Pop Rewind: The Last Waltz

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Words By Greg Molitor

In early 1976, Singer-songwriter Robbie Robertson decided he no longer wanted to tour with his group, The Band. The Canadian rock group had been touring for sixteen years as both Bob Dylan’s backing back and as a solo rock act, and by this point, Robertson had grown tired of the road. It was Robertson’s vision to have a final show as a sendoff, so on November 25th, 1976, The Band performed their last concert together at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco.

Titled The Last Waltz, the performance was filmed by director Martin Scorsese and featured more than a dozen special guests including Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Eric Clapton, Dr. John, Emmylou Harris, Muddy Waters, Van Morrison, and Bob Dylan. The concert and subsequent film have since been praised by countless critics and fans alike as the film remains as one of the most important concert documentaries of all time. Here are some videos from the film which illustrate many of the powerful performances given during the concert…enjoy!













Comments

  1. AnonymousNovember 1, 2010 at 8:47 PM

    Excellent pick, but the Band actually started as Ronnie Hawkins' backing band.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Greg MolitorNovember 2, 2010 at 10:06 AM

    You are 100% correct. I left that information out of the piece to focus instead on the band's significance in pop music.

    ReplyDelete

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