Jefferson Center wasn’t overrun with kids Sunday evening. But the ones who were there got a glimpse into their parents’ — even their grandparents’ — past.

It came courtesy of Little Feat, a band that has been making people shake their backsides for the better part of three decades.

Little Feat closed the first-ever Roanoke Arts Festival , playing to a crowd of about 420. The room wasn’t half full, but the crowd was loud and enthusiastic, giving the band six standing ovations and chanting “Feat! Feat! Feat!”

The Feat earned its love by giving the crowd a funky but idiosyncratic dose of music that has earned critics’ accolades while still inspiring folks to wave their lighters.

Not that there were any lighters out Sunday, much less the smell of a favorite Little Feat topic. Singer/guitar player Paul Barrere alluded to the toned-down party vibe as he introduced one of the band’s revered chestnuts, “Don’t Bogart That Joint.” He noted that there were children in the matinee audience.

“You young ’uns, follow the words of the great Nancy Reagan and 'just say no,’ ” he said, to a smattering of boos.

In fact, the band had just finished “Willin,’  ” with its declaration that “weed, whites and wine” would help get a decadent trucker moving through his many long hauls. “Willin,’  ” of course, induced a big singalong.

Otherwise, any attempts at singing along would not rise above the band’s high-volume show. Little Feat has not forgotten how to rock. Guitarists Barrere and Fred Tackett, slinging solo after solo with fingers and slides, made sure of that. Unfortunately, Bill Payne’s keyboards were often down in the mix, and one could barely hear percussionist Sam Clayton.

If there is a major complaint, it’s that the band has never been as strong vocally as it was with its co-founder, Lowell George. But what are you going to do? George died in 1979, not long after announcing the band’s breakup. The band re-formed nine years later with new singer Craig Fuller, who left long ago.

Now, Barrere shares the vocal duties with Shaun Murphy , who performs some of George’s songs and sings a lot of backup.

Murphy, who once was in a duo with Meatloaf, has also done background vocals for Eric Clapton, Bob Seger and John Hiatt. On Sunday, she pulled out the latter’s “Feels Like Rain,” and that song turned out to be the highlight of the show. Murphy might look like someone’s mom mysteriously transported to a rock ’n’ roll stage, but on the Hiatt number and others, she was a soul-shouter of the first order. It’s not a song you would associate with Little Feat, but she got her own standing “O.”

Otherwise, the night was bouncier. Little Feat’s music has always paid more homage to New Orleans than to the country-rock sounds that were taking over the airwaves as the band made its way through the 1970s. It opened the show with “Hate to Lose Your Lovin’,” with drummer Richie Hayward and bassist Kenny Gradney, a Louisiana native, locked tight in syncopation.

“Oh, Atlanta” continued the Big Easy vibe. “Fat Man in the Bathtub” and “Dixie Chicken” followed suit, but with room for Hayward, Gradney and Payne to take jazzy solos.

This wasn’t just a bunch of hacks reliving the glory days. Little Feat continues to live up to its reputation as one of the best live bands around.