Clapton, Kahan, Anastasio Lead Robbie Robertson Tribute Show
Eric Clapton, Noah Kahan, Trey Anastasio, Van Morrison and a host of music luminaries will assemble Oct. 17 at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles for the tribute concert Life Is a Carnival: A Musical Celebration of Robbie Robertson. Also celebrating the Band principal, who died a year ago, are Eric Church, Elvis Costello, Warren Haynes, Bruce Hornsby, Jim James, Taj Mahal, Margo Price, Robert Randolph, Nathaniel Rateliff, Allison Russell, Mavis Staples, Bob Weir and Lucinda Williams.
The date of the event holds a special meaning in Robertson lore, in that it marks the 50th anniversary of the final show of Bob Dylan and the Band’s fabled 1974 tour (also at the Forum). It will be produced by Blackbird Presents, which has previously been behind all-star tributes to artists such as John Lennon, Kris Kristofferson, Kenny Rogers and Merle Haggard, among many others.
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Tickets for the general public go on sale Friday (Aug. 2) at 10 a.m. PST through Ticketmaster’s website. Citi cardmembers can access presale tickets today at 10 a.m. PST until Aug. 1, at 10 p.m. PST.
Born on July 5, 1943, in Toronto as Jaime Royal Robertson, the artist began his music career as a member of Little Caesar and the Consuls. As a teen, he met Ronnie Hawkins and joined his band the Hawks, which featured Levon Helm, Rick Danko, Richard Manuel, and Garth Hudson. In 1964, the non-Hawkins members branched out on their own as the Hawks and befriended Dylan, who they backed on a legendary tour in 1966.
Outside of the Band, Robertson released six solo albums beginning with a 1987 self-titled effort and also produced two mid-’70s albums for Neil Diamond, including Beautiful Noise, which peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard 200. In 2016, Robertson released his autobiography, Testimony, followed three years later by his final studio album, Sinematic. In 2019, Robertson and the Band were once again in the spotlight thanks to the documentary Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and the Band.
See the full lineup below.
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