Love for Levon

Love for Levon
Genre	Rock music
Dates	October 3, 2012
Location(s)	Izod Center, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Years active	2012

Love for Levon: Benefit to Save the Barn was a benefit concert held on October 3, 2012 at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The concert was a tribute to the life of The Band's co-lead vocalist and drummer Levon Helm, who died of throat cancer on April 19, 2012. The concert featured a wide variety of musicians who had worked with Helm as well as musicians who were influenced by him. Proceeds from the concert went towards keeping Helm's Woodstock barn in his family's control as well as continuing his Midnight Ramble concert series in the barn. The concert's musical directors were Don Was and Helm's frequent collaborator Larry Campbell.^[1][2] The concert was released on CD and DVD on March 19, 2013.^[3]

Album and video

Love for Levon: A Benefit to Save the Barn
Live album by various artists
Released	March 19, 2013
Recorded	October 3, 2012
Venue	Izod Center East Rutherford, New Jersey
Genre	Rock, Americana
Label	Time Life Entertainment

The concert was released as a two-disc album on CD, and also as a two-disc video on DVD and Blu-ray, on March 19, 2013.^[4][5][6]

Musicians

House bands

There were two separate house bands for the performance which shared many of the same members. One band was The Levon Helm Band and the other was The All Star Band. The horn section backed both bands for most songs. Some songs included only some members of either band, and My Morning Jacket performed their songs with only the assistance of the horn section.

The All Star Band

• Larry Campbell – acoustic and electric guitar, mandolin, fiddle, lead and backing vocals
• Amy Helm – lead and backing vocals
• Teresa Williams – lead and backing vocals
• Greg Leisz – acoustic and electric guitar
• Kenny Aronoff – drums
• Don Was – bass guitar, double bass
• Brian Mitchell – piano, organ, accordion, keyboards

The Levon Helm Band

• Larry Campbell – acoustic and electric guitar, mandolin, fiddle, lead and backing vocals
• Amy Helm – lead and backing vocals
• Teresa Williams – lead and backing vocals
• Jim Weider – acoustic and electric guitar
• Justin Guip – drums
• Byron Isaacs – bass guitar, double bass
• Brian Mitchell – piano, organ, accordion, keyboards

The Horn Section

• Steven Bernstein – trumpet, alto horn, soprano trombone
• Jay Collins – tenor saxophone
• Earl McIntyre – trombone^[7]
• Howard Johnson – tuba, baritone saxophone
• Erik Lawrence – soprano and alto saxophone^[8]

Special guests

Roger Waters, Garth Hudson, My Morning Jacket, John Mayer, Joe Walsh, Dierks Bentley, Eric Church, Gregg Allman, Bruce Hornsby, Ray LaMontagne, John Hiatt, Grace Potter, Warren Haynes, Lucinda Williams, Mavis Staples, Allen Toussaint, David Bromberg, Robert Randolph, John Prine, Jorma Kaukonen, Marc Cohn, Jakob Dylan, Mike Gordon, Joan Osborne, Jai Johanny Johanson, Jon Randall, Matt Burr, Barry Mitterhoff, Jessi Alexander, Steve Jordan, Shawn Pelton, Rami Jaffee and G.E. Smith^[9]

Setlist

The set list was composed primarily of songs by The Band and Levon Helm solo (including songs they covered or recorded on with another artist).

1. "The Shape I'm In"
   • feat. Warren Haynes and Rami Jaffee
2. "Long Black Veil"
   • feat. Gregg Allman and Warren Haynes
3. "Trouble in Mind"
   • feat. Jorma Kaukonen, Barry Mitterhoff and Jai Johanny Johanson
4. "This Wheel's on Fire"
   • feat. Shawn Pelton
5. "Little Birds"
   • feat. Byron Isaacs and Teresa Williams
6. "Listening to Levon"
   • feat. Marc Cohn and Greg Leisz
7. "Move Along Train"
   • feat. Mavis Staples
8. "Life is a Carnival"
   • feat. Allen Toussaint and Jai Johanny Johanson
9. "When I Paint My Masterpiece"
   • feat. Garth Hudson, John Prine and Joan Osborne
10. "Anna Lee"
    • feat Bruce Hornsby
11. "Ain't Got No Home"
    • feat. Jakob Dylan and Rami Jaffee
12. "Whispering Pines"
    • feat. Lucinda Williams and Rami Jaffee
13. "Rag Mama Rag"
    • feat. John Hiatt and Mike Gordon

Intermission

1. "Don't Do It"
   • feat. David Bromberg and Joan Osborne
2. "I Shall Be Released"
   • feat. Grace Potter and Matt Burr
3. "Tears of Rage"
   • feat. John Mayer, Steve Jordan and Ray LaMontagne
4. "Rockin' Chair"
   • feat. Dierks Bentley, Jon Randall and Jessi Alexander
5. "Chest Fever"
   • feat. Garth Hudson, Dierks Bentley, Jon Randall and Jessi Alexander
6. "A Train Robbery"
   • feat. Eric Church
7. "Get Up Jake"
   • feat. Eric Church
8. "Tennessee Jed"
   • feat. John Mayer and Steve Jordan
9. "Up on Cripple Creek"
   • feat. Joe Walsh and Robert Randolph
10. "Ophelia"
    • feat. My Morning Jacket
11. "It Makes No Difference"
    • feat. My Morning Jacket
12. "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down"
    • feat. Roger Waters, G.E. Smith and My Morning Jacket
13. "Wide River to Cross"
    • feat. Roger Waters and G.E. Smith
14. "The Weight"
    • feat. all guest musicians^[10]

References

1. Saed Hindash/The Star-Ledger. "Roger Waters joins Love for Levon tribute show". NJ.com. Retrieved 2012-10-13.
2. Gary Graff/Detroit - BillBoard. "'Love for Levon' Concert Gets March Release on CD/DVD, Will Air on TV". billboard.com. Retrieved 2013-04-24.
3. "Love For Levon (2xBlu-Ray + 2xCD)". Amazon. Retrieved 2013-02-08.
4. Leggett, Steve. "Love for Levon: A Benefit to Save the Barn". AllMusic. Retrieved January 2, 2017.
5. Giles, Jeff (March 28, 2013). "Various Artists, Love for Levon – Album Review". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved January 2, 2017.
6. Horowitz, Hal (March 19, 2013). "Various Artists: Love for Levon". American Songwriter. Retrieved January 2, 2017.
7. Although Clark Gayton was listed in the liner notes, the DVD clearly shows that the trombone player for the entire concert was Earl McIntyre. This was confirmed in a personal conversation with Byron Isaacs who said that Clark had been invited but did not attend due to a schedule conflict.
8. "Love for Levon Helm Tribute Concert - Blackbird Presents". Archived from the original on 2012-09-29. Retrieved 2012-10-02.
9. Tony LoBue. "'Levon Helm Official Website': Levon Helm Official Website". levonhelm.com. Retrieved 2012-10-14.
10. New Jersey. "'Love for Levon': Levon Helm tribute concert live blog". NJ.com. Retrieved 2012-10-13.

External links

• Love for Levon website