It wasn’t quite The Last Waltz. There were no cameos by Bob Dylan or Neil Young, and Martin Scorsese wasn’t there with a film crew. It was a modest crowd full of familiar, adoring faces, all having a good time. And that’s just how Little Brother and the Spoiled Siblings wanted it.
The renowned Guilford band played its last show on Friday night in Bryan Junior auditorium in honor of their departing keyboardist juniorTed Fetter.
They opened the 12-song set with a cover of En Vogue’s “Free Your Mind.” The Prince movie “Purple Rain” loomed on the projection dome above as they cleverly turned R&B into punk.
Although most of the songs were off of “Super Taster,” their first album, “B22”, “Happy Go Lucky Guy”, and “No Matter How Hot Outside” were all new additions.
Guilford grad John Moore’s trumpet played along with creative guitar riffs by Moore and Eric Mann, also an alum, and exemplified the band’s unique and often hard-to-label sound.
“Some people like to call us hard punk,” said Fetter, who donned a Mullet T-shirt, black sport coat and a headband. “But if you label, you limit.”
“I need your help chanting the word jugs,” yelled lead singer and Guilford grad Tim Lafollette just before the band went into their crowd pleaser “Boobies and Brains.”
The audience enthusiastically obliged and a memorable version of the song unfolded, making it one of many highlights of the evening.
Fetter and his Yamaha Motif 8 keyboard gave the audience a lot to love, especially with his fast-fingered solos.
“Fishwick” offered a definitive hard punk feel mixed with sequences of rapping by Fetter, again showcasing the band’s diverse style. “I’d like to apologize to Tupac,”said Feter. “I suck.”
The bittersweet evening ended with “She’s Small,” one of the band’s original songs. Drummer Geordie Woods hit the cymbal for the last time as “Little Brother” ended their final set.
“Ladies and gentlemen, this is it,” said LaFollette. “It’s been an amazing year and a half.”
The crowd rushed Fetter and carried him off in true rock star fashion.
It was Springsteen-esque.
“I know Springsteen,” said Fetter. “I don’t look anything like him.”
Maybe not, but he did a good job filling The Boss’s shoes for a night.