Tonight, Nicole Atkins, who’s latest release Italian Ice is one of the more impressive releases of the year, along with Ray Jacildo, have assembled an impressive list of indie rock artists for an homage to the music played by The Band during their memorable Last Waltz concert, originally held on Thanksgiving weekend in 1976.
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Joining Atkins are Aaron Lee Tasjan, Raul Malo, Shaky Graves, The War and Treaty, Courtney Marie Andrews, Hiss Golden Messenger, Langhorne Slim, Erin Rae and more. Naturally, the night would have been a joyous in-person show but 2020 had other plans. The show will be stream tonight beginning 7pm Central and will be available for 72 hours after the initial broadcast. Tickets are available here and at Atkins’ website.
The Band’s Last Waltz concert is a legendary performance from their Thanksgiving 1976 farewell concert at the Winterland Theater in San Francisco, all documented in a tremendous movie directed by Martin Scorcese. Joining The Band were A-list friends including Van Morrison, Bob Dylan, Neil Diamond, Eric Clapton, Dr. John, Joni Mitchell and more.
“Thanksgiving is a big deal in my house. Our table is large,” Atkins said in a Facebook post. “We play dice after dinner. Laughin’ and shouting with the music loud and dollars are flyin’! I asked my dad if we should have a dinner over Zoom to which he simply replied, “Ew, no.” Then I asked him if I should do a livestream show so our family and friends can “hang” virtually so it’s like we’re all together. He was into it so…”
“I called a bunch of my musician buddies who are all home bound themselves and love the music of the Last Waltz and miss all being together to perform it in a theater, club, or dive bar for sweaty, singing, smiling humans and this, The Last Waltz from Home, became our solution.”
Atkins and Ray Jacildo will host the event live and chat music and hold prize giveaways during the show. Attendees will also be able to chat with some of the musical guests in the live chat throughout the show. Money raised from tickets, tipping and poster sales will go directly to the artists performing.
“Our industry has taken quite the beating in this pandemic and many of our tours and work has been cancelled. The silver lining in all this has been you, our fans, and your support throughout this time is beyond appreciated.”
