waiting For Columbus Tour I would definitely see them again! I need that horn section filling out the groove!
Little feat was founded by Lowell George, Bill Payne and Richie Hayward in 1969 after George left Frank Zappa’s Mothers of Invention. To date, Bill Payne is the only surviving member and the band is still going strong.
Band:
Bill Payne – Vocals, Keyboards
Sam Clayton – Congas, Vocals, Percussion
Kenny Gradney – Bass
Fred Tackett – Guitar, Mandolin, Trumpet, Vocals
Scott Sharrard – Guitar, Vocals
Tony Leone – Drums
Michael “Bull” Lobue – Harmonica
Setlist:
Encore:
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Photographer and Editor/Founder of AllMusicMagazine.com. My love of live music has taken me to incredible experiences with the top bands of all time in stadium shows to the smallest venues with equally inspiring musicians. Using the medium of photography and my publication, these memories will last forever.
