It makes no difference - Shawn Loughlin editorial
THIS FILM SHOULD BE PLAYED LOUD. That’s what greets viewers just seconds after pressing play on The Last Waltz, the Martin Scorsese-directed concert film of the last show The Band ever played.
The Band was four-fifths Canadian and I’ve written about my love for them before. We’ve already lost Rick Danko, Richard Manuel and Levon Helm and, last week, we lost Robbie Robertson, who many viewed as the frontman. Only Garth Hudson is still with us, despite being the oldest member of The Band.
Years ago, at a friends and family dinner for the opening of Part II Bistro in Goderich, those at my table got talking about concerts they’d seen and concerts they wish they’d seen. So came the inevitable question: if you could see anyone, alive or dead, who would it be?
There were classics, of course, like Nirvana for the younger folks and Pink Floyd or Jimi Hendrix or The Beatles for the older. My answer was The Band. I had to explain to some, while others knew The Band, but raised an eyebrow with so many options in play.
I grew up on The Band. As a young fan of both music and film, it was inevitable that I would seek out a list of the best concert films of all time. Two were always in the mix at the top of any list. One was Stop Making Sense with Talking Heads and the other was The Last Waltz. Plus, I was starting to appreciate Martin Scorsese, so it was only a matter of time.
Working at Rogers Video, we could either watch the half-hour promo video of the month 16 times in an eight-hour shift or we could watch a movie. Anything PG and under was allowed and I would always watch The Last Waltz and Stop Making Sense.
Not only was I inculcated with the music of those bands, but, in the case of The Last Waltz, I was introduced to the music of legends like Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Mavis Staples, Van Morrison, Dr. John and more. The finale of that concert became the blueprint for any great concert. It had to end with everyone on stage singing one great song together just like The Band did with “I Shall Be Released”.
At the forefront of it was Robbie Robertson. Scorsese fell in love with Robertson’s vibe at that concert and focused much of his attention on him. He is, certainly, the star of that show.
The Band would back Ronnie Hawkins, then Bob Dylan when he went electric in 1966 on one of the most famous tours in music history. And then they struck out on their own, making music that will live on forever.
Robertson would then continue to make music on his own after the members of The Band went their separate ways and he forged a relationship with Scorsese that saw Robertson compose music for several films, including Raging Bull, The Departed, The Irishman, The Wolf of Wall Street and even the yet-to-be-released Killers of the Flower Moon.
And yet, Robertson and The Band seldom come up in conversation when Canada’s best musical talents of that era are discussed. Neil Young, Leonard Cohen, Gordon Lightfoot, Joni Mitchell? Sure. But not often Robertson.
Perhaps posthumously he will be revered in the way he should be. It has been heartening to see the tributes pour in from near and far.
“It goes without saying that he was a giant, that his effect on the art form was profound and lasting,” Scorsese said of Robertson upon news of his death. “There is never enough time with anyone you love. And I loved Robbie.”
Robertson’s music was, simply put, special stuff, and I’ve spent plenty of time listening to it over the years. Do yourself a big, big favour and do likewise - and do it loud.