Tradition has always been a cornerstone of music, providing artists with a cultural history from which they can draw both inspiration and, in some cases, set lists.
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The Last Waltz is modeled after seminal roots rock group The Band’s famed 1976 “farewell concert” of the same name, which was filmed by Martin Scorsese and convened some of the era’s top-flight singers, including Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, and Eric Clapton, for a multi-act show, marking the band’s provisional retirement from touring. (They returned to the road some years later.) The tribute will celebrate its ninth year at The Basement East on November 16.
“I’ve just always been really in love with [The Band],” says The Last Waltz tribute founder and local musician Allen Thompson. “And then I ended up moving here. This had always been something that was in the back of my mind to do, and then finally … I realized it was something that you could do.”
In 2007, Thompson moved to Nashville and immersed himself in its music scene, becoming friends with other young artists like Margo Price and Don Gallardo. Four years later, while working at The 5 Spot, he was in good company when he shared his vision for a Last Waltz tribute show.
“Back then, we were there all the time,” Thompson says of The 5 Spot. “After one $2 Tuesday in the summertime, I had enough liquid courage to be like, ‘Let’s do this!’ and everyone else was like, ‘Yes! Totally!’”
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Soon after, he, Price, and Gallardo oversaw the inaugural The Last Waltz concert. A year later, it only felt natural to keep the ball rolling, and in 2013, the event sold out. In 2014, it took place at The Basement just once before relocating to its current residency at The Basement East. Each billing includes three backing bands, which support a rotating cast of featured singers, emblematic of The Band’s original production.
With each group performing around 10 songs chosen from the 1976 show, and with an audience full of musicians, occasionally there are some pleasant surprises in the set. In 2016, for instance, legendary songwriter Dave Rawlings appeared in the green room, unannounced, and asked to perform Bob Dylan’s “Forever Young”. His over-the-transom performance was unplanned but welcomed by an audience of avid fans.
Mostly, however, a deep respect for tradition and attention to detail has been what’s kept the show running so long. In 2017, the Ben Eyestone Fund became an essential part of that legacy. A Nashville-based drummer for acts like Little Bandit and Nikki Lane, Ben Eyestone was considered a vital force in the local music scene. When he was diagnosed with colon cancer, however, a darker story unfolded as he faced the health care system uninsured—a reminder of the health risk many musicians live with every day.
Eyestone died in July 2017, and shortly thereafter St. Thomas Health partnered with The Music Health Alliance to institute the Ben Eyestone Fund, which financially aids musicians with a docket of health services.
After overhead, The Last Waltz donates every dollar from ticket sales to the fund. It contributed over $5,000 in 2017; $9,000 in 2018. This year, Thompson and his team hope to raise even more money to keep Eyestone’s legacy alive as well as The Last Waltz’ enduring tradition of community and music.