The Last Waltz
was a concert by the Canadian rock group, The Band, held on American Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 1976, at Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco. The Last Waltz
was advertised as the end of The Band's illustrious touring career, [1] and the concert saw The Band joined by more than a dozen special guests, including Paul Butterfield, Eric Clapton, Neil Diamond, Bob Dylan, Ronnie Hawkins, Dr. John, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, Ringo Starr, Muddy Waters, Ronnie Wood and Neil Young.
The event was filmed by director Martin Scorsese and made into a documentary of the same name, released in 1978. The film features concert performances, scenes shot on a studio soundstage and interviews by Scorsese with members of The Band. A triple-LP soundtrack recording was issued in 1978. The film was released on DVD in 2002 as was a four-CD box set of the concert and related studio recordings.
The Last Waltz
is hailed as one of the greatest concert films ever made. [2]
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THE LAST WALTZ TICKETS
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Film synopsis
Beginning with a title card saying "This film should be played loud!" the
concert documentary is an essay on The Band's influences and their career. The group –
Rick Danko on bass, violin and vocals,
Levon Helm on drums, mandolin and vocals,
Garth Hudson on keyboards and saxophone,
Richard Manuel on keyboards, percussion and vocals, and guitarist-songwriter
Robbie Robertson – started out in the late 1950s as a
rock and roll band led by
Ronnie Hawkins, and Hawkins himself appears as the first guest. The group backed
Bob Dylan in the
1960s, and Dylan performs with The Band towards the end of the concert.
Various other artists perform with The Band:
Muddy Waters,
Paul Butterfield,
Neil Young,
Joni Mitchell,
Van Morrison,
Dr. John,
Neil Diamond and
Eric Clapton. Genres covered include
blues,
rock and roll,
New Orleans R&B,
Tin Pan Alley pop,
folk and
rock. Further genres are explored in segments filmed later on a
sound stage with
Emmylou Harris (
country) and
The Staple Singers (
soul and
gospel).
The film begins with The Band performing the last song of the evening, their
cover version of the
Marvin Gaye hit "
Don't Do It", as an
encore. The film then
flashes back to the beginning of the show and follows it more or less chronologically. The Band is backed by a large
horn section and performs many of its hit songs, including "Up on Cripple Creek", "
Stage Fright" and "
The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down".
The live songs are interspersed with the studio segments and interviews with director
Martin Scorsese, in which The Band's members reminisce about the group's history. Robertson talks about Hudson joining the band on the condition that the other members pay him $10 a week each for music lessons. The
classically trained Hudson could then tell his parents that he was a music teacher instead of merely a
rock and roll musician. Robertson also describes the
surreal experience of playing in a burnt-out
nightclub owned by
Jack Ruby.
Manuel recalls that some of the early names for The Band included "
the Honkies" and "
the Crackers". Because they were simply referred to as "the band" by Dylan and their friends and neighbors in
Woodstock, New York, they figured that was just what they would call themselves.
Danko is seen giving Scorsese a tour of The Band's Shangri-La studio, and he plays the director a recording of "Sip the Wine", a track from his then-forthcoming
1977 solo album
Rick Danko
.
A recurring
theme brought up in the interviews with Robertson is that the concert marks an end of an era for The Band, that after 16 years on the road, it is time for a change. "That's what
The Last Waltz
is: 16 years on the road. The numbers start to scare you," Robertson tells Scorsese. "I mean, I couldn't live with 20 years on the road. I don't think I could even discuss it." The theme is further explored in the choice of songs Scorsese filmed, "Up on Cripple Creek" for one, which has the line, "this living off the road is getting pretty old."
Origins
The idea for a farewell concert came about early in 1976 after
Richard Manuel was seriously injured in a boating accident.
Robbie Robertson then began giving thought to leaving the road, envisioning The Band becoming a
studio-only band, similar to
The Beatles' decision to stop playing live shows in 1966.
