"The Last Waltz" was the farewell concert of The Band, held on Thanksgiving Day in 1976.
The concert took place on November 25, 1976, at Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco. Promoted by Bill Graham, it was planned as the group’s final major live appearance after years of touring. The Band performed alongside influential guests including Bob Dylan, Ronnie Hawkins, Eric Clapton, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Van Morrison, Muddy Waters, Neil Diamond, Ringo Starr, and the Staple Singers.
The event was unusually elaborate: approximately 5,000 guests were served Thanksgiving dinner, and the evening included dancing and poetry readings before the music began. The Band opened its main set at about 9 p.m. and played an encore around 2:15 a.m.
Director Martin Scorsese filmed the concert and shaped the footage into the 1978 documentary The Last Waltz. Although advertised as a farewell, The Band later reunited without Robbie Robertson, so the concert was not the group’s final performance in every possible sense.