{"id":68880,"date":"2026-07-20T13:59:30","date_gmt":"2026-07-20T13:59:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/20\/watch-the-band-play-a-last-waltz-warm-up-show-in-1976\/"},"modified":"2026-07-20T13:59:30","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T13:59:30","slug":"watch-the-band-play-a-last-waltz-warm-up-show-in-1976","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/20\/watch-the-band-play-a-last-waltz-warm-up-show-in-1976\/","title":{"rendered":"Watch the Band Play a &#8216;Last Waltz&#8217; Warm-Up Show in 1976"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tBy most any reasonable standard, <em>The Last Waltz<\/em> is one of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/tv-movies\/tv-movie-lists\/70-best-music-documentaries-24757\/\">greatest concert films of all time.<\/a> Not only did filmmaker Martin Scorsese forever capture the last time all five founding members of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/t\/the-band\/\" id=\"auto-tag_the-band\" data-tag=\"the-band\">the Band<\/a> performed a full set together, but they were joined by one of the most impressive lineups of guest artists in rock history, including Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Muddy Waters, Eric Clapton, Van Morrison, Neil Diamond, the Staple Singers, and Dr. John.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tThe movie was shot in beautiful 35mm celluloid, Scorsese and his team decorated the stage at San Francisco\u2019s Winterland Ballroom with six crystal chandeliers used during the <em>Gone with the Wind<\/em> shoot 37 years earlier, and it\u2019s so beloved that there are tribute bands today who do nothing but stage recreations of it all across the country, year after year.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\">\n<p>\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Last Waltz (1978) - The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down Scene (5\/7) | Movieclips\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/6dDbnwQlCek?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tThat doesn\u2019t mean the movie is without fault. The Band\u2019s drummer <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/t\/levon-helm\/\" id=\"auto-tag_levon-helm\" data-tag=\"levon-helm\">Levon Helm<\/a> was famously dismissive of it in his 1993 memoir, <em>This Wheel\u2019s on Fire: Levon Helm and the Story of the Band.<\/em> \u201cAs far as I was concerned, the movie was a disaster,\u201d he wrote. \u201cToday people tell me all the time how much they loved <em>The Last Waltz.<\/em> I try to thank them politely and usually refrain from mentioning that for me it was a real scandal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tHis problems with it were numerous, starting with his belief that Robertson and Scorsese edited it to seem like \u201cRobbie was conducting the band with expansive waves of his guitar neck,\u201d and the others were his mere support musicians. He was especially enraged that singer-keyboardist Richard Manuel is largely invisible on the stage, even during his big spotlight moment where he sings \u201cI Shall Be Released,\u201d and that Scorsese neglected to film the rehearsals, the action in the audience, or the Thanksgiving feast everyone enjoyed that night.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tIn his book, Helm quotes Band producer John Simon saying that most of the music in <em>The Last Waltz <\/em>was re-recorded months after the show took place. \u201cI\u2019m pretty sure that Levon is the only honest, live element in <em>The Last Waltz<\/em>,\u201d Simon says, \u201cwith the exception of Muddy Waters\u2019 vocal. Everything else was overdubbed and redone\u2026Richard wasn\u2019t singing well. Rick\u2019s bass was out of tune, and Robbie wanted to improve his guitar solos. Also, the horns were recorded completely out of balance and had to be redone in New York with arrangements Henry Glover and I put together. The great thing was that Levon didn\u2019t need to do it over. He got it right the first time, and those were the drum tracks used in the final mix.\u201d<\/p>\n<section class=\"brands-most-popular \/\/ editors-pick-module lrv-u-margin-tb-2 lrv-u-border-a-2 u-box-shadow-5-5 lrv-u-padding-lr-1 a-span1 u-padding-b-1@tablet u-overflow-hidden\">\n<h2 id=\"section-heading\" class=\"c-heading larva  lrv-u-text-align-center u-border-color-black a-font-theme-primary-xxs lrv-u-color-black lrv-u-text-transform-uppercase u-letter-spacing-0063 lrv-u-padding-t-050 u-padding-b-0375@tablet lrv-u-padding-b-050@mobile-max lrv-u-border-b-2\">\n<p>\t\tEditor\u2019s picks<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tFortunately, a single black-and-white camera was running in the venue all night, and the footage has leaked onto YouTube. It\u2019s fascinating to compare it to the finished movie, especially since there are so many performances, including Bob Dylan\u2019s full set, that didn\u2019t make the cut.