@skyscraper: I saw The Band live only once, at The Berkeley Community Theater on the tour in support of the s/t ("brown") album. I sent for the lottery tickets Bill Graham was selling for the Dylan/Band Before The Flood tour in ’74, but missed out. Then I moved away from the Bay Area just before The Last Waltz show was announced. Damnit!
But I did manage to see Levon and his Barn Burners at the House Of Blues on Sunset Blvd. in the late-90’s. He was recovering from his throat cancer, and could barely speak, let alone sing. But he had daughter Amy with him on stage, along with some band members who could sing.
Levon was playing drums better than ever (he sounded REALLY good). Little Feat drummer Richie Hayward joined Levon for a song, and you could see the mutual respect each had for the other. The drummers of two of America’s greatest bands, on stage together! Richie could keep up with Levon, unlike poor ol’ Ringo Starr, whose playing at the end of The Last Waltz movie is really sad.