It Was 35 Years Ago Today ... The Band At The Winterland (San Francisco, CA)
Naja, nicht ganz: es war am 25. November 1976: A Concert Summary bei Wolfgang's Vault:
The Band:
Rick Danko - bass, fiddle, vocals / Levon Helm - drums, mandolin, vocals / Garth Hudson - organ, piano, accordion, synthesizers, soprano saxophone, violin / Richard Manuel - piano, organ, drums, clavinet, dobro, vocals / Robbie Robertson - guitar, piano, vocals
Horn Section:
Richard Cooper - trumpet, flugelhorn / James Gordon - flute, tenor saxophone, clarinet / Jerry Hay - trumpet, flugelhorn / Howard Johnson - tuba, baritone saxophone, flugelhorn, bass clarinet / Charlie Keagle - clarinet, flute, saxophone / Tom Malone - trombone, euphonium, alto flute
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 / Ronnie Hawkins - vocals / Joni Mitchell - acoustic guitar, vocals / Van Morrison - vocals / Larry Packer - violin / John Simon - piano / Ringo Starr - drums / Stephen Stills - guitar / Muddy Waters - vocals / Ronnie Wood - guitar / Neil Young - guitar, harmonica, vocals / Bob Margolin - guitar (for Muddy Waters) / Pinetop Perkins - piano (for Muddy Waters) / Dennis St. John - drums (for Neil Diamond) / Carl Radle - bass (on second encore Jam)
Following nearly 18 years of live performing, as both backing musicians and eventually as headliners, the Band had reached a crossroads in 1976. The group's seemingly effortless virtuosity, Robbie Robertson's literary gift for writing cinematic songs that captured a deep sense of Americana (despite being Canadian), and a wonderfully organic sound had made the Band one of the most admired and respected musical institutions on the planet. Having created some of the most gloriously rich and influential music of the late 1960s and early 1970s, Thanksgiving of 1976 would become both a celebration and a fond farewell from one of the most revered rock groups ever.
Elaborately staged by Bill Graham, the Band's farewell concert was christened "The Last Waltz" and presented on Thanksgiving Day at San Francisco's Winterland Ballroom, the same venue they first debuted as the Band nearly eight years prior. Five thousand lucky attendees would enjoy turkey dinners served at 5pm, followed by ballroom dancing with music provided by the Berkeley Promenade Orchestra. Poets Michael McClure and Lawrence Ferlinghetti would also give readings prior to the 9pm show time. Needless to say, the Last Waltz was the hottest ticket in town and the Band's farewell would go down as one of the most spectacular events in rock history.
To help celebrate this landmark, musical collaborators and significant influences from every stage of the group's career were invited to perform. Over the course of the four-hour concert, the Band not only presented an overview of their own career, but they also served up tasteful accompaniment to an astounding list of guests, including Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Joni Mitchell, Eric Clapton, Muddy Waters, Paul Butterfield, Neil Young, Ronnie Hawkins, Dr. John, Bobby Charles, and Neil Diamond. Afterwards, additional friends and guests (including Ringo Starr, Stephen Stills, and Ron Wood) would also take the stage for two spontaneous jam sessions, before the Band played one final song to close this memorable night.
Immortalized by Martin Scorsese's landmark film of the concert and (initially) a three-record release that featured only half of the night's performances and none of the encore (the group's real last minutes on stage), the official documentation of this legendary night has been a source of debate for decades now. While Scorsese's movie remains an undeniably impressive document of the event and remains one of the great concert films of the era, the audio recordings have always been somewhat questionable. Despite meticulous production and outstanding sonic clarity, the various releases have always been geared toward an "album experience" as apposed to a "concert experience" and as such, have never represented an accurate account of the music that night...
