The Last Waltz...
Alas another Thanksgiving holiday is upon us - it's often a time of homecoming, reminiscing and of course lots and lots of eating!
It's also time to watch - The Last Waltz.
The Last Waltz was a film directed by Martin Scorsese that profiled The Band's final concert held in 1976 (if you don't know who The Band is, take a moment to Google them and then come back). Over the course of this evening, almost 40 years ago, The Band hosted a full Thanksgiving dinner and then cleared the floor to give one hell of a farewell concert - sharing the stage with artists such as Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison among many as well as of course Bob Dylan. If you have not watched this movie, it's often run on 'palladia' as well as some of the other music channels from time to time. If you still want more - buy "This Wheel's on Fire" by Levon Helm and sit back for quite the story.
While I grew up in New York just across the Hudson River from the Town of Woodstock - I have been and continue to be a large fan of The Band in all of the forms it has taken on over the years (as their final concert was anything but their final performance). I've seen them with many other musicians sitting in for absent members and I've seen them all over the east coast as far as I could travel as a young adult and then of course as a responsible (semi) adult.
The Band has always held a special place in my heart that goes beyond just the music. Granted, when I was younger I wanted to run away and marry Rick Danko (perhaps I even still hold onto that school girl crush - haha!) but I've always loved their rock n roll and how their music has always felt like home to me when nothing else has. When I was much younger I used to follow The Band or Rick Danko (solo) throughout the Hudson Valley - as an adult I also found them as often as I could.
My first husband Rick and I would spend a lot of time in the village of Woodstock, NY as he also shared the same love of music and the Band as I did. We would plan quick weekend visits into the area and hope to catch a great show at the Tinker Street Cafe or even something going on at the Bearsville Theater. If we were lucky we would catch Hot Tuna playing a gig at Tinker Street in between other shows or someone else that was taking a break from a city show. It wasn't uncommon to walk into the Little Bear Restaurant and see John Sebastian sitting there with his family eating Chinese or go to Carolina's diner on Tinker Street and see Levon Helm with a cup of coffee catching up on local chatter. Yes -it was a fan girls rdream
We loved it there - we were fortunate enough to spend one of the last weekends of Rick's life in Woodstock NY at the home of Levon Helm and it was one of the most special moments of my life.
When Rick died a part of Woodstock died for me. I was able to maintain a very special relationship with a few folks in Woodstock (Levon included) but the area was never quite the same for me. Over the years I have tried to go back and it's been hard - I did bring our daughter Abbey to Woodstock a few years ago and plan to go back again in the Spring to see if more time has healed me.....
As I sat in our living room this past Friday after Thanksgiving, my husband Earl, my daughter Abbey and stepson Ethan watched the Last Waltz and I found myself at times thinking back on my days in Woodstock but also some of the songs and what they meant to me at a totally different time in my life. Sometimes we bury things because we have to in order to survive and move on - and I believe that once in a while when I hear a song just right it brings back some memories that have been buried for a long time. Some good, some bad - but all part of who I am today.
As I sit in my living room this evening alone - the Last Waltz is on palladia and I am watching it alone. What a nice chance for me to be alone with this movie and my thoughts again...taking me back to a place that was awesome and tragic at the same time.
It's also time to watch - The Last Waltz.
The Last Waltz was a film directed by Martin Scorsese that profiled The Band's final concert held in 1976 (if you don't know who The Band is, take a moment to Google them and then come back). Over the course of this evening, almost 40 years ago, The Band hosted a full Thanksgiving dinner and then cleared the floor to give one hell of a farewell concert - sharing the stage with artists such as Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison among many as well as of course Bob Dylan. If you have not watched this movie, it's often run on 'palladia' as well as some of the other music channels from time to time. If you still want more - buy "This Wheel's on Fire" by Levon Helm and sit back for quite the story.
While I grew up in New York just across the Hudson River from the Town of Woodstock - I have been and continue to be a large fan of The Band in all of the forms it has taken on over the years (as their final concert was anything but their final performance). I've seen them with many other musicians sitting in for absent members and I've seen them all over the east coast as far as I could travel as a young adult and then of course as a responsible (semi) adult.
The Band has always held a special place in my heart that goes beyond just the music. Granted, when I was younger I wanted to run away and marry Rick Danko (perhaps I even still hold onto that school girl crush - haha!) but I've always loved their rock n roll and how their music has always felt like home to me when nothing else has. When I was much younger I used to follow The Band or Rick Danko (solo) throughout the Hudson Valley - as an adult I also found them as often as I could.
My first husband Rick and I would spend a lot of time in the village of Woodstock, NY as he also shared the same love of music and the Band as I did. We would plan quick weekend visits into the area and hope to catch a great show at the Tinker Street Cafe or even something going on at the Bearsville Theater. If we were lucky we would catch Hot Tuna playing a gig at Tinker Street in between other shows or someone else that was taking a break from a city show. It wasn't uncommon to walk into the Little Bear Restaurant and see John Sebastian sitting there with his family eating Chinese or go to Carolina's diner on Tinker Street and see Levon Helm with a cup of coffee catching up on local chatter. Yes -it was a fan girls rdream
We loved it there - we were fortunate enough to spend one of the last weekends of Rick's life in Woodstock NY at the home of Levon Helm and it was one of the most special moments of my life.
When Rick died a part of Woodstock died for me. I was able to maintain a very special relationship with a few folks in Woodstock (Levon included) but the area was never quite the same for me. Over the years I have tried to go back and it's been hard - I did bring our daughter Abbey to Woodstock a few years ago and plan to go back again in the Spring to see if more time has healed me.....
As I sat in our living room this past Friday after Thanksgiving, my husband Earl, my daughter Abbey and stepson Ethan watched the Last Waltz and I found myself at times thinking back on my days in Woodstock but also some of the songs and what they meant to me at a totally different time in my life. Sometimes we bury things because we have to in order to survive and move on - and I believe that once in a while when I hear a song just right it brings back some memories that have been buried for a long time. Some good, some bad - but all part of who I am today.
As I sit in my living room this evening alone - the Last Waltz is on palladia and I am watching it alone. What a nice chance for me to be alone with this movie and my thoughts again...taking me back to a place that was awesome and tragic at the same time.
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