The Feelies play NYC and the Northeast pretty regularly -- once or twice a year -- but they don't really tour. With members spread out around the country, they'll reconvene to play a weekend's worth of shows, which are almost always on the East Coast. Their shows always get a lot of fans flying in from out of town, and bassist Brenda Sauter noted on Friday night, their first of two consecutive shows at Brooklyn Made, that people had come in from The Netherlands, Sweden and the UK for these dates. Their shows always feel like a special club and don't really attract casual fans. Everybody there is in it for the long haul.
Long haul is really appropriate terminology, as their shows are marathon length, with breaks between two main sets and then multiple, cover-filled encores. All in all, Friday's show was around three-and-a-half hours, and Saturday looked the same. The Feelies build steam through their two sets, saving the more manic songs and crazy rhythms (courtesy percussionist Dave Weckerman) for the second set, and frontman Glenn Mercer still jumps around like it's 1982 and rips ragged leads, like on "Away."
Covers played across the two nights included Television's "See No Evil," REM's "Carnival of Sorts," Neil Young & Crazy Horse's "Sedan Delivery," Kraftwerk's "Kometenmelodie 2," The Rolling Stones' "Paint it Black," The Beatles "Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey," The Velvet Underground's "I'm Waiting for the Man," and more. Check out video from both shows and Saturday night's setlist below.
Grab The Feelies' Crazy Rhythms and The Good Earth on vinyl in the BV shop.
SETLIST: The Feelies @ Brooklyn Made 5/21/2021 When Company Comes Egyptian Reggae (Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers cover) Invitation Let's Go The Undertow Recognition The High Road On The Roof Change Your Mind Two Rooms Original Love Loveless Love
Set 2 For Now Decide Higher Ground Doin' It Again Sooner or Later The Boy With the Perpetual Nervousness Away Waiting Too Far Gone Raised Eyebrows Crazy Rhythms
Encore: She Said She Said (The Beatles cover) I'm Waiting for the Man (The Velvet Underground cover) Encore 2: Slipping (Into Something) Seven Days (Bob Dylan cover) Encore 3: Carnival of Sorts (Boxcars) (R.E.M. cover) Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey (The Beatles cover) Encore 4: Strange Days (The Doors cover) Fa Cé-La Encore 5: Gimme Shelter (The Rolling Stones cover) Encore 6: Real Cool Time (The Stooges cover)