The Last Waltz
From Biocrawler, the free encyclopedia.
The Last Waltz is the name of The Band's final concert, the Martin Scorsese documentary film about the concert, and the album of the concert.
The Band, consisting of Levon Helm on drums, Rick Danko on bass, Garth Hudson on organ, Richard Manuel on keys, and Robbie Robertson on guitar, had been touring for 16 years before deciding to disband.
They held their final concert at The Winterland Theatre in San Francisco, and made rock music history by compiling one of the most extensive lineups of prominent guest performers at a single concert.
Held on Thanksgiving, November 26, 1976, the audience was fed turkey dinner and there was ballroom dancing prior to the show. Bill Graham promoted and staged the evening's events.
Guest musicians who performed with The Band included:
- Ronnie Hawkins
- Dr. John
- Bobby Charles
- Neil Young
- Neil Diamond
- Joni Mitchell
- Paul Butterfield
- Muddy Waters
- Eric Clapton
- Van Morrison
- Bob Dylan
- Ringo Starr
- Ron Wood
The Band also performed songs without guests, and informal jams also took place. Poets Michael McClure and Lawrence Ferlinghetti gave readings.
Scorsese’s film was released in 1978, and featured concert footage interspersed with interviews of the band, as well as an original score written by Robertson, and additional studio performances of The Band featuring The Staples Singers and Emmylou Harris.
The officially released LPs were marked by heavy overdubbing and resequencing; collectors have circulated an original line recording of the concert as a more accurate document of the event. In 2002, an [edition (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_Waltz_%28box%29|expanded)] of the concert was released on a 4-CD box set and a sonically enhanced DVD-Audio edition.
External links
- Homepage for The Last Waltz (http://www.mgm.com/lastwaltz/)
- The Last Waltz (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077838/) at the Internet Movie Database
