Tag Results: The Band
Levon Helm Closes Out Mountain Jam & Celebrates His 70th Birthday With A Little Help From His Friends
Levon Helm celebrated his 70th birthday last night, closing out the Mountain Jam festival with a little help from his friends. The Levon Helm Band was billed as “Levon Helm & Friends,” and featured guest appearances from Warren Haynes, Donald Fagen, Sam Bush, Steve Earl, Jackie Greene, and Patterson Hood.
It was clear from the moment Levon and co. took the stage, that he still had what it takes to rock a crowd, just as he did when he played with The Band. Levon has pulled back recently on vocals, as he is a throat cancer survivor, but delivered lead vocals on the classic “Ophelia.” Other Band staples played that evening included “The Shape I’m In,”Long Black Veil,” and “The Weight.”
Special guests filed in and out to spice up the night. Warren Haynes dueted on Bob Dylan’s “Blind Willie McTell.” Donald Fagen lead the band through a stunning rendition of the Grateful Dead’s “Shakedown Street,” and Ray LaMontagne handled lead vocals on the Basement Tapes/Music From The Big Pink classic, “Tears Of Rage.”
Regarding how he felt about the birthday celebration, he told Rolling Stone it was “the best one I ever had. I thought it was great.”
image courtesy of www.mountainjam.com.
Giving Thanks For The Last Waltz
On Thanksgiving, 1976, The Band said goodbye by throwing one of the most lavish farewell concerts ever, with a little help from a few friends. Even without guests, The Band could hold their own, but it didn’t exactly hurt to have the likes of Eric Clapton, Ron Wood, Ringo Star, Neil Young, Neil Diamond, Dr. John, Muddy Waters, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, and some dude named Dylan show up for support. The audience was treated to a turkey dinner and over three hours of music. Here are two of my favorite moments from the show (the first is the encore, Marvin Gaye’s “Don’t Do It;” followed by “I Shall Be Released” with everyone).
