In 1971, or ‘72 I was sitting at a bench at Sproul Plaza, which is an area in front of the U.C. Berkeley administration building, when Joan Baez walked up and performed on the steps of the administration building. Few were there at first, but I remember her rendition of The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down. Acoustic guitar and solo voice at ten feet.. Those were the days.
"The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down".
I am very fortunate in having heard this amazing song performed live by The Band on their tour in support of the s/t "brown" album. The only other live music experience I’ve had that equals it was hearing Little Village perform John Hiatt’s "Lipstick Traces" on a soundstage in Burbank in ’92. The Little Village album was not so hot, but they sure were!
The Beatles? Saw them in ’65. Hendrix? Saw him in ’68 and ’69. Cream? Saw them in ’67 and ’68. The Who? Saw them in ’68 and ’69. Who else ya wanna name? Sorry, hearing The Band live spoiled me for just about EVERYONE else. Not Iris DeMent, whom I just saw this past Thursday. Stunningly great!
Here’s J.R. Robertson, Eric Levon Helm, and some other guy talking about the song and its’ creation:
https://youtu.be/nVYBW_zCvOg?t=1