Robbie Robertson Tribute Highlighted by Eric Clapton and Different Stars

Proper right here’s who wasn’t taking a load off: the house band at Thursday’s tribute to Robbie Robertson on the L.A. house’s Kia Dialogue board. Starting considerably after 7 and ending at midnight, the all-star current dubbed “Life Is a Carnival: A Musical Celebration of Robbie Robertson” clocked in at only a bit beneath 5 hours, which wanted to have been further taxing for the Don Was-led avid gamers than it was for the viewers in Inglewood. This epic dimension acquired right here even and never utilizing a single retake being accomplished for the cameras — Martin Scorsese was directing the gathering of footage — and with three intermissions turning out to be surprisingly transient. It was epic, nevertheless it was a weight the fully happy, unbothered viewers bore evenly.

What the Band-loving crowd obtained was a gift with 37 numbers sung by about 20 brand-name artists, alone or collectively, each getting wherever from one to three songs apiece. The moreover to that was a five-song set by Eric Clapton, alongside together with his private touring band stepping in for the house band, which lastly obtained to take 5 near the best of the final word hour. Van Morrison was the alternative veteran afforded the luxury of being able to headline three songs in a row with out interruption, mid-show. There was no hubris involved in making these allowances for Clapton and Morrison to get so much concentrated precise property all through the evening; these Robertson buddies better than re-earned the privilege of towering over the homage.

Others getting their spotlight moments all through the arguably all-killer, no-filler current included Mavis Staples and Trey Anastasio (pictured collectively, above), and Eric Church, Nathaniel Rateliff, Jim James, Bobby Weir, Lucinda Williams, Taj Mahal, Allison Russell, Warren Haynes, Robert Randolph and Daniel Lanois. Plenty of musicians who stepped as a lot because the mic for lead vocals along with serving within the residence band: Jamey Johnson, Bruce Hornsby, Mike Campbell and Ryan Bingham. (Initially marketed nevertheless not present: Noah Kahan, who exited the bill in time to be left off the posters and T-shirts, and Elvis Costello, who, nonetheless included on these souvenirs, was apparently marked absent nearer to showtime.) Benmont Tench and Shannon McNally moreover took distinguished roles inside the battalion of avid gamers, which extended to an oft-employed five-man horn half.

Martin Scorsese was initially launched as an govt producer alongside Blackbird Presents‘ Keith Wortman, Scooter Weintraub and Jared Levine, nevertheless it was solely launched two days earlier to the reside efficiency that he may very well be directing the filming of the current — in a mirroring of his route of “The Closing Waltz” once more in 1976. This led some who’ve been experiencing some FOMO over missing out on attending to consider they might get to see all or most of the current finally in theaters or on residence video. Nevertheless that assumption was almost definitely made sooner than most people knew the scale of the current… plus, Scorsese isn’t going to position a capper on his most interesting buddy’s life and occupation with out along with documentary footage inside the final piece. So, depend on to see a healthful amount of current excerpts someplace down the street.

Requested by Choice sooner than the current if there was a plan in place for what would happen with the footage, Wortman talked about, “Not however. Tonight’s regarding the reside efficiency that truly celebrates Robbie, and we’re capturing it, capturing it, after which we take our time to make the movie. You perceive, no rush — we truly want to make a movie that stands the check out of time.” Added Weintraub, “It’ll attain previous being a reside efficiency film.”

“We knew Marty wanted to be involved on fairly a number of completely totally different ranges, and so the question was, did he want to moreover direct it? And after he thought-about it for a minute, he talked about, ‘I’m not gonna have anyone else direct it,’” Weintraub talked about.

Nevertheless the producers singled one other particular person out as a key set off for making the current happen. “We had such deep love and affection and historic previous with Robbie that, inside a pair weeks after he had handed” — in August 2023 — “this dialog began spherical: What can we do? We’ve to do one factor explicit. So it started from there. I should say that Eric was in early and helped us kind of kick it off. Correct. He felt very strongly about doing one factor, as properly, and he reached out. And admittedly, as quickly as Eric talked about, ‘I want to do one factor,’ all of it kind of acquired right here collectively spherical him and, in fact, the timing spherical when he may very well be stateside. We talked about we’re capable of’t do it with out him, given their relationship.”

Even with on the market being any on-stage dialogue of Clapton’s key place inside the proceedings, his five-song set was a highlight for lots of accessible, beginning with a rollicking “The Type I’m In” and persevering with by three further various Band covers (“Out of the Blue,” “Chest Fever” and “Forbidden Fruit”) sooner than wrapping up with “Extra On Up the Freeway.” Although it might be annoying when attendees even inside the entrance half are wanting up on the massive screens in its place of on the person in entrance of them, it might be forgiven in a mini-set like this, given the enrapturing closeups of his fingerwork. Clapton didn’t talk at any dimension about Robertson nevertheless was seen at dimension in a documentary prelude part talking, seemingly in earnest, about how he cease Cream and went to hold round at Massive Pink in hopes of being requested to hitch the Band, although he didn’t have the nerve to actually ask — on account of he fervently believed that Robertson’s nascent group was already the tip results of all of the items that rock must be.

