Originally convened as a celebration of The Band‘s final concert, Life is a Carnival: The Last Waltz Tour ’24 has ballooned into a far-reaching celebration of late music legends. In addition to The Band and its late songwriter Robbie Robertson, The Last Waltz Tour now includes tributes to Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh and the iconic Tom Petty.
The revolving lineup features a core of country heir Lukas Nelson, former Heartbreakers Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench, organ wizard John Medeski, country hitmaker Jamey Johnson, New Orleans funk legend Cyril Neville, and singer-songwriter Ryan Bingham. On Friday, the touring carnival visited the Boulder Theater in Colorado where—hours after Lesh’s passing—the expanded lineup honored the bedrock of the Dead’s sound with the tour debut of “Truckin'”. Nelson handled lead vocals on the live Grateful Dead staple as Lesh’s loss still hung heavy in the room.
Life Is A Carnival — “Truckin'” (Grateful Dead), “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” — 10/25/24
[Video: Justin Kersey]
Though they played beside each other for 41 years backing up Tom Petty, the Life is a Carnival: The Last Waltz Tour marks the first time Campbell and Tench have shared the stage in the seven years since Petty passed. The guitarist and keyboardist honored their dearly departed bandleader with a run through “The Best of Everything” which arrived five days after what would have been the singer-songwriter’s 74th birthday.
Life Is A Carnival — “The Best Of Everything” (Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers) — 10/25/24
[Video: Johnny Evans]
Of course, the main attraction of the Life is a Carnival tour is a celebration of The Band and the indelible mark the group made on American music. That celebration was all the more needed following Robbie Robertson’s death last summer at 80. Just before the tour kickoff, a star-studded Life is a Carnival: A Musical Celebration of Robbie Robertson took place at L.A.’s Kia Forum with Trey Anastasio, Bob Weir, Eric Church, Nathaniel Rateliff, Margo Price, Bruce Hornsby, and many more alongside original The Last Waltz veterans Eric Clapton, Van Morrison, and Mavis Staples.
Both concerts celebrated the fabled night of November 25th, 1976 when The Band played its final concert at San Francisco’s Winterland Ballroom. Dutiful recreations of the setlist kept The Band’s spirit alive with classics “Up on Cripple Creek”, “The Shape I’m In”, “This Wheel’s On Fire”, “It Makes No Difference”, “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down”, the emotional all-hands-on-deck “I Shall Be Released”, and the emphatic “Baby Don’t You Do It” that punctuated The Band’s brief but undeniably powerful career whose influence continues to this day.
Check out photos from Live is a Carnival: The Last Waltz Tour ’24 in Boulder, CO courtesy of photographer Brad Niederman along with some fan-shot videos. The tour continues through November with shows across the Midwest and Northeast. Find tickets and tour dates here.
Life Is A Carnival — “Up On Cripple Creek”, “The Shape I’m In” — 10/25/24
[Video: Justin Kersey]
