Watch: Little Feat Perform Grateful Dead’s “Shakedown Street” in Honor of Phil Lesh
Photo Credit: Fletcher Moore
In the hours and days that followed Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh’s passing, fellow artists were eager to pay homage to the influential improvisation figurehead. Amongst the acts providing odes of remembrance were Little Feat. The band carved out time during their stand on Saturday, Oct. 26, at the Paramount Theater in Charlottesville, Va., selecting “Shakedown Street” as their on-stage homage.
Notably, the group’s song choice struck deeper meaning given the late Lowell George, Little Feat’s bandleader, and his role as the producer of the Grateful Dead’s 10th studio album and 15th overall offering, Shakedown Street. Little Feat’s tribute post to Lesh on social media further delineated the threaded connection between the two groups. The message, which band co-founder Bill Payne signed, read:
Little Feat were very fortunate to open for the Grateful Dead quite a few times. In the summer of 2000, I was fortunate to be included on a Phil & Friends tour with Paul Barrere, Robben Ford, and Jon Molo.
In the late 60s, I had been a fan of the Dead while in high school in Santa Maria. I, like many bands of that era, took inspiration from the Dead on the art of jamming. By the time I was in Phil & Friends those many years later, I had forgotten some of the techniques on how to jam. Phil was the perfect person to give me firsthand instruction. The Dead’s music was much more intricate than I remembered, and their catalogue of songs was staggering. His love and commitment to their music was more than evident through his passion and precision to every song.
One thing he made sure I did was to take my left hand out of the bass area on the piano. He had that area covered! I made the adjustments, and we were good after that. Phil was in the process of learning as well as teaching. He was experimental, and yet, expected to hear certain phrases played a certain way. He was as complex a musician as he was a human being. His influence will be felt for a very long time. I count myself lucky to have been in his considerable orbit.
Farewell
On the heels of Payne’s heartfelt message, during Little Feats’ concert, he spoke candidly about his admiration for the Grateful Dead, attending 60s-era concerts in San Francisco before turning it over to Tony Leone, who provided the song’s lead behind the kit. Saturday’s performance also featured added instrumentation from The Hot Tomato Horns. Prior to clicking into the number’s recognizable groove, Scott Sharrard outlined the band’s intention, telling the crowd: “We’re going to dedicate this one to Phil Lesh and his musical family.”
Watch Little Feat’s cover of Grateful Dead’s “Shakedown Street” below.