Van Morrison was the night’s totally different Biggest Star on Hand, and a rarity as an exact veteran of the San Francisco “Closing Waltz” reside efficiency along with film. He not solely didn’t focus on Robertson, he didn’t do any of his songs, each, solely his private. (This isn’t atypical for the most important stars at tribute reveals; at Jimmy Buffett’s newest memorial reside efficiency, the Eagles and Paul McCartney carried out their very personal tunes, too.) Nevertheless the viewers was hardly unhappy to get a “Tupelo Honey” and a “Days Like This” from a Morrison who was in good voice, and in good sax. There was a clearer degree of connection when he closed out his look with the fantastic “Unbelievable Remark,” a horn-section-fueled observe of his that Robertson had produced and carried out guitar on for the “King of Comedy” soundtrack 4 a few years up to now.

Oddly, that was not the entire extent of the Morrison songs all through the evening, on account of there was one more: “Caravan,” which the artist sang for “The Closing Waltz”… nevertheless not for this evening. It was coated by Warren Haynes, who knowledgeable Choice backstage what occurred. “They requested me to sing ‘Caravan’ on account of they talked about ‘Van’s not gonna do it — nevertheless he nonetheless needs any individual to do it.’ I did it inside the ‘Closing Waltz’ tour (a recurring outing throughout which a number of of those artists cowl Band songs), and it was like, ‘Successfully, I don’t truly actually really feel cozy with that, with him being proper right here.’ Nevertheless they assured me he needs anybody else to do it. So, OK!” That was added to the two Band songs Haynes was already singing lead on, “Stage Fright” and “Life Is a Carnival.”

Nevertheless these Morrison tunes weren’t the one non-Robbie songs to make their method into the effectivity. Robertson’s affiliation with Bob Dylan allowed for Weir to cowl “As soon as I Paint My Masterpiece,” the one true solo number of the night, with the Grateful Lifeless frontman unaccompanied by one thing other than his private guitar. Rateliff did “Eternally Youthful,” which was carried out by Dylan with the Band on the ’74 tour in the intervening time being commemorated in a big dwell boxed set. And Campbell, reunited with keyboard good Tench after seven years of no Heartbreakers, did Tom Petty’s “The Higher of The whole thing,” which Robertson accomplished and re-produced for the “Southern Accents” album in a single factor close to his private warmth and fulsome trend.

Rateliff was glad to be doing 4 songs at quite a few components inside the current. Along with “Eternally Youthful,” he moreover had Marvin Gaye’s “Little one Don’t You Do It” and two Robertson originals. “‘All through the Good Divide’ is the start to in all probability the best information ever made,” he talked about backstage, referring to the Band’s 1969 self-titled album, “after which I’m doing the song-sketch/demo mannequin of ‘Twilight,’ which has always been a deep-cut favorite of mine. That was a request inside the family for me to do that, that actual mannequin. All of them have a great deal of which implies to me.” (Rateliff was getting a check out run inside the Dialogue board for his private headlining current creating there Feb. 21, which was solely launched Friday.)

Margo Value joined Rateliff for a number of these numbers, after playfully posing with him on the purple carpet. She moreover had a solo amount, with “Evangeline.” “It’s a observe that I’ve been defending for a bit now,” she talked about backstage, “I heard Emmylou Harris doing it once more inside the day, and her interpretation of that observe was my favorite second of ‘The Closing Waltz.’ … Robbie’s songwriting has merely been massively influential on me, for the way in which it blended roots-music nation with rock ‘n’ roll. It was an unimaginable blueprint to adjust to and I actually really feel truly honored I get to carry on this practice.”

Anastasio, of Phish fame, talked about he was thrilled to get to be singing “Unfaithful Servant,” “Look Out Cleveland” and “The Weight,” that remaining one shared with Mavis Staples, who carried out it inside the movie. “All three are unimaginable, and ‘Unfaithful Servant’ is a masterpiece that I really feel truly reveals off Robbie’s expertise. I suggest, not that each one the items else tonight doesn’t, nevertheless it’s not one in every of many further well-known of his songs, I’d say, even after I suppose a fan may disagree with me. Nonetheless it’s an incredible honor to have the power to sing that tonight; I really feel I’m additional smitten by singing that one.”

Anastasio added that he “grew up with all this music. You perceive, my dad and mother have been pretty youthful, so that’s what was on within the lounge, and it seems like having fun with the inspiration of all music or one factor like that. Significantly for my trend of music, it’s flooring zero.”

