“Van the Man!”: Who was the best guest performer at The Band’s ‘Last Waltz’?
This article revisits The Band's legendary 1976 farewell concert, "The Last Waltz," captured in Martin Scorsese's acclaimed film, and asks which of the night's many star guests delivered the standout performance. Held on Thanksgiving at San Francisco's Winterland Arena, the show saw The Band joined by an extraordinary line-up of collaborators, making the question of a single "best" performance a genuinely difficult one to settle, given how many contenders there were.
While Bob Dylan's headline slot and the mass encore of "I Shall Be Released" remain the concert's most iconic moments, the writer argues that Van Morrison's rendition of "Caravan" was the true highlight, praising his powerful voice and animated stage presence, memorably prompting Robbie Robertson to shout "Hey, Van the Man!" afterwards. Other guests including Ronnie Hawkins, Muddy Waters, Dr John, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Eric Clapton and Neil Diamond also performed, alongside The Band's own celebrated set of songs such as "Up on Cripple Creek" and "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down."
- Article revisits The Band's 1976 farewell gig, "The Last Waltz."
- Argues Van Morrison's "Caravan" was the standout guest performance.
- Dylan headlined; many other stars, including Clapton and Mitchell, featured too.
New here? Start with this
The Last Waltz was billed as The Band's farewell concert, staged on Thanksgiving Day in 1976 at San Francisco's Winterland Arena. The Band were a group of mostly Canadian musicians who had built their reputation both as backing musicians for Bob Dylan and as respected performers in their own right, known for songs like "Up on Cripple Creek" and "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down." The concert became one of rock music's most celebrated live events, later immortalised in a documentary film by director Martin Scorsese.
What made the night distinctive was the sheer number of famous guest musicians who joined The Band on stage, including Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Muddy Waters and Van Morrison, among others. This turned the concert into a kind of all-star showcase spanning several generations and styles of popular music, from blues and folk to rock, rather than a single band's farewell show.
Because so many acclaimed performers took part, debate has continued ever since over who gave the standout performance of the evening. Moments such as Dylan's headline appearance and the closing group rendition of "I Shall Be Released" are widely regarded as the concert's most memorable highlights, though opinions on the single best individual performance remain a matter of ongoing discussion among fans and critics.