The Band - The Last Waltz
Listen to a condensed audio version of this review by Greg
This is a special one. You know why? Cause you do not have to be a fan of The Band to enjoy this. I can remember hearing and seeing the recording of The Last Waltz for the first time, shockingly late in the year 2000. My mind was numb. My brain decided to go on vacation after that. For I had not been part of a concert performance (virtually, of course) that moved me when I had known nothing about this band.
On Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 1976, the rock n’ roll group, The Band, played what was advertised as their last concert. The Band was leaving the road, and they were going to party just one more time with friends, family, and an audience of 5,000 at the famed Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco at the corner of Post Street and Steiner Street.
After piano/organ player Richard Manuel of The Band was injured in an accident in early 1976, coincidentally the group members admitted they had become disenchanted with touring. They decided to take a break for a little while, leave the road and become a studio band, like The Beatles did in 1966. Legend has it, guitarist Robbie Robertson led this idea while the other band members disagreed. However, Robertson has refuted this rumor and claims the true story is the group were all in agreement with this break.
Famed promoter Bill Graham, who essentially promoted every amazing concert in the late 60’s and into the 70’s, helped organize and promote the concert. They were to serve Turkey dinners to 5,000 attendees while they were entertained by orchestral music and numerous poets. The venue was chosen because it was where The Band debuted as “a band” by themselves in 1969.
“We wanted it to be more than just a concert. We wanted it to be a celebration”, said Robertson of the event.
The idea for the concert snowballed, and The Band also agreed in part to do a feature film, documenting the entire evening. For this task, they hired none other than famed film director, Martin Scorsese to direct and shoot the grand party. During the film, Scorsese manages to celebrate The Band and the end of an era, while he concurrently tells a captivating story of the artist’s never-ending battle with the human condition.
Going back in history, The Band, originally from Ontario, Canada, started as the backing band for renowned rockabilly singer, Ronnie Hawkins from 1959 to 1963. Instead of calling themselves “The Ronnie Hawkins Band”, similar to The Dave Matthews or Freddie Jones Band, the group called themselves, The Hawks. They later joined Bob Dylan and became his backing band, (his first electrical backing band, mind you) from 1965 to 1967.
The Band moved on from Bob Dylan in 1968 and went out on their own, achieving remarkable success. Selling copy after copy of their debut album, Music From Big Pink and playing the famed Woodstock festival in upstate New York in August 1969.
Members of the band stated that while backing Bob Dylan, everyone just referred to them as "the band" and the name stuck. Initially they disliked the name, but eventually it grew on them. Many music industry aficionados declare The Band is responsible for spawning what would be known as “Americana” type music.
When organizing the farewell concert, The Band originally planned to play on their own. No guests. But when promoter Bill Graham suggested inviting Ronnie Hawkins and Bob Dylan, the guest list grew quickly.
The performance kicks off with Up On Cripple Creek, a song I feel most of you know, even if you don’t think you know. You can feel the energy and the tightness of the band. For those who are not familiar to the meaning “tight” when referencing music, it means there is no loose air or loose moments between notes. It is as if each band member is hitting the next correct note at the exact same time as the other. Zero looseness, which is difficult to do.
When the concert gets three songs in, the song It Makes No Difference forces me to close my eyes and smile. Robbie Robertson’s Fender Stratocaster just cuts through my ribcage and into my heart. The song is so melodic, so heartfelt and so anthemic, it can make you cry.
What can I say, there are so many just crippling gems on this concert album. My hands trembled when I picked up this record and acquired a copy of my own. For I cannot recall a stronger concert film.
The narrative behind The Last Waltz implies that difficulties with the road have a lot to do with the inherent tension between the artists and their audience. The film references artists who struggled with the incessant pressures of performance and of constantly drawing on the self, such as Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Elvis Presley and Jim Morrison. Many of whom destroyed themselves with drugs and alcohol. “It’s a goddamn impossible way of life”, Robertson says towards the end of the film.
Due to Scorsese's commitments to work on other motion pictures, the film’s release was delayed until 1978. Two years after the concert was filmed. It is no coincidence the final song on the live concert album is Bob Dylan’s, I Shall Be Released. Have you ever gone to a wedding where you didn’t know the bride and groom? Maybe you were someone’s date. But you get caught up in the love and passion of the moment, and for a few minutes, you feel like you know them. You understand them. You feel their feelings. I can remember watching The Last Waltz for the first time and feeling sad at the end. Almost as if I had been a fan. The concert ended up going over 4 hours and by the end you feel like they’ve been in your life forever. That’s the sign of a good band. That’s the sign of a good film. For when the film ends, you are attached to the characters as if they were your friends. This is hard to create and difficult to accomplish, and Scorsese does it well.