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\">\n<p>\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Band The Last Waltz Complete Concert Part 1 of 3 Alternate Footage\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/gyLEOYdgcAY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tBut even the raw, unaltered Last Waltz footage doesn\u2019t capture anything like a typical Band concert since there were so many guests, and the entire thing was constructed for a movie. Sadly, the countless shows they played during their original run are largely lost to history, since few people had the foresight to shoot them.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tBut on July 20, 1976, four months before the Last Waltz, the Band played a show at the Casino Arena in Asbury Park, New Jersey, that was captured for all time by multiple cameras near the stage. That\u2019s because the event was promoted by John Scher, who set up a groundbreaking video system at all his venues, including the Capitol Theater in Passaic, New Jersey, and the tapes were somehow preserved. They don\u2019t look anything like <em>The Last Waltz<\/em>, and many are in black and white, but they\u2019re still priceless artifacts of shows by Rush, Prince, Talking Heads, and many other iconic acts from the late Seventies and early Eighties. Crucially, none of them had any idea this footage would ever get out, so we get to see them in a relaxed state, playing only to the crowd that night.<\/p>\n<section class=\"brands-most-popular \/\/ recirculation-modules lrv-u-margin-tb-2 lrv-u-border-a-2 u-box-shadow-5-5 lrv-u-padding-lr-1 a-span1 u-padding-b-1@tablet u-overflow-hidden\">\n<h2 id=\"section-heading\" class=\"c-heading larva  lrv-u-text-align-center u-border-color-black a-font-theme-primary-xxs lrv-u-color-black lrv-u-text-transform-uppercase u-letter-spacing-0063 lrv-u-padding-t-050 u-padding-b-0375@tablet lrv-u-padding-b-050@mobile-max lrv-u-border-b-2\">\n<p>\t\tRelated Content<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\">\n<p>\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Band in The Casino Arena, restored\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/_whFGulmKbU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tThe Band\u2019s Casino Arena show doesn\u2019t feature a single guest artist. There\u2019s no crystal chandelier from <em>Gone with the Wind<\/em> or any other Golden Age of Hollywood epic. It\u2019s not lit for a movie, meaning it often looks like they\u2019re playing in a dark basement, and their faces are sometimes totally blacked out. (It\u2019s also possible this has been copied many times, and we\u2019re seeing something far degraded from the original footage.)<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tWith all that out of the way, this is an extraordinary document, and a very important corrective to <em>The Last Waltz. <\/em>The camera doesn\u2019t linger on Robertson longer than any of the other members. Manuel is stationed in his proper place near the center of the action, and he\u2019s often in the frame when he takes a lead vocal or piano solo. Also, not a single note of music was dubbed later. This is a genuine Band concert without any post-production shenanigans.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tWe still don\u2019t see much of Garth Hudson, which is the biggest flaw in this video, but the camera zooms tightly onto Helm whenever he takes a lead. (Has any drummer in rock history sung even remotely this well while behind the kit?) Danko\u2019s angelic voice sweetens every song, and the organ\/piano fusion of Manuel and Hudson ties it all together.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tIt\u2019s impossible to tell from the video, but multiple reports in the <em>Asbury Park Press<\/em> say the sound was abysmal throughout the venue. \u201cIf you happened to sit in the wrong place at the Casino, you still wouldn\u2019t hear much from the Band,\u201d wrote staff writer Marty Parkin. \u201cIt almost borders on the sacrilegious to have the Band play under such conditions\u2026 Betty Lyon, Southside Johnny\u2019s wife, and Asbury Jukes keyboards man Kevin Kavanaugh stood in the rear of the balcony, complaining about the acoustics, and they left after a few numbers\u2026 But the music was soothing and it could almost make you forget the monstrous crowd, heat, and sound distortions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tPerhaps unsurprisingly, concerts were no longer booked at the Casino Arena after 1976, and