[3]
Though the other band members did not agree with Robertson's decision, the concert was set at
Bill Graham's
Winterland Ballroom, where The Band had made its debut as a group in 1969.
[4] Originally, The Band was to perform on its own, but then the notion of inviting
Ronnie Hawkins and
Bob Dylan was hatched and the guest list grew to include other performers.
Concert
Promoted and organized by
Bill Graham, who had a long association with The Band, the concert was an elaborate affair. Starting at 5:00 p.m., the audience of 5,000 was served
turkey dinners. There was
ballroom dancing with music by the Berkeley Promenade Orchestra. Poets
Lawrence Ferlinghetti and
Michael McClure gave readings.
The Band started its concert at around 9:00 p.m., opening with "
Up on Cripple Creek," during the wind-down of which vocalist/drummer Levon Helm called out a humorous "I sure wish I could yodel!" This was followed by 11 more of The Band's most popular songs, including "The Shape I'm In", "
This Wheel's on Fire" and "
The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down". They were backed by a large horn section with charts arranged by
Allen Toussaint and other musicians.
They were then joined by a succession of guest artists, starting with
Ronnie Hawkins. As The Hawks, The Band served as Hawkins' backing band in the early 1960s.
Dr. John took a seat at the piano for his signature song, "Such a Night". He then switched to guitar and joined
Bobby Charles on "Down South in New Orleans".
A
blues set was next with harmonica player
Paul Butterfield,
Muddy Waters, pianist
Pinetop Perkins and
Eric Clapton. As Clapton was taking his first solo on "Further on Up the Road", his guitar strap came loose. Clapton said "Hold on," but Robertson picked up the solo without missing a beat.
Neil Young followed, singing "
Helpless" with backing vocals by
Joni Mitchell who remained off stage. According to Robertson's commentary on the
The Last Waltz
DVD, this was so her later appearance in the show would have more of an impact. Mitchell came on after Young and sang three songs, two with the backing of Dr. John on
congas.
Neil Diamond was next, introducing his "Dry Your Eyes" by saying, "I'm only gonna do one song, but I'm gonna do it good." Diamond had been invited to perform by Robertson, who wanted the songwriters of
Tin Pan Alley to be represented. Robertson had also produced Diamond's album
Beautiful Noise
the same year and co-wrote "Dry Your Eyes," which during the concert he hailed as a "great song." Diamond's appearance was not popular with all of the other performers. Levon Helm was critical of the inclusion of Diamond, not discerning any musical connection to The Band, as was
Ronnie Wood, who stated in an 1980s interview, "None of us could understand what he was doing there." Dylan also apparently held him in low esteem: Reportedly, when Diamond came off stage he remarked to Dylan, "You'll have to be pretty good to follow me", to which Dylan responded, "What do I have to do, go on stage and fall asleep?"
Van Morrison then performed two songs, a special arrangement of "
Tura Lura Lural (That's an Irish Lullaby)" as a duet with
Richard Manuel and his own show-stopper, "
Caravan".
Canadians Young and Mitchell were then invited back out to help The Band perform "
Acadian Driftwood", an ode to the
Acadians of Canadian history. The Band then performed a short set of some more of its songs before
Bob Dylan came on stage to lead his former backing band through four songs.
The Band and all its guests, with the addition of
Ringo Starr on drums and
Ronnie Wood on guitar, then sang "
I Shall Be Released" as a closing number. Dylan, who wrote the song, and Manuel, whose falsetto rendition had made the song famous on
Music from Big Pink
, shared lead vocals, although Manuel cannot be clearly seen in the film and switched between his normal and falsetto voices between verses.
Two loose
jam sessions then formed. "Jam #1" featured The Band minus Richard Manuel playing with Neil Young, Ronnie Wood and Eric Clapton on guitar, Dr. John on piano,
Paul Butterfield on harmonica and Ringo Starr on drums. It was followed by "Jam #2" with the same personnel minus Robertson and Danko.