Scorsese used seven 35mm cameras, which had never been done before. The crew cameramen said, “this won’t work in 35mm! The cameras will melt! They are just not made to shoot for that long (4 hours)”. Marty insisted, “It’s probably not going to work, but we have to try”. Marty also noted, “We decided not to shoot the audience”, he said. “We wanted to see the band from the audience’s point of view”.
Robbie gave Scorsese a full set list including which members of the band along with the stage position each guest would stand and who was singing which parts. Because of this, Scorsese could plan the positioning of the cameras accordingly to ensure his film crew was ready whenever there was a change in the song. Brilliant. Have to give Robertson credit for thinking that one up!
You almost have to fully experience this album by watching the film. The film gives you a front row seat. You are there. Scorsese’s camera angles practically go up each band member’s nose. The quality of this film, even as it was shot in 1976, is merely superb and anyone can notice this, whether you have an eye for film or not.
After digging deeper, I learned the narrative of this concert was really the love/hate relationship with the road. Inevitably the group had to wave the white flag, swallow their pride and say, “let’s do this”. After sixteen long years on the road, it was time to hang it up. I thought to myself, “man…SIXTEEN years?! By 1976 they had been on the road for SIXTEEN years. Think about that. Especially during those years. 1960 to 1976. A lot changed in music during those years.
Other guests at the farewell show included, Joni Mitchell, Paul Butterfield, Muddy Waters, Eric Clapton, Neil Young, Ronnie Wood, Dr. John, Neil Diamond, Stephen Stills, Ringo Starr, Van Morrison, and Joe Cocker. Are you kidding me?
Once again, the reason I review this album is because I am convinced many of you out there have never heard nor seen this. You must, you must, you must. For The Band, I think does not get lumped into the same group as some of the other Rock n’ Roll Hall of Famers.
Even though I heard The Weight a thousand times on the radio, The Band was not on my radar. It is my job now for me to put them on your radar!
The guitar battle during Further On Up The Road between Robertson and Eric Clapton is just insane. Why have I not seen this more?!
The magic of The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down is just compelling. An anthem that makes you sing along with every word, but also a ballad that just improves with age, like a fine wine. I can feel the vibes of that evening and of 1976 just listening. It’s as if I’ve been listening to this all my life.
Do you ever think about days of the week having a feel? Like Monday? Or Friday? They certainly have a feel. I think years have a feel as well. If you know what I’m referring to, you too can close your eyes and feel a year. You can feel the vibe: it’s 1976 in San Francisco. One of the meccas for rock n’ roll music. Song after song, The Last Waltz delivers a multitude of (over twenty-five) songs.
The list of songs is just ridiculous. There are too many to list here. This is a religious experience. There I said it. It is. Religion. I made a reference. I just am not sure whether I missed music class that one day when they were teaching The Band. The 1992 tribute concert to lost Queen frontman, Freddie Mercury was pretty special. I remember watching that rock star studded event and hearing all the music. But this show? Oh my. I am trying to find another one quite like it. The tribute concert to George Harrison? That was good. But The Last Waltz is a collection of heartfelt moments that leave you wanting more. And when you break it all down and just sit with your headphones and listen to each and every song, the goosebump factor just goes off the charts.
The film has been saluted and listed among the greatest concert films of all time. Rotten Tomatoes said The Last Waltz is “a revealing, electrifying view of the classic band at their height." Chicago Tribune film critic Michael Wilmington calls it "the greatest rock concert movie ever made – and maybe the best rock movie, period". Terry Lawson of the Detroit Free Press said The Last Waltz, “is one of the great movie experiences." In 2003, The New York Times added the film to its Best 1000 Movies Ever list. Rolling Stone Magazine called it the "Greatest Concert Movie of All Time". Famed film critic Roger Ebert, who won the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism, gave the film three stars out of a possible four. Ebert stated that although "The Last Waltz is such a revealing document of a time," it also suggested the musicians had reached the end of their careers.
I think the aura of The Band is a story of risk taking. A story of hope. A story of mindfulness. And a story of sadness. The members knew they were taking a risk when they walked away from the paths and jobs their parents had paved for them. The hope and confidence they had after the first time they jammed together. The mindfulness Robbie Robertsonhad to leave the road because he knew his life would be cut short if he didn’t. The sadness painted across this story is in the fact that band members Richard Manuel, Rick Danko and Levon Helm would all succumb to alcohol and drug addiction, and eventually an early death. But their story lives on, and The Last Waltz captures all of this.
Each time I listen to this record and watch this film, I get this feeling as if I am remembering what it was like to be there, even though I was not. It is clear that not only was the audio recorded from the concert memorable, but the film brought the music to another level of extraordinary. Don’t believe me? Just watch it.