WLDFLWRS Present The Last Waltz 49th Anniversary Concert

For those who have never seen The Last Waltz, it was a filmed concert about a band, called The Band, who were at one point Bob Dylans backing band. Later they had their own success and became a major influence on many artists and bands. When they decided to stop touring, they staged The Last Waltz, filmed by Martin Scorsese, and invited many of their friends, who happen to be some of the biggest names in rock, including Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Neil Young, Van Morrison, Joni Mitchell, Muddy Waters, Emmylou Harris, Dr. John, Neil Diamond, Ringo Starr – and the list goes on.

History lesson done, now tonight, the WLDFLWRS are steadily building up momentum with their Americana flavoured music, but have obviously been affected by the 1976 concert, and love to pay homage to it. They have done one before, and it sold out, and although not sold out in the cavernous Town Hall tonight, it was very well attended. We were treated to a night of classic tunes from the concert, and had several surprise guests like, including, P.P. Arnold, Chris Helme (The Seahorses), Nigel Clark (Dodgy) and The Lost Notes, supplementing the WLDFLWRS band who are made up of Katherine Abbott, Jack Blackman, Wes Finch, Chris Quirk, and Jono Wright. And because there were so many involved, it had the same slightly chaotic feel about it, like a mega jam session.

We are not big fans of seated gigs, but of course due to the demographic of the attendees, we could see why they were used. As it’s a bit of an atmosphere killer, and the very high roof of the Town Hall, we were a little a little concerned that it would affect the night, but after a quiet start and an intermission, and probably a few sherries, they warmed up, (not the band), and everyone had a blast. What was nice they didn’t try to recreate it like clones, but with similar voices, and it was nice to see such a talented group of musicians each giving their all. Of course, P.P. Arnold was brought on towards the end and even at her age, she still has got a really good voice. She has this aura about her and a smile that lit up the room.

And then it was over, sending the attendees into a cold wet Birmingham night, with many wearing WLDFLWRS and The Last Waltz t-shirts, and clutching P.P. Arnold Albums, looking very happy. We are hoping and praying that there will be a 50th anniversary gig. Congratulations to all involved.

OH, AND TO THE FOLKS OUT THERE THAT HAVEN’T YET, DO YOURSELF A FAVOUR GO WATCH THE FILM!

Photos by Geoff Griffe
Review by Jenny Griffe