The setlist was merely dominated by Band songs, virtually to the exclusion of Robertson’s solo occupation, nevertheless there have been exceptions. Just a few artists spoke backstage to how they’ve been defending songs that that that they had labored on with the honoree for his post-Band albums. Sacred metallic king Randolph recognized that his selection “Straight Down a Line” was one factor he labored on with Robertson in 2003. (They subsequently carried out it collectively on Jimmy Fallon’s current, with the Roots.) He had run into Robertson as soon as extra six months sooner than his lack of life, as soon as they’ve been every engaged on the Village studio in West L.A.

And Daniel Lanois, who produced Robertson’s first solo album, was resurrecting one in every of many increased remembered tunes from that doc, “Broken Arrow,” in a extremely completely totally different, hauntingly pretty affiliation. “It’s a observe that’s very costly to me,” Lanois talked about sooner than the current, “and brings up a great deal of recollections of us huddled up inside the little studio on the Village, working up these preparations. It was an incredible honor for a Canadian little one, on account of as a guitar participant, Robbie was always a hero for me. And so there I was working with one among my heroes, and we had a nice alternate on account of he loves imaginative contemplating. The wildest thought, he would truly accept…

“So proper right here we’re tonight,” Lanois continued. “We’re capable of’t stop the clock and we misplaced Robbie, nevertheless tonight I’m gonna sing the observe for Robbie, fairly than solely a rendition of what Robbie wrote the observe about. I put considerably little little bit of twist inside the affiliation and I modified a number of of the lyrics to counsel that we’re nonetheless listening to him and he’s nonetheless a trailblazer as he always was, nevertheless up there fairly than down proper right here.”

Allison Russell was proud to hitch Lanois in being one in every of many few exact Canadians on the bill. She had launched in some associates associated to the Six Nations Reserve in Canada, the place Robertson was partly raised by his native mother. This had not been the plan until two days sooner than. “About 48 hours up to now, I obtained a reputation saying that the artist I was initially scheduled to collaborate with couldn’t make it,” Russell talked about backstage. “And I had actually been attempting to get Julian (Taylor) and Logan (Staats) and our buddy William Prince on this current for a really very long time, on account of I felt it was so essential to have indigenous illustration. Robbie and Logan are from the an identical space, Six Nations, and I truly wanted to make certain that that was part of this tribute to him. So as soon as I obtained 48 hours uncover that there was a chance, I was given the OK, and I known as Julian and Logan and they also dropped all of the items and confirmed up for Robbie. We’re so honored to be proper right here, singing ‘Acadian Driftwood,’ for Canadian illustration on the current.”

Forty-eight hours later for Russell and agency, and easily 4 days after the house band launched into rehearsals, the current acquired right here off flawlessly, from all appearances, with 37 explicit particular person performances, the highest of each one predominant a viewer to quietly assume: That was an exquisite remark.

Set 1
“Peyote Therapeutic” – Verdell Primeaux
“Up on Cripple Creek” – Eric Church
“Ophelia” – Ryan Bingham
“The Higher of The whole thing” – Mike Campbell
“Evangeline” – Margo Value
“Acadian Driftwood” – Allison Russell, Julian Taylor and Logan Staats
“Straight Down the Line” – Robert Randolph
“Who Do You Love” – Taj Mahal
“Down South in New Orleans” – Dave Malone and Cyril Neville
“Go Once more to Your Woods” – Bruce Hornsby
“King Harvest” – Bruce Hornsby
“The Evening time They Drove Outdated Dixie Down” – Jamey Johnson

Set 2
“Broken Arrow” – Daniel Lanois
“Life Is a Carnival” – Warren Haynes
“Whispering Pines” – Lucinda Williams
“Twilight” – Nathaniel Rateliff
“All through the Good Divide” – Nathaniel Rateliff
“Rag Mama Rag” – Jamey Johnson
“Don’t Do It” – Nathaniel Rateliff with Margo Value
“Tupelo Honey” – Van Morrison
“Days Like This” – Van Morrison
“Unbelievable Remark” – Van Morrison

Set 3
“The Type I’m In” – Eric Clapton
“Out of the Blue” – Eric Clapton
“Forbidden Fruit” – Eric Clapton
“Chest Fever” – Eric Clapton
“Extra on Up the Freeway” – Eric Clapton

Set 4
“Eternally Youthful” – Ryan Bingham
“It Makes No Distinction” – Jim James
“Stage Fright” – Warren Haynes
“Caravan” – Warren Haynes
“As soon as I Paint My Masterpiece” – Bob Weir
“The Unfaithful Servant” – Trey Anastasio
“Look Out Cleveland” – Trey Anastasio
“The Weight” — Mavis Staples with Trey Anastasio and Bob Weir)
“I Shall Be Launched” – Jamey Johnson, Jim James, Allison Russell and full agency