| By 1976, Robbie Robertson was weary of touring. After having to cancel some tour dates due to Richard Manuel suffering a severe neck injury in a boating accident in Texas, Robertson urged the Band to retire from touring, and conceived of a massive Thanksgiving Day concert on November 25, 1976 at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco, California.[31] The concert featured a horn section with arrangements by Allen Toussaint and a stellar list of guests, including other Canadian acts Joni Mitchell and Neil Young. Two of the guests were fundamental to The Band's existence and growth: Ronnie Hawkins and Bob Dylan. Other guests they admired (and in most cases had worked with before) included Muddy Waters, Dr. John, Van Morrison, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, Ronnie Wood, Paul Butterfield, and Neil Diamond.
The concert was directed and filmed by Martin Scorsese. Concert footage and interviews with the band members and friends were combined with soundstage performances with country singer Emmylou Harris ("Evangeline") and gospel-soul group The Staple Singers ("The Weight"). The resulting concert film-documentary was released in 1978, as was a triple-LP soundtrack. |