Stephen Stills, who showed up late, took a guitar solo and
Carl Radle joined on bass.
thumb
The Band then came out at around 2:15 a.m. to perform an encore, "
Don't Do It". It was the last time the group performed with its classic lineup. It reformed without Robertson in 1980 and headlined at The Roxy in Los Angeles with Scottish group Blue supporting, guests were Dr John and
Joe Cocker.
Rick Danko later performed at various LA venues along with
Blue and it was at his invitation they recorded their 'LA Sessions' album at Shangri-La Studios.
Film production
Concert filming
Robertson initially wanted to record the concert on
16 mm film. He recruited
Martin Scorsese to direct based on his use of music in
Mean Streets
. Under Scorsese, the film grew into a full-scale studio production with seven
35 mm cameras.
The cameras were operated by some of the most respected cinematographers in the film industry, including
Michael Chapman (
Raging Bull
),
Vilmos Zsigmond (
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
), and
László Kovács (
Easy Rider
,
Five Easy Pieces
). The
stage and
lighting were designed by
Boris Leven, who had been the production designer on such
musical films as
West Side Story
and
The Sound of Music
. With
Bill Graham's assistance, the set from the
San Francisco Opera's production of
La traviata
was rented as a
backdrop for the stage. Crystal
chandeliers were also hung over the stage.
Scorsese meticulously
storyboarded the songs, setting up lighting and camera cues to fit the lyrics of the songs. But despite his planning, in the rigors of the live concert setting, with the loud rock music and the hours spent filming the show, there were unscripted film reloads and camera malfunctions. It was not possible for all songs to be covered. At one point, all the cameras except László Kovács' were shut down as
Muddy Waters was to perform "
Mannish Boy".
[5] Kovács, frustrated by Scorsese's constant instructions, had removed his
communications headset earlier in the evening and had not heard the orders to stop filming.
[6] As Scorsese frantically tried to get other cameras up, Kovács was already rolling and able to capture the
iconic song by the blues legend. "It was just luck," Scorsese recalled in the DVD documentary,
The Last Waltz Revisited
.
Notably omitted from the film is
Stephen Stills, who only performed in a jam session. Both jam sessions were omitted from the film entirely.
Negotiations with Dylan
While
Bob Dylan had agreed to perform in concert, he did not want his appearance filmed because he feared it would detract from his own film project
Renaldo and Clara
.
[8] Warner Bros. had agreed to finance the filming of
The Last Waltz
with the understanding that Dylan would be involved in the film and soundtrack. Backstage negotiations took place during an intermission.
[9]
Robertson assured Dylan that the concert film's release would be delayed until after his film, and with that Dylan relented and agreed to be filmed. Promoter
Bill Graham was also involved in the talks. "Somebody working with Bob said 'We're not filming this.' And Bill just said, 'Get out of here, or I'll kill you'," Robertson is quoted in the liner notes of the 2002 album re-issue as saying, "It all worked out."
[10]
According to Scorsese, Dylan made the stipulation that only two of his songs could be filmed: "Baby Let Me Follow You Down" and "Forever Young". "When Dylan got on stage, the sound was so loud, I didn't know what to shoot," Scorsese later recalled. "Bill Graham was next to me shouting, 'Shoot him! Shoot him! He comes from the same streets as you. Don't let him push you around.' Fortunately, we got our cues right and we shot the two songs that were used in the film."
[11]
Post-concert production
Following the concert, Scorsese filmed for several days on an
MGM studio soundstage, with The Band,
The Staple Singers and
Emmylou Harris. Interviews with group members were conducted by Scorsese at The Band's Shangri-La Studio in
Malibu, California. Additionally, Robertson composed
The Last Waltz Suite
, parts of which were used as a
film score.
Due to Scorsese's commitments to work on
New York, New York
and another documentary,
American Boy: A Profile of Steven Prince
, the film's release was delayed until
1978.
