FanHome - View Single Post

AlexdeLarge · February 18th, 2008, 04:33 AM

This show was fantastic.....Helm's band was one of the best I've ever heard. Also, the presence of Larry Campbell on guitar (who played in Bob Dylan's band from 1997-2004) made for a killer supergroup composed of two of the greatest live musicians Dylan ever worked with.

After performing the first ten songs on the mandolin while two men took turns manning the drums, Levon assumed his rightful place behind the kit - causing the entire house to erupt into applause. Has anyone ever made playing drums while singing lead on a song look so easy? Local seventy-eight-year-old bluesman Little Sammy Davis, who sauntered off and on stage all night wearing a bright purple suit and a bowler hat, handled vocals and harmonica on a ferocious cover of the Muddy Waters song "40 Days and 40 Nights." When he was done someone around me muttered, "Why the hell have I never heard of this guy?" Helm was right at home playing on this and other blues songs, some of them he even recorded as a member of Ronnie Hawkins backing band in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
Helm doesn't play classic-rock radio staples like "The Weight" and "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down," but he does dig a bit deeper into The Band's repertoire a bit throughout the night. A barn-burning version of "Rag Mama Rag" was an early highlight as was "Don't Ya Tell Henry" -- a Dylan-penned song originally recorded in the basement of another, pinker Woodstock house. Larry Campbell sung lead in lieu of the departed Richard Manuel on the Music From Big Pink classic "Chest Fever." I'd seen Campbell play with Dylan countless times, but it was truly a wonderful sight to finally see him have the freedom to let loose on the guitar and sing lead. Dylan replaced him with two guitarists, but his absence has definitely weakened the band. Levon himself sang "Ophelia" toward the end of the show, and with the two-piece horn section and the ultra-capable backing band it sounded as spellbinding and joyful as the Last Waltz version. The show ended with an uproarious cover of Al Green's "Take Me to the River," featuring onstage everyone who had played that night. When it was over, a widely grinning Helm looked as unhappy to get up and leave as the rest of the crowd.

Despite his health problems, Helm was grinning from ear to ear the entire night. The sheer euphoria permeating from Helm combined with his incredibly tight band and the uniqueness of the venue made for one of the most uplifting and pure musical experiences I've ever had.

February 18th, 2008, 04:33 AM	#10 (permalink)
AlexdeLarge Banned Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: England Posts: 1,525	This show was fantastic.....Helm's band was one of the best I've ever heard. Also, the presence of Larry Campbell on guitar (who played in Bob Dylan's band from 1997-2004) made for a killer supergroup composed of two of the greatest live musicians Dylan ever worked with. After performing the first ten songs on the mandolin while two men took turns manning the drums, Levon assumed his rightful place behind the kit - causing the entire house to erupt into applause. Has anyone ever made playing drums while singing lead on a song look so easy? Local seventy-eight-year-old bluesman Little Sammy Davis, who sauntered off and on stage all night wearing a bright purple suit and a bowler hat, handled vocals and harmonica on a ferocious cover of the Muddy Waters song "40 Days and 40 Nights." When he was done someone around me muttered, "Why the hell have I never heard of this guy?" Helm was right at home playing on this and other blues songs, some of them he even recorded as a member of Ronnie Hawkins backing band in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Helm doesn't play classic-rock radio staples like "The Weight" and "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down," but he does dig a bit deeper into The Band's repertoire a bit throughout the night. A barn-burning version of "Rag Mama Rag" was an early highlight as was "Don't Ya Tell Henry" -- a Dylan-penned song originally recorded in the basement of another, pinker Woodstock house. Larry Campbell sung lead in lieu of the departed Richard Manuel on the Music From Big Pink classic "Chest Fever." I'd seen Campbell play with Dylan countless times, but it was truly a wonderful sight to finally see him have the freedom to let loose on the guitar and sing lead. Dylan replaced him with two guitarists, but his absence has definitely weakened the band. Levon himself sang "Ophelia" toward the end of the show, and with the two-piece horn section and the ultra-capable backing band it sounded as spellbinding and joyful as the Last Waltz version. The show ended with an uproarious cover of Al Green's "Take Me to the River," featuring onstage everyone who had played that night. When it was over, a widely grinning Helm looked as unhappy to get up and leave as the rest of the crowd. Despite his health problems, Helm was grinning from ear to ear the entire night. The sheer euphoria permeating from Helm combined with his incredibly tight band and the uniqueness of the venue made for one of the most uplifting and pure musical experiences I've ever had.