The original videos (Tracks: 42 Total Time: 4:02:43) at Wolfgangs's Vault -
My favourite song: Stage Fright (immer noch faszinierend: Garth Hudsons Keyboard-Klänge!!):
The Band:
Rick Danko - bass, fiddle, vocals / Levon Helm - drums, mandolin, vocals / Garth Hudson - organ, piano, accordion, synthesizers, soprano saxophone, violin / Richard Manuel - piano, organ, drums, clavinet, dobro, vocals / Robbie Robertson - guitar, piano, vocals
Horn Section:
Richard Cooper - trumpet, flugelhorn / James Gordon - flute, tenor saxophone, clarinet / Jerry Hay - trumpet, flugelhorn / Howard Johnson - tuba, baritone saxophone, flugelhorn, bass clarinet / Charlie Keagle - clarinet, flute, saxophone / Tom Malone - trombone, euphonium, alto flute
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 / Ronnie Hawkins - vocals / Joni Mitchell - acoustic guitar, vocals / Van Morrison - vocals / Larry Packer - violin / John Simon - piano / Ringo Starr - drums / Stephen Stills - guitar / Muddy Waters - vocals / Ronnie Wood - guitar / Neil Young - guitar, harmonica, vocals / Bob Margolin - guitar (for Muddy Waters) / Pinetop Perkins - piano (for Muddy Waters) / Dennis St. John - drums (for Neil Diamond) / Carl Radle - bass (on second encore Jam)
Following nearly 18 years of live performing, as both backing musicians and eventually as headliners, the Band had reached a crossroads in 1976. The group's seemingly effortless virtuosity, Robbie Robertson's literary gift for writing cinematic songs that captured a deep sense of Americana (despite being Canadian), and a wonderfully organic sound had made the Band one of the most admired and respected musical institutions on the planet. Having created some of the most gloriously rich and influential music of the late 1960s and early 1970s, Thanksgiving of 1976 would become both a celebration and a fond farewell from one of the most revered rock groups ever.
Elaborately staged by Bill Graham, the Band's farewell concert was christened "The Last Waltz" and presented on Thanksgiving Day at San Francisco's Winterland Ballroom, the same venue they first debuted as the Band nearly eight years prior. Five thousand lucky attendees would enjoy turkey dinners served at 5pm, followed by ballroom dancing with music provided by the Berkeley Promenade Orchestra. Poets Michael McClure and Lawrence Ferlinghetti would also give readings prior to the 9pm show time. Needless to say, the Last Waltz was the hottest ticket in town and the Band's farewell would go down as one of the most spectacular events in rock history.
To help celebrate this landmark, musical collaborators and significant influences from every stage of the group's career were invited to perform. Over the course of the four-hour concert, the Band not only presented an overview of their own career, but they also served up tasteful accompaniment to an astounding list of guests, including Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Joni Mitchell, Eric Clapton, Muddy Waters, Paul Butterfield, Neil Young, Ronnie Hawkins, Dr. John, Bobby Charles, and Neil Diamond. Afterwards, additional friends and guests (including Ringo Starr, Stephen Stills, and Ron Wood) would also take the stage for two spontaneous jam sessions, before the Band played one final song to close this memorable night.
Immortalized by Martin Scorsese's landmark film of the concert and (initially) a three-record release that featured only half of the night's performances and none of the encore (the group's real last minutes on stage), the official documentation of this legendary night has been a source of debate for decades now. While Scorsese's movie remains an undeniably impressive document of the event and remains one of the great concert films of the era, the audio recordings have always been somewhat questionable. Despite meticulous production and outstanding sonic clarity, the various releases have always been geared toward an "album experience" as apposed to a "concert experience" and as such, have never represented an accurate account of the music that night...
The original videos (Tracks: 42 Total Time: 4:02:43) at Wolfgangs's Vault -
My favourite song: Stage Fright (immer noch faszinierend: Garth Hudsons Keyboard-Klänge!!):
gebattmer - 2011/11/23 20:21
Trackback URL:
https://gebattmer.twoday.net/stories/49621117/modTrackback