On Thursday night, a loaded list of beloved musicians headed to Los Angeles, CA’s Kia Forum to pay tribute to the legacy of The Band and its late guitarist/vocalist, Robbie Robertson, at Life Is a Carnival: A Musical Celebration of Robbie Robertson.
The event, organized by executive producers Martin Scorsese, Jared Levine, Keith Wortman, and Scooter Weintrob and presented by Blackbird Presents, Live Nation, Citi, and Woodland Cultural Centre, featured billed performances by 20+ artists from across the stylistic spectrum including (in alphabetical order) Trey Anastasio (Phish), Ryan Bingham, Mike Campbell (The Heartbreakers), Eric Church, Eric Clapton, Elvis Costello, Warren Haynes (Gov’t Mule), Bruce Hornsby, Jim James (My Morning Jacket), Jamey Johnson, Noah Kahan, Daniel Lanois, Taj Mahal, Van Morrison, Margo Price, Robert Randolph, Nathaniel Rateliff, Allison Russell, Mavis Staples, Benmont Tench (The Heartbreakers), Don Was, Bobby Weir, Lucinda Williams, and more.
Much like The Band’s seminal concert film, The Last Waltz, the evening saw this heavy-hitting list of artists rotating onto the stage over the course of several sets to lead the house band through favorites and deep cuts from Robbie Robertson and The Band’s catalogs.
Early highlights of the marathon show included performances of “Evangeline” featuring Margo Price, “Arcadian Driftwood” featuring Alison Russell, “Who Do You Love?” (Bo Diddley) featuring Taj Mahal and Robert Randolph, “Go Back To Your Woods” (Robbie Robertson solo) and “King Harvest” featuring Bruce Hornsby, “Broken Arrow” (Robbie Robertson) featuring Daniel Lanois (who produced the original track), “Life Is a Carnival” featuring Warren Haynes and Taj Mahal, “Across the Great Divide” and “Don’t Do It” (Marvin Gaye) featuring Nathaniel Rateliff, and a run of original tunes by Van Morrison led by Morrison himself.
The show continued with an extended segment led by The Last Waltz vet Eric Clapton featuring live takes on “The Shape I’m In”, “Out of the Blue”, “Forbidden Fruit”, “Chest Fever”, and “Further On Up the Road” (Bobby Blue Bland). Once Clapton was finished, the show barreled toward its conclusion with “Forever Young” (Bob Dylan) featuring Nathaniel Rateliff, Ryan Bingham, and Margo Price, “It Makes No Difference” featuring Jim James, “Stage Fright” and “Caravan” featuring Warren Haynes, “When I Paint My Masterpiece” featuring Bob Weir, and “The Unfaithful Servant” and “Look Out Cleveland” featuring Trey Anastasio.
With time winding down, Mavis Staples took the stage with Trey Anastasio, Bob Weir, and more for a powerful reading of “The Weight” ahead of an all-hands “I Shall Be Released” (Bob Dylan) finale.
If you weren’t able to attend this one-of-a-kind musical summit, fear not: Martin Scorsese, the acclaimed filmmaker and director of The Last Waltz, was on hand with a camera crew to capture the show for a forthcoming concert film.
In the meantime, view the full setlist from Life Is a Carnival: A Musical Celebration of Robbie Robertson tribute show at Kia Forum here. Scroll down to watch a selection of fan-shot videos from the evening.
Trey Anastasio, Bob Weir, Mavis Staples, More – “The Weight” (The Band) – 10/17/24
[Video: themeboudin]
Live Is a Carnival Ensemble – “I Shall Be Released” (The Band) – 10/17/24
[Video: themeboudin]
Daniel Lanois – “Broken Arrow” (Robbie Robertson) – 10/17/24
[Video: Mark Lachovsky]
Eric Clapton – “The Shape I’m In” (The Band) – 10/17/24
[Video: Mark Lachovsky]
Bob Weir – “When I Paint My Masterpiece” (Bob Dylan) – 10/17/24
[Video: Arielle Phares]
Jim James – “It Makes No Difference” (The Band) – 10/17/24
[Video: themeboudin]
The post Trey Anastasio, Bob Weir, Eric Clapton, Mavis Staples, More Cover The Band At Robbie Robertson Tribute [Videos] appeared first on L4LM.
