With The Last Waltz, The Band’s cinematic masterpiece, having celebrated its 40th anniversary last year, superstar producer Don Was (second from left above) has hit the road with an all-star outfit rounded out by Gov’t Mule/Allman Brothers singer-songwriter Warren Haynes, Michael McDonald and honky-tonk troubadour Jamey Johnson to commemorate this seminal event/recording.
For Was, who grew up in Detroit and was a huge fan of Bob Dylan and The Band in high school, bought Music From Big Pink the day it came out and saw the quintet in concert in Ann Arbor, MI, the group’s material is very special.
“[The Band’s songs are] incredibly well-written. They roll off your fingers and inspire you to play cool stuff, and you don’t have to work at it.”
The following are Was’ favorite Band songs:
“I Shall Be Released”—Music From Big Pink (1968)
“I think it’s Richard [Manuel’s] most haunting vocal. Anything he sang was like that. He just laid it all out there.”
“The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down”—The Band (1969)
“It’s really weird how that song resonates. There’s something written into those harmonies.”
“The Moon Struck One”—Cahoots (1971)
“It puts me right back into college and I had a really great girlfriend and we were parked by the lake and heard it on the radio.”
The Last Waltz 40 Tour will be coming to NYCB Theatre at Westbury, 960 Brush Hollow Rd., Westbury on Feb. 3. For more information, visit www.livenation.com or call 877-598-8497. Stay tuned for a full feature story on Don Was and The Band’s The Last Waltz.