During the editing process, Scorsese and Robertson became friends, and frequently collaborated on further projects, with Robertson acting as music producer and consultant on
Raging Bull
,
The King of Comedy
,
The Color of Money
,
Casino
,
Gangs of New York
and
The Departed
.
Drug use
Scorsese has admitted that during this period, he was using
cocaine heavily.
[12] Drugs were present in large quantities during the concert. Backstage, a room was painted white and decorated with noses from plastic masks while an audio tape of
sniffing noises played in the background. A large blob of cocaine hanging from
Neil Young's nose was edited out in post-production through
rotoscoping.
[13]
Reception
Critical reception
The film has been hailed critically, listed among the
greatest concert films.
Chicago Tribune
film critic Michael Wilmington calls it "the greatest rock concert movie ever made – and maybe the best rock movie, period."
[14] Terry Lawson of the
Detroit Free Press
comments that "This is one of the great movie experiences."
Total Film
considers it "the greatest concert film ever shot."
[15] On
Rotten Tomatoes, the movie has a 97% (fresh) rating with just one negative review out of 37 total, from
Janet Maslin of
The New York Times
.
[16] She states that it "articulates so little of the end-of-an-era feeling it hints at ... that it's impossible to view
The Last Waltz
as anything but an also-ran."
[17] Music critic
Robert Christgau gives the soundtrack a "
B+", saying "the movie improves when you can't see it." He praises the
blues numbers by
Muddy Waters and
Paul Butterfield, the horn arrangements by
Allen Toussaint, and the "blistering if messy" guitar duet by Robertson and
Eric Clapton.
[18]
Criticism by Levon Helm
Levon Helm, in his 1993 autobiography
This Wheel's on Fire
, expresses serious reservations about Scorsese's handling of the film, claiming that Scorsese and Robbie Robertson (who produced the film) conspired to make The Band look like Robbie Robertson's sidemen. He states that Robertson, who is depicted singing powerful backing vocals, was actually singing into a microphone that was turned off throughout most of the concert (a typical practice during their live performances), and that much of the soundtrack was overdubbed.
He complains about Manuel's and Hudson's minimal screen time, such as when Manuel sings during the closing number "
I Shall Be Released", but Manuel is hidden behind the phalanx of guest performers. There are several shots catching Ronnie Hawkins looking around but not singing, yet Manuel remains invisible. However, during the same segment, in the background, it appears that a cameraman is attempting to get a shot of Manuel at the piano but gives up due to technical problems or the impossibility of the shot.
[19]
DVD release
For the concert's 25th anniversary in 2002, the film was
remastered and a new
theatrical print was made for a limited release to promote the release of the DVD and four-CD box set of the film soundtrack. It opened in San Francisco's
Castro Theatre,
with the release later expanded to 15 theaters.
[20]
The DVD features a
commentary track by Robertson and Scorsese, a
featurette,
Revisiting The Last Waltz
, and a gallery of images from the concert, the studio filming and the film premiere. A bonus scene is footage of "Jam #2", which is cut short because they had run out of replacement sound sychronizers for the cameras after ten hours of continuous filming.
The original 2002 DVD release was packaged as a "special edition." In addition to the extra features on the disc, the
Amaray case came in a
foil-embossed cardboard sleeve, and inside was an eight-page booklet, featuring a five-page essay by Robertson entitled "The End of a Musical Journey." Also included was a US$5 rebate coupon for the four-CD box set. In 2005, the DVD was re-issued with different artwork and stripped of the outer foil packaging, inner booklet and coupon. The disc's contents remained unchanged.
In 2006,
The Last Waltz
was among the first 20 titles released in
Sony's
high definition Blu-ray DVD format. The soundtracks on the Blu-ray release consist of an uncompressed 5.1 Linear PCM track, a very high fidelity format, and a standard Dolby Digital 5.1 track. The external description on the box for the Blu-ray disc that lists DTS Master Audio as one of the available audio soundtracks is in error.
