On Thanksgiving Day in 1976, concertgoers packed San Francisco’s Winterland Ballroom to witness The Last Waltz – the farewell performance of The Band’s legendary 16-year career. The group, who had originally come to worldwide attention as Bob Dylan’s backing band, had gone on to record eight albums on their own that featured such classic songs as “The Weight,” “Up on Cripple Creek,” and “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.”

The farewell party they hosted that Thanksgiving night featured a who’s who of rock royalty from Bob Dylan, Neil Young and Eric Clapton to Van Morrison, Joni Mitchell and Ronnie Hawkins. “It was one of the most incredible concerts ever held,” says Gary Solomon, co-founder of the Rockland County, NY based tribute act The THE BAND Band, who happened to be in the audience that night! 

The THE BAND Band recreates the music and the magic of that Thanksgiving evening with The Last Waltz Celebration, performing The Band’s most beloved songs and enlisting a dozen guest musicians, including a horn section, to the cover numerous artists and songs featured in the original concert. The lineup includes fiddle player Larry Packer, who played with The Band at the original concert in 1976. For Solomon, the show resonates on a personal level. “Having been at The Last Waltz on Thanksgiving Day nearly a half century ago, and now performing it with my tribute band, really feels like things have come full circle.”