{"id":321428,"date":"2025-12-17T18:53:08","date_gmt":"2025-12-17T18:53:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/321428\/"},"modified":"2025-12-17T18:53:08","modified_gmt":"2025-12-17T18:53:08","slug":"the-artist-the-band-wanted-to-ban-from-the-last-waltz","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/321428\/","title":{"rendered":"The artist The Band wanted to ban from \u2018The Last Waltz\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"The<\/p>\n

(Credits: Far Out \/ United Artists Films)<\/p>\n

Wed 17 December 2025 15:11, UK <\/p>\n

When The Band<\/a> 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\u2019s greatest moments.<\/p>\n

At the iconic Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco, The Band \u2013 Bob Dylan\u2019s one-time backing group \u2013 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.<\/p>\n

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<\/a> followed by some ballroom dancing and poetry reading from iconic countercultural writers. But when the show started at 9pm, with The Band opening with \u2018Up On Cripple Creek\u2019, the audience no doubt spent that Thanksgiving being thankful for the music.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Across a mammoth 42-song setlist, they shared their stage with an extensive cast of guests. The Last Waltz was a veritable who\u2019s-who of the era as the brightest talents<\/a> from the 1960s and \u201870s rock and folk scene were there. They played \u2018All Our Past Times\u2019 with Eric Clapton himself. Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young came up on stage, alongside Joni Mitchell, to sing \u2018Helplessly Hoping\u2019.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Joni Mitchell did a three-song set, forming a beauteous fixture in the set, including an incredible rendition of \u2018Coyote\u2019. Even The Band\u2019s old employer, Bob Dylan, was there, joining them for some special performances, including \u2018Forever Young\u2019 and \u2018I Shall Be Released\u2019. Looking back, it\u2019s difficult to think of it as anything more than a manic fever dream.<\/p>\n

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. <\/p>\n

But when one performer stepped out, everyone, including The Band, seemed pretty confused. \u201cWhat the hell does Neil Diamond have to do with us?\u201d 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. <\/p>\n

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\u2019s new album, Beautiful Noise, and wanted him to sing one of the new tracks, \u2018Dry Your Eyes\u2019. For Robertson, it was a beautiful song about healing America\u2019s wounds. For everyone else, it was totally random. For cynics, it was an attempted cash-in.<\/p>\n

Even his fellow musicians couldn\u2019t fake care. \u201cTop that!\u201d he supposedly said to Bob Dylan after leaving the stage, to which Dylan apparently snapped back<\/a>, \u201cBy doing what? Falling asleep?\u201d\u00a0But at least Diamond had a nice time, as he told Rolling Stone, \u201cIt was a good night and an exciting night. I was glad to be a part of it.\u201d <\/p>\n

As it happens, the concert arrived at a rebrand juncture for the \u2018Sweet Caroline\u2019 star. Earlier that year, he had even been in the running to be the star of Taxi Driver. But that still didn\u2019t stop The Band trying to step in to blockade Robertson\u2019s questionable move. Not that it affected the show.<\/p>\n

The Last Waltz setlist:\u2018Up on Cripple Creek\u2019\u2018The Shape I\u2019m In\u2019\u2018It Makes No Difference\u2019\u2018Life Is a Carnival\u2019\u2018This Wheel\u2019s on Fire\u2019\u2018The W.S. Walcott Medicine Show\u2019\u2018Georgia on My Mind\u2019\u2018Ophelia\u2019\u2018King Harvest (Has Surely Come)\u2019\u2018The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down\u2019\u2018Stage Fright\u2019\u2018Rag Mama Rag\u2019\u2018Who Do You Love?\u2019 (with Ronnie Hawkins)\u2018Such a Night\u2019 (with Dr. John)\u2018Down South in New Orleans\u2019\u2018Mystery Train\u2019 (with Paul Butterfield)\u2018Blue Flames\u2019\u2018Caldonia\u2019 (with Muddy Waters)\u2018Tsyampsa River\u2019\u2018All Over Now\u2019 (with Eric Clapton)\u2018Faster Than the Road\u2019 (with Eric Clapton)\u2018Layla\u2019\u2018Helpless\u2019 (with Neil Young)\u2018Four Strong Winds\u2019 (with Neil Young)\u2018Coyote\u2019 (with Joni Mitchell)\u2018Shadows and Light\u2019 (with Joni Mitchell)\u2018Furry Sings the Blues\u2019 (with Joni Mitchell)\u2018Dry Your Eyes\u2019 (with Neil Diamond)\u2018Caravan\u2019 (with Van Morrison)\u2018Tura Lura Lural (That\u2019s an Irish Lullaby)\u2019 (with Van Morrison)\u2018Acadian Driftwood\u2019\u2018The Genetic Method\u2019\u2018Chest Fever\u2019\u2018Evangeline\u2019\u2018The Weight\u2019\u2018Baby, Let Me Follow You Down\u2019 (with Bob Dylan)\u2018Hazel\u2019 (with Bob Dylan)\u2018I Don\u2019t Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met)\u2019 (with Bob Dylan)\u2018Forever Young\u2019 (with Bob Dylan)\u2018Baby, Let Me Follow You Down\u2019 (with Bob Dylan)\u2018I Shall Be Released\u2019\u2018Jam #1\u2019\u2018Jam #2\u2019\u2018Baby Don\u2019t You Do It\u2019 (Marvin Gaye cover)<\/p>\n

Related Topics<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"(Credits: Far Out \/ United Artists Films) Wed 17 December 2025 15:11, UK When The Band hosted The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":321429,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[96,128,59394,34510,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-321428","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-music","8":"tag-entertainment","9":"tag-music","10":"tag-neil-diamond","11":"tag-the-band","12":"tag-uk","13":"tag-united-kingdom","14":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/321428","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=321428"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/321428\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/321429"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=321428"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=321428"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=321428"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}