There are several moments in rock ‘n’ roll history that stand above the rest. The Beatles’ appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show, Jimi Hendrix’s performance of the National Anthem, and Bob Dylan’s 1965 Newport Folk Festival appearance are just a few. Another incredibly notable one is, without a doubt, Levon Helm and The Band‘s final performance, better known as “The Last Waltz,” thanks to Martin Scorsese’s documentary, The Last Waltz.
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The Band’s final show transpired on November 25, 1976. The lineup for the one-night show was arguably more decorated than Woodstock, as it featured Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Eric Clapton, Van Morrison, Muddy Waters, Emmylou Harris, Ringo Starr, Ronnie Wood, and other acts musically adjacent to The Band. However, one performer present that was not necessarily adjacent to The Band was Neil Diamond.
Neil Diamond and The Band do have some similarities. But they are similarities you can’t grab from the bottom of the tree; you have to climb for them. Even Levon Helm thought Neil Diamond had no part in participating in the group’s swan song. Yet, he still did.
Levon Helm Just Couldn’t See the Thread of Connection
In the 1993 book, This Wheel’s On Fire, Levon Helm recalled his questions and reservations concerning Diamond’s inclusion in the show. The book quoted Helm stating, “We already had to learn more than 20 new songs that we’d never played before in our lives. New artists were being added to the show all the time.”
Seemingly due to the overgrown lineup, Helm added, “I asked, ‘What the hell does Neil Diamond have to do with us? What does he represent to The Band?’” Reportedly, Robbie Robertson had just produced Diamond’s most recent album. Still, Helm wasn’t sold on his inclusion.
Regarding the decision, Helm recalled saying, “Tell Robertson to tell Neil Diamond we don’t even know who the f*** he is!” Clearly, Diamond’s inclusion did not damage the immortal legacy of The Band’s final show. However, Helm’s perspective did have a fairly solid foundation.
Before the 1976 show, Neil Diamond had just released the Robbie Robertson-produced album, Beautiful Noise, which, for the time, was a strict pop album. And what kind of music did The Band make? Not pop music. So, in short, petty exclusivity was not the foundation of Helm’s perspective; rather, musical cohesiveness was.
Photo by Gijsbert Hanekroot/Redferns
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