The Feelies at The Bell House, Gowanus, Brooklyn, on April 25, 2014. (Photos © 2014 Steven P. Marsh/willyoumissme.com)
The Feelies may have lost their home base when Maxwell’s went out in style with a Hoboken block party last year. But they haven’t lost their soul, as they proved Friday night.
They took the stage of The Bell House in Brooklyn on Friday night and played two red-hot sets.
The Bell House is thee closest thing to a home club the Passaic County, N.J., quintet has these days. Former Maxwell’s co-owner and booker, Todd Abramson has been booking bands at the first-class Gowanus music venue for some time now.
Guitarist Bill Million and bassist Brenda Sauter.
(Click through to the jump for more photos and info about The Feelies’ upcoming shows.)
Glenn Mercer keeps the crowd entranced.
True Feelies fans tend to think every gig is the greatest. But this one was off the charts. The band’s longtime sound engineer, Andy Peters, even felt moved to comment on the show on his Facebook page:
I haven’t seen The Feelies as many times as Andy, but I’ve seen them quite a bit, and under many circumstances. I couldn’t agree more. There was magic in the air on Friday.
The band was tight, well-prepared, and every member — Mercer, drummer Stan Demeski, percussionist Dave Weckerman, bassist Brenda Sauter, and even the inscrutable guitarist Bill Million — appeared to be having a really good time. And the audience response was tremendous, to the point that singer and guitarist Glenn Mercer, who’s usually pretty sparing with his patter, was moved to offer rather effusive thanks.
They responded to the adulation with three rousing encore sets.
Guitarist Bill Million takes a turn on percussion, whacking the agogô, framed by Glenn Mercer and Stan Demeski.
If you’ve never seen The Feelies perform, you really should. The band’s touring is pretty limited and generally confined to weekends, given that everybody involved has a day job. The night after the Brooklyn show, The Feelies were in Long Island. Next up is New England, with shows at The Sinclair in Cambridge, Mass., on Friday, May 30 and at The Met in Pawtucket, R.I., on Saturday, May 31. If you’re anywhere near either of those places that weekend, make a point to stop by. And tell them Steven of Will You Miss Me When I’m Gone? sent you.
Percussionist Dave Weckerman in full-concentration mode.
Stan Demeski concentrates on his rock-solid beat.
Dave Weckerman on floor tom.
Will You Miss Me When I'm Gone? 