How The ‘Most Epic Concert Of The 1970s’ Earned Its Infamous Reputation
The Last Waltz was intended to be a farewell to legendary rock act The Band. Far from being just another live performance, though, it’s a gig that’s gone down in rock ’n’ roll history. The show was epic in scope and spawned one of the most spectacular concert movies ever produced. But at the same time, it was chaotic in the extreme and generated strong negative feelings in many of those involved. All in all, it was a truly crazy evening.
This epic concert was envisioned to be bigger and better than anything that’d gone before. With little expense spared, a galaxy of stars performing and one of the greatest bands of all time at its epicenter, what could go wrong? Well, plenty as it turns out. And it all left a sour taste in the mouths of many, including a host of those very same VIP performers.
But it was never supposed to be this way. The event had been conceived by The Band’s Robbie Robertson and legendary promoter Bill Graham just a couple of months before it occurred. It was to be “a no-expense-spared adieu that started with a Thanksgiving feast and ended with everyone from Neil Diamond to Neil Young accompanying the quintet.” So said Rolling Stone magazine, which also called it “an all-star spectacle.”
As well as the undoubted epic scale and grandeur of The Last Waltz concert, there was something else. Thanks to a filmmaker by the name of Martin Scorsese, this was a gig that would be captured for posterity. It became what Rolling Stone called “the single greatest concert movie of all time.” But that still wouldn’t save it from infamy.
It may not have all gone to plan, but The Last Waltz still succeeded in achieving what it meant to: saying goodbye to The Band. This was a North American group that would never be forgotten. From being Bob Dylan’s backing band to creating hits including “The Weight” and “Up on Cripple Creek,” to some this is Americana’s greatest band. Perhaps even modern music’s greatest band. The Band.
