Don Was saves ‘The Last Waltz’ for San Francisco
Don Was will always remember the first time he saw “The Last Waltz.”
It was in 1978, just after the Martin Scorsesehelmed documentary film about The Band’s all-star farewell concert had hit theaters. He settled into his seat next to his ninemonth-pregnant wife, and was digging the sights and sounds captured from the legendary show on Thanksgiving Day 1976 at the old Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco.
Then his wife went into labor. “She got her first contraction toward the end of the movie,” says Was, the acclaimed producer of such albums as Bonnie Raitt’s “Nick of Time” and the Rolling Stones’ “Voodoo Lounge.” “She said, ‘This music is really loud. I think it’s shaking (the baby). I think he digs it.’
“We went to the hospital that night. And he was born at 5 in the morning or something like that.”
No wonder Was feels such a connection to the music of “The Last Waltz.”
And that tie has grown even stronger in recent months, while Was has helped lead The Last Waltz 40 Tour: A Celebration of the 40th Anniversary of The Last Waltz. The trek, which also features Warren Haynes, Dr. John, Jamey Johnson and others, finishes up on April 15 at the Masonic in San Francisco. Show time is 8 p.m. and tickets are $59.50-$149.50, www.livenation.com.
Fans can expect a set list modeled after the original Last Waltz concert, which featured not only the songbook of The Band but offerings by such special guests as Van Morrison, Muddy Waters and Bob Dylan.
Yet, don’t expect Was and company to deliver note-for-note re-creations of the original performances.
“If you try to do karaoke Last Waltz, you’re (expletive) — it’s going to be an unrewarding experience for musician and audience member alike,” says the man many remember for leading the funky pop group Was (Not Was) in the ’80s. “So we had to find our own way into the songs, yet remain faithful to the original impulse.
“To tell you the truth, the songs are so good that they welcome you in — they kind of roll off your fingertips a little bit.”
Was is handling the bass work on these Last Waltz dates, which puts him in the sizable shadow of Rick Danko.
“For me, to try and figure out what (The Band bassist) Rick Danko was doing was a pleasurable musical expedition — to dig in and figure out what makes him tick,” he says. “If you listen to all the live recordings, he never played it the same way twice.”
“That’s kind of a gift (to me), because then there’s no exact bass part you have to play. Like, if you are doing a Beatles show, and you get to ‘Something,’ you’d better not (expletive) with Paul McCartney’s bass part. That’s like rewriting Beethoven or something.”
Danko’s Band mates likewise changed up their parts on a nightly basis. And that kind of adventurous playing has major appeal for Was, who has been the president of the mighty Blue Note jazz label since 2012.
“They are like a jazz group — there’s a whole lot of improvisation going on in the nuances,” he says.
Was’ adventure with this 40th anniversary project began roughly a year ago, when he joined other notable musicians in a two-night celebration of the music of “The Last Waltz” at the beautiful Saenger Theatre in New Orleans.
“We didn’t know exactly what was going to happen,” he says. “On paper, it could’ve been a train wreck. We only rehearsed like one day. But it was really good. All the voices locked. Something magical happened.
“But what really tipped the scales was the audience response. They sang along with every song all night long. I didn’t realize how deeply embedded those songs are in the American musical zeitgeist. The audience response was phenomenal, and that elevated the whole experience for everybody. It was a profound communal experience.”
The production was such a hit in New Orleans that Was and crew began getting offers to take the show on the road. And the overwhelmingly favorable reaction was the same at each stop.
Was says the emotional response from fans to “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” was particulalry strong.
“That song is transcendent,” he says. “And a lot of (The Band’s) music is like that. People talk about it being the birth of Americana or something like that. But I think there is something way older and way deeper going on there. There’s like some primordial harmonies in play — the same stuff that is in ‘Amazing Grace.’”
Was sees the significance of having the last show of the tour in San Francisco, which hosted the original “Last Waltz.” Yet, there will also be some sadness on closing night.
“I don’t want to see (the tour) end,” he says. “I would be happy to play these songs for the rest of my life.”