Levon Helm brought 'Ramble Light' through his old stomping grounds...or close by anyway. While the Yonge St taverns he played in the early '60's are long gone, Levon is still plying his trade as he skips by 70 years of age.
He's overcome a fair bit of adversity, from business quarrels and bankruptcy to severe health issues, yet to see him smilin' from behind the drums, singing those songs, you'd never guess it.
Coming full circle, from Arkansas to Toronto to Woodstock and back, of all things lost along the way, the love of music wasn't among them. I've had the pleasure of seeing the Midnight Ramble in the confines of Levon's barn in Woodstock on couple of occasions. It's a "must do" event for all fans, can't be beat as an experience. He's brought along his crack house-band, led by Larry Campbell, who once starred in the best band Bob Dylan's ever had...that wasn't called The Band. Levon's daughter, Amy, is on the road lending vocal support and completing the familial circle.
Evening opened with a set from John Hiatt, who has made a career out of being almost famous. A bit of a shape-shifter early in his career, moving between New Wave, rock and roots, his more mature years prove that you can take the boy out of the country but you can't take the country out of the boy.
Hiatt's set list
Drive South (Slow Turning, 1988)
Lift Up Every Stone (Crossing Muddy Waters, 2000)
Crossing Muddy Waters (Crossing Muddy Waters, 2000)
The Open Road (Open Road, 2010)
The Tiki Bar Is Open (The Tiki Bar Is Open, 2001)
My Baby (Open Road, 2010)
Cry Love (Walk On, 1995)
Feels Like Rain (Slow Turning, 1998)
Perfectly Good Guitar (Perfectly Good Guitar, 1993)
Tennessee Plates (Slow Turning, 1988)
Have A Little Faith (Bring the Family, 1987)
Riding With the King (Y'all Caught, 1989)
He's overcome a fair bit of adversity, from business quarrels and bankruptcy to severe health issues, yet to see him smilin' from behind the drums, singing those songs, you'd never guess it.
Coming full circle, from Arkansas to Toronto to Woodstock and back, of all things lost along the way, the love of music wasn't among them. I've had the pleasure of seeing the Midnight Ramble in the confines of Levon's barn in Woodstock on couple of occasions. It's a "must do" event for all fans, can't be beat as an experience. He's brought along his crack house-band, led by Larry Campbell, who once starred in the best band Bob Dylan's ever had...that wasn't called The Band. Levon's daughter, Amy, is on the road lending vocal support and completing the familial circle.
Evening opened with a set from John Hiatt, who has made a career out of being almost famous. A bit of a shape-shifter early in his career, moving between New Wave, rock and roots, his more mature years prove that you can take the boy out of the country but you can't take the country out of the boy.
Hiatt's set list
Drive South (Slow Turning, 1988)
Lift Up Every Stone (Crossing Muddy Waters, 2000)
Crossing Muddy Waters (Crossing Muddy Waters, 2000)
The Open Road (Open Road, 2010)
The Tiki Bar Is Open (The Tiki Bar Is Open, 2001)
My Baby (Open Road, 2010)
Cry Love (Walk On, 1995)
Feels Like Rain (Slow Turning, 1998)
Perfectly Good Guitar (Perfectly Good Guitar, 1993)
Tennessee Plates (Slow Turning, 1988)
Have A Little Faith (Bring the Family, 1987)
Riding With the King (Y'all Caught, 1989)
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