The Last Waltz

Thanksgiving Day 1976 at Winterland in San Francisco the rock group known simply as The Band called it a day after 16 years on the road. The concert was filmed by Martin Scorcese and the resulting movie is The Last Waltz. Arguably the best concert movie of all time.

Their career together took them from Ronnie Hawkins backup band, to playing on their own at Woodstock to longtime collaboration with Bob Dylan.

For a group that many still are unaware of, their critical acclaim was only surpassed by the respect that other musicians held for them. This was evident by the quality of folks that showed up in the city by the bay to help them put it to bed.

For my money this is the only mega concert that matters. Everything else is just an imitation. The LiveAids, FarmAids and all the rest can only wish their soundtracks had the gems found on each and every track of The Last Waltz.

Admittedly, my musical tastes are heavily represented by the people singing and playing here, so I am not exactly unbiased...

Even now, almost 30 years later, it all still holds up. Watch the videos and tell me I'm wrong!

Enjoy!