(Credits: Far Out / United Artists Films)
Wed 17 December 2025 15:11, UK
When The Band hosted The Last Waltz, the concert billed as their farewell show, they called in an all-star cast. What followed would go down in history as one of modern music’s greatest moments.
At the iconic Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco, The Band – Bob Dylan’s one-time backing group – were joined on stage by friends, collaborators and even some past employers, spanning their whole careers for one grand finale on Thanksgiving day, 1976. But amidst the cast, there was one performer who stood out like a sore thumb.
The Last Waltz was an elaborate affair with over 300 staff working the show and over 5,000 attendees. It was an oddly formal night than any typical rock concert as the audience first sat down for a Turkey dinner followed by some ballroom dancing and poetry reading from iconic countercultural writers. But when the show started at 9pm, with The Band opening with ‘Up On Cripple Creek’, the audience no doubt spent that Thanksgiving being thankful for the music.
Across a mammoth 42-song setlist, they shared their stage with an extensive cast of guests. The Last Waltz was a veritable who’s-who of the era as the brightest talents from the 1960s and ‘70s rock and folk scene were there. They played ‘All Our Past Times’ with Eric Clapton himself. Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young came up on stage, alongside Joni Mitchell, to sing ‘Helplessly Hoping’.
Joni Mitchell did a three-song set, forming a beauteous fixture in the set, including an incredible rendition of ‘Coyote’. Even The Band’s old employer, Bob Dylan, was there, joining them for some special performances, including ‘Forever Young’ and ‘I Shall Be Released’. Looking back, it’s difficult to think of it as anything more than a manic fever dream.
It was a special night that has gone down in musical history as their group of culture-shifting musicians and friends came together to celebrate one of their own. For the audience, it must have been magical, getting to see their favourite artists not just in one place but up on stage together, collaborating and jamming.
But when one performer stepped out, everyone, including The Band, seemed pretty confused. “What the hell does Neil Diamond have to do with us?” Levon Helm said when he heard that the singer had been invited to join. Diamond was undeniably more square and endlessly less cool than the rest of the cast. While everyone else was a key countercultural figurehead, Diamond was much more mainstream in the traditional sense.
However, he got involved because Robbie Robertson had a vested interest. The Last Waltz was not without its commercial leanings. The guitarist had just finished producing Diamond’s new album, Beautiful Noise, and wanted him to sing one of the new tracks, ‘Dry Your Eyes’. For Robertson, it was a beautiful song about healing America’s wounds. For everyone else, it was totally random. For cynics, it was an attempted cash-in.
Even his fellow musicians couldn’t fake care. “Top that!” he supposedly said to Bob Dylan after leaving the stage, to which Dylan apparently snapped back, “By doing what? Falling asleep?” But at least Diamond had a nice time, as he told Rolling Stone, “It was a good night and an exciting night. I was glad to be a part of it.”
As it happens, the concert arrived at a rebrand juncture for the ‘Sweet Caroline’ star. Earlier that year, he had even been in the running to be the star of Taxi Driver. But that still didn’t stop The Band trying to step in to blockade Robertson’s questionable move. Not that it affected the show.
The Last Waltz setlist:‘Up on Cripple Creek’‘The Shape I’m In’‘It Makes No Difference’‘Life Is a Carnival’‘This Wheel’s on Fire’‘The W.S. Walcott Medicine Show’‘Georgia on My Mind’‘Ophelia’‘King Harvest (Has Surely Come)’‘The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down’‘Stage Fright’‘Rag Mama Rag’‘Who Do You Love?’ (with Ronnie Hawkins)‘Such a Night’ (with Dr. John)‘Down South in New Orleans’‘Mystery Train’ (with Paul Butterfield)‘Blue Flames’‘Caldonia’ (with Muddy Waters)‘Tsyampsa River’‘All Over Now’ (with Eric Clapton)‘Faster Than the Road’ (with Eric Clapton)‘Layla’‘Helpless’ (with Neil Young)‘Four Strong Winds’ (with Neil Young)‘Coyote’ (with Joni Mitchell)‘Shadows and Light’ (with Joni Mitchell)‘Furry Sings the Blues’ (with Joni Mitchell)‘Dry Your Eyes’ (with Neil Diamond)‘Caravan’ (with Van Morrison)‘Tura Lura Lural (That’s an Irish Lullaby)’ (with Van Morrison)‘Acadian Driftwood’‘The Genetic Method’‘Chest Fever’‘Evangeline’‘The Weight’‘Baby, Let Me Follow You Down’ (with Bob Dylan)‘Hazel’ (with Bob Dylan)‘I Don’t Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met)’ (with Bob Dylan)‘Forever Young’ (with Bob Dylan)‘Baby, Let Me Follow You Down’ (with Bob Dylan)‘I Shall Be Released’‘Jam #1’‘Jam #2’‘Baby Don’t You Do It’ (Marvin Gaye cover)
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