Albums
The
original soundtrack album was a three-LP album released on April 16, 1978 (later as a two-disc CD). It has many songs not in the film, including "Down South in New Orleans" with
Bobby Charles and
Dr. John on guitar, "
Tura Lura Lural (That's an Irish Lullaby)" by
Van Morrison, "Life is a Carnival" by The Band, and "I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met)" by
Bob Dylan.
In 2002, a four-CD
box set was released, as was a
DVD-Audio edition. Robbie Robertson produced the album, remastering all the songs. The set includes 16 previously unreleased songs from the concert, as well as takes from rehearsals. Among the additions are
Louis Jordan's "
Caldonia" by
Muddy Waters, the concert version of "
The Weight", "Jam #1" and "Jam #2" in their entirety, and extended sets with
Joni Mitchell and
Bob Dylan.
The soundtrack recordings underwent post-concert production featuring heavy use of
overdubbing and
re-sequencing.
Bootleg collectors have circulated an original line recording of the concert as a more accurate and complete document of the event. It includes songs not available in the film or the official album releases, including "
Georgia on My Mind", "
King Harvest (Has Surely Come)", the complete "
Chest Fever" and the live version of "Evangeline."
[21]
Performances
Order of performances in film
| Order of performances in concert
|
Song title
| Artist
| Song title
| Artist
|
"Don't Do It"
| The Band
| "Up on Cripple Creek"
| The Band
|
"Theme from The Last Waltz"
| "The Shape I'm In"
|
"Up on Cripple Creek"
| "It Makes No Difference"
|
"The Shape I'm In"
| "Life is a Carnival"
|
"Who Do You Love?"
| Ronnie Hawkins
| "This Wheel's on Fire"
|
"It Makes No Difference"
| The Band
| "W.S. Walcott Medicine Show"
|
Introduction to The Canterbury Tales
in Chaucerian dialect
| Michael McClure
| "Georgia on My Mind"
|
"Such a Night"
| Dr. John
| "Ophelia"
|
"Helpless"
| Neil Young
| "King Harvest (Has Surely Come)"
|
"Stage Fright"
| The Band
| "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down"
|
"The Weight" (studio version)
| The Band and The Staple Singers
| "Stage Fright"
|
"The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down"
| The Band
| "Rag Mama Rag"
|
"Dry Your Eyes"
| Neil Diamond
| "Who Do You Love?"
| Ronnie Hawkins
|
"Coyote"
| Joni Mitchell
| "Such a Night"
| Dr. John
|
"Mystery Train"
| Paul Butterfield
| "Down South in New Orleans"
| Bobby Charles and Dr. John
|
"Mannish Boy"
| Muddy Waters
| "Mystery Train"
| Paul Butterfield
|
"Further on up the Road"
| Eric Clapton
| "Caldonia"
| Muddy Waters
|
"Evangeline" (studio version)
| The Band and Emmylou Harris
| "Mannish Boy"
|
"Genetic Method"/"Chest Fever"
| Garth Hudson
| "All Our Past Times"
| Eric Clapton
|
"Ophelia"
| The Band
| "Further on up the Road"
|
"Caravan"
| Van Morrison
| "Helpless"
| Neil Young
|
"Loud Prayer"
| Lawrence Ferlinghetti
| "Four Strong Winds"
|
"Forever Young"
| Bob Dylan
| "Coyote"
| Joni Mitchell
|
"Baby Let Me Follow You Down"
| "Shadows and Light"
|
"I Shall Be Released"
| The Band and guests plus Ronnie Wood and Ringo Starr
| "Furry Sings the Blues"
|
| "Dry Your Eyes"
| Neil Diamond
|
"Tura Lura Lural (That's an Irish Lullaby)"
| Van Morrison
|
"Caravan"
|
"Acadian Driftwood"
| The Band, Neil Young and Joni Mitchell
|
