Play "The Last Waltz" Loud This Thanksgiving
This year's viewing hits different without Robbie Robertson.
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Let me start by wishing you all a very Happy Thanksgiving; may your day be filled with great music and even greater company!
As we gather around our turntables and turkey, here’s a reminder to spin or watch The Last Waltz. For many, enjoying Martin Scorsese’s legendary concert film on Thanksgiving is akin to watching the Macy's Day Parade or the Dallas Cowboys.
Filmed on Thanksgiving 1976, Canadian-American rock group The Band performed their farewell concert at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco, complete with a turkey dinner for the audience of 5,400.
The Last Waltz continues to captivate us because it encapsulates a bygone era. The lineup boasted perhaps the most spectacular gathering of musical luminaries in a single performance, featuring a magnificent horn section orchestrated by Allen Toussaint. The guest list is legendary, with Canadian icons like Joni Mitchell and Neil Young joining the ranks. Two pivotal figures in The Band's journey, Bob Dylan and Ronnie Hawkins, make appearances alongside other revered guests they had long admired and collaborated with, such as Muddy Waters, Dr. John, Van Morrison, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, Ron Wood, Bobby Charles, Neil Diamond, and Paul Butterfield.
This year’s annual Thanksgiving viewing is especially poignant, as it marks the first without The Band's lead guitarist and songwriter Robbie Robertson, who succumbed to prostate cancer in August. Robertson made classics until the very end; he composed the incredible score for Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon (the film is dedicated to Robertson).
With the passing of so many of these musical icons from the '60s and '70s, each year's rewatch elevates the sense of witnessing a crucial moment in rock history.
So join me on this Turkey Day and let the timeless melodies of The Last Waltz serve as the soundtrack to our gratitude and togetherness. Play it loud, savor the moment, and cherish the memories of an era that lives on through the magic of music.
You can watch The Last Waltz on Prime Video or buy it on Criterion. The triple vinyl is available at Barnes & Noble and used on Discogs.
I want to live in the color palate of this film!! The ending is so sweet, and of course now so very bittersweet!!
Very nice article, I am on the road this Thanksgiving but will pull the DVD off the shelf and take it in.
Dr. John’s “Such A Night” is my highlight of the film. Look at the rest of the Band, they are relaxed and smiling, giving head nods to each other... I miss them all. Long live Garth!