49 years ago, Martin Scorsese directed what I (and many others) believe to be the best concert film of all time, The Last Waltz. The movie documents what was supposed to be the final concert for The Band (though some of the members would continue to tour together well into the 1990s, after a short break).
The concert took place 49 years ago tonight, on Thanksgiving night, November 25, 1976, and the film, which you can stream for free on YouTube, was released in April 1978. Since it took place on Thanksgiving, I make it a point to watch it every Turkey Day, and yes, as the title card suggests at the beginning, I do play it loudly.
The Band Was Burned Out, But They Still Crushed The Performance
Despite ostensibly being The Band’s last concert, the group was hitting on all cylinders, but life on the road as a touring band was taking its toll on all the members. Lead guitarist and principal songwriter Robbie Robertson was burned out from it and convinced the rest of the band that they needed to retire from touring. So, Robertson and the rest of The Band (Levon Helm on drums and vocals, Rick Danko on bass and vocals, Richard Manuel on piano and vocals, and Garth Hudson on keyboards) conceived one final concert to be held at The Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco. They brought in their friend Martin Scorsese to film it and make a movie.
While The Band may have been burnt out (and dealing with internal squabbles), that isn’t reflected in their performance, which is outstanding. In addition to multiple guests (which I’ll get to), they performed some of the best versions of their biggest hits and crowd pleasers. The movie opens with the song that was actually the final song they performed that night, a cover of Marvin Gaye’s “Don’t Do It,” which had been a staple encore for the band over the years. Unless you know that it was played at 2:15 in the morning, about five hours after they first hit the stage, you’d swear they were just getting going.
The next song up is “Up on Cripple Creek,” which was the song that actually opened the show. Drummer and singer Levon Helm’s powerful voice led the group through one of their most enduring hits, and while watching, you know that this is going to be a special movie. I’ve watched it countless times and heard the song many, many more times, but it gets me every time. Every song The Band plays throughout the whole movie crackles with energy, and had there been no guests at all, The Last Waltz would stand apart from most other great concert films. Of course, there are guests, and wow, what a list.
The Guests Are A Who’s Who Of ‘70s Rock And Roll
As the concert was intended to be the final concert by The Band, they invited a few friends to join in on the fun. Some of the guests, like the first guest in the movie, Ronnie Hawkins, were guys they had worked with a lot of with. Others, like Muddy Waters, were huge influences on them as musicians. Robertson had recently worked with Neil Diamond, so he was there. Eric Clapton had long been a friend and admirer of the group, so he showed up. Of course, their most famous collaborator (and the man who helped launch their successful career as The Band), Bob Dylan, was there.
The list is truly incredible. Joni Mitchell has one of my favorite moments in the movie when she sings backup to Neil Young on his iconic hit “Helpless,” but she does it off stage, out of view of the audience, giving her vocals an ethereal feel. Mitchell later joined the band for her song “Coyote.” New Orleans legend Dr. John is the best-dressed guest, with a fantastic sparkly jacket and oversized pink bowtie.
The Best Performances Were The Staples Singers And Van Morrison
There are two scenes that were filmed on a soundstage after the concert that are also standouts. The first, featuring Emmylou Harris, is wonderful, and the second, The Band doing their hit “The Weight” with the Staples Singers, is simply sublime. However, the best song with a guest in the movie is without a doubt Van Morrison joining The Band for his song “Caravan.” It starts with Morrison’s purple jumpsuit, and it ends with his amazing leg kicks as the song reaches its climax.
It’s such an amazing moment that it became a stand-in among my friends and me when we were excited about something. “VMLK” for “Van Morrison Leg Kick” became our go-to text-speak for an enthusiastic “yes.” Morrison is a bit of an enigma in rock and roll, and he hasn’t always been known for being all that energetic of a performer, but he is here, and it’s plainly amazing. It’s a scene I can watch over and over and over again.
Martin Scorsese And His Crew Make This Movie Stand Out
One of the coolest moments in the movie comes when The Band is joined by Blues legend Muddy Waters. Scorsese, who was shooting on 35mm, told the cameramen to take a break to let the cameras cool down and reset the film. Apparently, Scorsese thought that “Mannish Boy,” the song he intended to film, would be the second song performed by Waters and The Band. Instead, as the band started the signature riff, Scorsese jumped up and radioed for the cameramen to start filming again.
It took most of the song for most of the crew to get up, but one cameraman, legendary cinematographer László Kovács, never stopped, and because of that, we all get to enjoy the whole amazing performance. It’s moments like this that show why having an A-list director like Scorsese bring in a fantastic crew makes such a difference with The Last Waltz.
There are other amazing concert films out there that I love, like Talking Heads’ Stop Making Sense, U2’s Rattle and Hum, The Rolling Stones’ At The Max (which is being re-released next month), and others. Those are ranking in a tie for second place behind The Last Waltz, and frankly, I’m at an age when I don’t think another one could ever replace this one at that top.