The Last Waltz

On Friday night we braved the freezing temps of Minneapolis to go see what I think is one of the coolest events. My dad, who is some ways is way hipper than me, introduced this to me a few years ago. When I was living Chicago going to graduate school, my dad had introduced me to a podcast called Sound Opinions. It is hosted by two rock n'roll writers. It's a pretty amazing show you should check it out! They also happened to be based out of the Chi (one of many Chicago synonyms I learned). Occasionally they would host a rock movie at the local Music Box theater, which was a great old theater and perfect for hipster type stuff like this. I saw the Bob Dylan documentary "Don't Look Back" this way and also "The Last Waltz." The latter is a documentary by a young Martin Scorsese (check it, his hair is black in it he's so young) about a band called The Band. What I know and remember about them is they were originally the back up band for Ronnie Hawkins. They were Ronnie Hawkins and the Hawks. They were his band for a few years, split from him and release a few songs independently. In the 1960s Bob Dylan hired them to be his back up band when he switched from folk to electric. Later in the 60s they split from Dylan and toured as The Band. However they worked with many icons from 60s rock n'roll over the years. This documentary was filmed in 1978. This year they decided to split up but not before they put on a hell of a show. They did one last show and brought in some of their friends including Bob Dylan, Muddy Waters, Joni Mitchell, a crazy looking Neil Diamond, Eric Clapton and many more. In between performances Martin Scorsese interviews the band. In general I will agree with the Sound Opinion's guys assessment that Scorsese is a bit too fan boy with the lead singer Robbie Robertson but it's worth a watch to see all these amazing artists in their prime. Whew, sorry that was a long explanation but I think the history is important.

So anyway. There is a band called The Big Pink and do a tribute to The Band and this concert The Last Waltz every year. The really fun part is they use local artists to play the parts of the other artists. Some dress up in character, some don't. It's a really fun show to not only listen to classic rock n' roll but to see a variety of local talent. The other cool part is they walk around later and watch the show, last time I went I followed the Muddy Waters guy to the bathroom and it was basically like following Moses parting the Red Sea. Last time I went with my dad and sister. This time we roped in a few friends and my other sister and mom. A good time was had by all! If you are looking for something to do tonight they are performing again tonight and the tickets are dirt cheap. It was held at The Cabooze in Minneapolis which is a great location for this because it feels like an old rock club. It's grubby, grimy and black. Love it. Here are a few pictures.

[caption id="attachment_340" align="aligncenter" width="400"] The Band with Ronnie Hawkins[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_341" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Dr. John at the piano[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_343" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Bob Dylan[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_344" align="aligncenter" width="400"] The Finale, Ronnie Hawkins, Van Morrison, Bob Dylan, Dr. John, Eric Clapton, Muddy Waters[/caption]

So outfit details, I wanted to be a little bit rock n' roll for the concert



Shirt: Lumiere from Primp, $46

Pants: J. Crew Factory Gigi Jodhpur Pant, $46.99

Shoes: Women's Ava Ankle boot Target $34.99

What do you think? I was trying to go for a bit rock n'roll with my twist on it.