Rip Levon Helm

[Sapper]

Great voice. DYK?, the song Levon by Elton John was named after Levon Helm?

[stirs]

Great Music

[Herbert The Love Bug]

Was just coming to post this. My favorite member of the band. Loved Levon for a long long time. I cried

my band was lucky enough to open for his a few years back. Just a great guy and one of the greatest musicians to ever live.

[Herbert The Love Bug]

the Last Waltz is an amazing film btw

[Carolina Husker]

So goddamned underrated.

[pstall]

i kinda agree on the underrated part. very well known, yet, never overdone. thats hard to pull off.

[Guest]

One of those bands, for me anyway, when you hear one of their songs just have to listen. Great stuff.

[Inimicus]

One of my favorite tunes (starts around the 1 min mark)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpH6u4skHLk

RIP Levon

[Scrumtrilescent]

He could bring it just as good the last few years as he did 40 years ago. One of the most original and great voices. Hate to hear this.

[Murph]

My mom never really liked most rock and roll but I remember she would come into my room every now and then and ask me to play the "Fanny" song for her because that is how she remembered it. She said that song just spoke to her. This is sad news.

[stirs]

the Last Waltz is an amazing film btw

Great Film.

"Van the Man" One of my favorite guests

[Carolina Husker]

I watched a lot of The Last Waltz last night and got all emotional. I can't imagine what it would have been like to be there.

#notevenembarrassed

[pstall]

my two fav The Band songs.

[Anybodyhome]

I had the honor and privlege to attend The Last Waltz at Winterland in San Francisco. It was Thanksgiving Day 1976, I was in the Navy and had recently been transferred from Vallejo, just north of San Francisco back to my home town of San Diego. I still had a place in Napa, so I was up for the long weekend making my final moving arrangements.

The crowd was pretty small, having been to the Winterland for many other concerts over the years, but they did serve this almost Victorian-like Thanksgiving feast while an orchestra played and ballroom dancing was encouraged. Of course, it was also as decadent as any 1970's stoner gathering with food involved...

The music started around 9 and went to almost 3AM. I remember Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, Clapton, Muddy Waters the most. Neil Young was there, but I hadn't started listening to him that much yet. It was hot! The Winterland was very old as far as concert venues go, and it was very hot in that building that night.

I still listen to the music from the era and I still remember all the concerts we used to go to back then. Golden Gate Park in San Francisco on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon was always an experience. Back then you could attend free concerts in the park and watch the Jefferson Airplane, Creedence, Doobie Brothers and others. Part of the post-Woodstock mentality of open air concerts in the park that would carry on in San Francisco until a few years later.

I've only sat down and watched The Last Waltz maybe twice. It's just one of those things you hold onto as a memory. And tonite in Greensboro, I'll see yet another band I saw play clubs and bars in Southern California not but a couple years after The Last Waltz- Van Halen. How's that for almost polar opposite?