The Last Waltz

Listen Up Toledo  |  10/30/2019 2:00 pm

Several local musicians will perform “The Last Waltz” soundtrack on Friday, November 22, at the Village Idiot in Maumee, OH. The group will recreate the famous 1976 farewell concert by The Band, creators of FM radio classics “The Weight,” “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,” and “Stage Fright,” among others.

Members of The Band first gained prominence as the razor-sharp backing band for Toronto-based rockabilly singer, Ronnie Hawkins, between 1958 – 1963. The collective eventually became known as The Band, after a stint with Bob Dylan during his transition from folk music to rock between 1965-1967. In 1968, at the height of psychedelia, The Band released its first album, “Music from Big Pink,” a mix of old-time rural themes, married to rhythm and blues arrangements.

When the original line-up retired from active touring, The Band threw a gigantic party on Thanksgiving Day, 1976, at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco, complete with a horn section, and scores of special guests. The concert was filmed by Martin Scorsese and released in 1978 as a combination documentary/concert film, accompanied by a 3-LP soundtrack.

The Band was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1989, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. In 2004 Rolling Stone magazine ranked them No. 50 on its list of the 100 Greatest Acts and placed “The Weight” number 41 on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The Band received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004.

Spin-offs include a tribute group called The Weight Band; a 2019 documentary, “Once We Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band; and a 12-city tour in 2019 by Robbie Robertson to commemorate “The Last Waltz.”

Dubbed the Klondike Steamboat Band, organizing musicians for the Maumee event are Mike Merritt (guitar/vocal), Evan Bates (guitar/vocal), Petr Karchenko (bass/vocal), Nate Woodward (keyboards/vocal) and Larry Meyer (drums.)

Anticipated special guests include Toledo-area musicians Dr. Harp (aka Russell Smith), Rick Caswell, Steve Steel, John Grafing, Tim Bauer, Greg Aranda, Chloe Wagenhauser, Drew Merritt, Ben Zandler, Jake Pilewski, Zak Ward, Will Schneider, and Megan Fitzpatrick.