the experiment only started in 1974. Sound issues aside, they simply didn\u2019t go over very well. \u201cIt\u2019s been a very strange summer for Boardwalk rock and roll,\u201d Parkin noted in an August 16, 1976, review of a poorly-attended Kris Kristofferson show at the Casino Arena. \u201cSo far, there have only been two sellout concerts this summer and both were at the Casino \u2014 the Marshall Tucker Band and the Band. Southern Fried Boogie and cracklin\u2019 Canadian rock and roll, respectively. People like Patti Smith, Sly and the Family Stone, and Janis Ian have been cancelled for lack of ticket sales. The rock and roll heavies play to half-empty halls while the local phenomena \u2014 the Asbury Jukes, Bruce Springsteen \u2014 could probably sell out Egypt.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tToday, the Casino (immortalized in Springsteen\u2019s 1973 classic \u201cSandy\u201d) is a sad, dilapidated shell of its former self. The walls are somehow still standing, but it\u2019s so close to collapse that rumors spread this year the remains of it were going to be demolished, after being deemed an \u201cunsafe structure.\u201d The Band, meanwhile, is in an even sorrier state. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/music\/music-news\/garth-hudson-the-band-dead-1234804659\/\">death of Hudson<\/a> last year means that every single classic-era member of the Band is now gone. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/music\/music-news\/robbie-robertson-dead-the-band-1234803234\/\">Robertson died<\/a> in 2023.<\/p>\n<section class=\"brands-most-popular \/\/ recirculation-modules trending-in-article lrv-u-margin-tb-2 lrv-u-border-a-2 u-box-shadow-5-5 lrv-u-padding-lr-1 a-span1 u-padding-b-1@tablet u-overflow-hidden\">\n<h2 id=\"section-heading\" class=\"c-heading larva  lrv-u-text-align-center u-border-color-black a-font-theme-primary-xxs lrv-u-color-black lrv-u-text-transform-uppercase u-letter-spacing-0063 lrv-u-padding-t-050 u-padding-b-0375@tablet lrv-u-padding-b-050@mobile-max lrv-u-border-b-2\">\n<p>\t\tTrending Stories<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\">\n<p>\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Band 1994-4-22 Complete Show\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/TDJSLuwghUU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tBut contrary to widespread belief, the Band didn\u2019t end after <em>The Last Waltz.<\/em> They reconvened in 1983 without Robertson, and carried on even after the tragic death of Manuel in 1986. They cut three albums and toured relentlessly, until Danko\u2019s death in 1999 finally ended the saga. For much of that time, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/music\/music-features\/the-band-guitarist-jim-weider-robbie-robertson-levon-helm-1234860119\/\">guitarist Jim Weider filled Robertson\u2019s role.<\/a> He now fronts <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theweightband.com\/\">the Weight Band<\/a>. They straddle an unusual line between tribute band and a continuation of the genuine article, since Weider is joined by other musicians who worked extensively with Helm over the years.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tIf you want to experience the Band\u2019s music live in person, your best bet is to buy a ticket to the Weight Band. <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theweightband.com\/tour.htm\">They have dates throughout August and into the fall.<\/a> But if you want to take a trip back to 1976 and watch the original group, fire up the Casino Arena show. It\u2019s not <em>The Last Waltz<\/em><strong>,<\/strong> but it\u2019s glorious in its own way.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/music\/music-features\/the-band-last-waltz-asbury-park-1235595345\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By most any reasonable standard, The Last Waltz is one of the greatest concert films of all time. Not only did filmmaker Martin Scorsese&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":68881,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-68880","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pop","article","has-excerpt","has-avatar","has-author","has-date","has-comment-count","has-category-meta","has-read-more","thumbnail-"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68880","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=68880"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68880\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/68881"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=68880"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=68880"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=68880"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}