Show Notes
With the show underway and a plethora of performances next up included Neil Young, who had the unfortunate experience of sporting a massive cocaine booger in his nostril as he floated through his set of numbers before more performances took place including Joni Mitchell, a controversial Neil Diamond, the electrifying performance of Van Morrison, who almost got to scared to go on stage, a collection of performances from beatniks, Hells Angles and poets, and their old friend Bob Dylan who was being difficult the night of the Waltz and almost didn't appear. At the close of the concert, the sudden rush of triumph and sadness washed over the exhausted group as they left the stage. Drenched in sweat, blood and tears, they had just completed the ultimate marathon, not only had they played over forty songs with their peers and friends, they had just completed the marathon that was their humble beginnings in Southern Ontario in 1957 when Robbie Robertson met Ronnie Hawkins and Levon Helm that eventually led to Levon Helm, Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko, Richard Manuel and Garth Hudson change the face of rock music. The Band that left the stage wouldn’t perform live in the same iteration again, it was the end of an era, The Band, was the behemoth behind the curtain, never showy, never boastful, but always impactful. As the evening faded into the morning, the concert that was The Last Waltz was complete, but it was just the beginning of what it would become and what audiences today remember of the legendary moment of history. Produced, hosted and edited by Tyrell William Lisson. Additional writing and research by Oscar Ashley. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
More from The Band: A History
Levon Helm built The Barn in Woodstock as a place to keep making music, make a home and then when stuggles hit - through throat cancer and in the process, built something just as lasting with his daughter Amy, who grew up on that stage and has kept it running ever since he passed.
Jericho was the first Band studio album in sixteen years, and by the time it arrived a lot had changed. Richard Manuel was gone. Robbie Robertson was gone. What remained were Levon Helm, Rick Danko, and Garth Hudson, joined by Jim Weider, Randy Ciarlante, and Richard Bell, trying to figure out what The Band could still sound like in the 1990s.
This episode traces the final years of Richard Manuel, from The Band’s relentless touring in 1984–86 to his last night in Winter Park, Florida. We follow the grind of the road, the pressures that built around him, and the moments of beauty still present in his late performances. This is the story of a brilliant singer living through the hardest years of his life, the night everything changed, and the music and tributes he left behind.
This episode follows guitarist Jim Weider, from growing up in Woodstock to finding his way onto the road with Levon, Rick, Richard, and Garth. We trace how he joined The Band in the mid-’80s, held things together through years of hard touring, helped shape their final studio records in the ’90s.