A concert movie that's worth The Weight

First up in the concert movie marathon is THE LAST WALTZ, the film documenting the farewell concert of The Band, who'd been on the road together for 16 years before calling it a day. This wasn't to be just any old concert though - staged in the venue where they'd first played together all those years ago, the warm-up was to be a thanksgiving dinner laid on for all the attendees first (a few thousand of them) before the concert proper.

The concert itself was more than just The Band playing a selection of their hits too - they were joined on stage throughout the evening by a selection of guests. As you'd expect, Ronnie Hawkins and Bob Dylan were there (The Band having supported both acts in the past) but in addition they were joined by the likes of Muddy Waters, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Eric Clapton, Van Morrison, Neil Diamond, Dr John... the list goes on. And on.

It's hard to go wrong with an assortment like that - it's enjoyable enough to see The Band belting out all the classics with which they'd become associated (The Weight, The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down, I Shall Be Released) but when backed by a stellar line-up like that it's something special.

Not that it was all songs from The Band's playlist. Part of the thrill is seeing this wonderful line-up of artists performing their own songs, backed by the musical artistry of The Band, whether it be Neil Young's Helpless (backed by Joni Mitchell), Mitchell's Coyote, or blues legend Muddy Waters giving us the classic Mannish Boy.

There's not a bum note in the whole film and you can't help but be impressed by the finale in which every artist comes back on stage to join in on the classic I Shall Be Released.

In order to document the film, The Band called on director Martin Scorsese, who brought with him Michael Chapman as director of photography (with whom he'd already made TAXI DRIVER). He also brought with him a love of the music (not his only foray into music documentary, he'd also been involved with the likes of ELVIS ON TOUR and the legendary WOODSTOCK - more about them later - and would go on to offer a fascinating insight into The Band's special guest Bob Dylan many years later in NO DIRECTION HOME).

The end result is not only a film that looks and sounds terrific but demonstrates Scorsese's reverence for the musicians themselves and captures the real sense of occasion. Unlike "event" films such as WOODSTOCK, this film, like the concert itself, was all about The Band. There were no interviews with die-hard fans, no shots of awed spectators, no lingering shots of the build up. What is documented in THE LAST WALTZ is the concert itself, or highlights at least, interspersed with a few numbers recorded in the studio (including a theme written for the movie and collaborations with the Staple Singers and Emmylou Harris) and interviews with The Band themselves.

The interviews bring an added dimension to the film, as the band members (Robbie Robertson in particular) talk at length about their experiences on the road and why, after all this time, they had decided to call it quits.

The film we are left with is part biography, part concert document, and all celebration - a fitting tribute to an extremely talented group of musicians and a testament to all they achieved.

So from a band marking the end of an era to an artist who was arguably in his prime - join me tomorrow where I'll be casting my eye over everyone's favourite spangly-suited burger-monkey...