"Genetic Method"/"Chest Fever"
| The Band
|
"Evangeline" (concert version)
|
"The Weight" (concert version)
|
"Baby Let Me Follow You Down"
| Bob Dylan
|
"Hazel"
|
"I Don't Believe You"
|
"Forever Young"
|
"Baby Let Me Follow You Down" (reprise)
|
"I Shall Be Released
| The Band and guests plus Ronnie Wood and Ringo Starr
|
"Jam #1"
| Neil Young, Ronnie Wood, Eric Clapton, Robbie Robertson, Paul Butterfield, Dr. John, Garth Hudson, Rick Danko, Ringo Starr and Levon Helm
|
"Jam #2"
| Neil Young, Ronnie Wood, Eric Clapton, Stephen Stills, Paul Butterfield, Dr. John, Garth Hudson, Carl Radle, Ringo Starr and Levon Helm
|
"Don't Do It"
| The Band
|
Performers
The Band
- Rick Danko – bass, fiddle, vocals
- Levon Helm – drums, mandolin, vocals
- Garth Hudson – organ, piano, accordion, synthesizers, soprano saxophone
- Richard Manuel – piano, organ, drums, clavinet, dobro, vocals
- Robbie Robertson – guitar, piano, vocals
Horn section
- Rich Cooper – trumpet, flugelhorn
- James Gordon – flute, tenor saxophone, clarinet
- Jerry Hey – trumpet, flugelhorn
- Howard Johnson – tuba, baritone saxophone, flugelhorn, bass clarinet
- Charlie Keagle – clarinet, flute, saxophone
- Tom Malone – trombone, euphonium, alto flute
- Larry Packer – electric violin
- Horns arranged by Henry Glover, Garth Hudson, Howard Johnson, Tom Malone, John Simon and Allen Toussaint
Other musicians
- Bob Margolin – guitar (Muddy Waters)
- Dennis St. John – drums (Neil Diamond)
- John Simon – piano on "Tura Lura Lural" & "Georgia On My Mind"
|
Guests
- Paul Butterfield – harmonica, vocals
- Bobby Charles – vocals
- Eric Clapton – guitar, vocals
- Neil Diamond – guitar, vocals
- Dr. John – piano, guitar, congas, vocals
- Bob Dylan – guitar, vocals
- Bill Graham – master of ceremonies
- Emmylou Harris – acoustic guitar, vocals
- Ronnie Hawkins – vocals
- Joni Mitchell – acoustic guitar, vocals
- Nathan Bettineschi - flute
- Jordan Snyder - triangle
- Van Morrison – vocals
- Pinetop Perkins – piano, vocals
- Carl Radle – bass
- Cleotha Staples – backing vocals
- Mavis Staples – vocals
- Roebuck "Pops" Staples – guitar, vocals
- Yvonne Staples – backing vocals
- Ringo Starr – drums
- Stephen Stills – guitar
- Muddy Waters – vocals
- Ronnie Wood – guitar
- Neil Young – guitars, harmonica, vocals
|
In popular culture
- Filmmaker Maziar Bahari selected The Last Waltz
among his top ten classics from the history of documentary for screening at the 2007 International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam.
References
- Concert poster on the first page of the 2002 album booklet and in the DVD photo gallery states: "The Band in their farewell concert appearance."
- Movie review, 'The Last Waltz'
- The Last Waltz (liner notes)
- The Last Waltz (liner notes)
- The Last Waltz Revisited
- The Last Waltz (liner notes)
- The Last Waltz
- The Last Waltz (liner notes)
- The day the music lived
- The Last Waltz (liner notes)
- ''Scorsese on Scorsese'', ed. Ian Christie, p.73; Faber & Faber, 1989
- Wise Guy
- 'The Last Waltz' rekindles Band fervor
- Movie review, 'The Last Waltz'
- DVD Reviews: The Last Waltz
- The Last Waltz
- Scorsese and the Band: Final Fling
- Robert Christgau Consumer Guide: The Band
- This Wheel's on Fire
- The Last Waltz (2002)
- The 4 audio versions of The Last Waltz