Levon Helm's Midnight Ramble
What a fantastic live music experience Levon Helm's Midnight Ramble concert was last night in Woodstock, NY. For anyone not familiar with Levon by name, he was the drummer/mandolinist/singer for the incredible rock n roll band, aptly named The Band.
Levon's voice is certainly no longer what it once was, but his heart is in the right place and he plays the music and feels the music like it was 1975. The Midnight Ramble has turned into a weekly Saturday night event, hosted right from Levon's awesome wood barn studio at his Woodstock property. The feel is rustic and warm. The acoustics are excellent in the studio and the audience literally surrounds the band area in all directions. Folding chairs in front and stage right. Standing room stage left and behind and above the band in the control room area of the studio. The music is American rock, country and blues and it is played by an extremely talented group, equal to a man like Levon who has shared the stage with most of the 20th century rock n roll greats at one time or another. Levon started on the mandolin for the first 5-7 songs, which were performed acoustically. When the band plugged in, Levon switched to the drum kit and that's when the fun really began. Needless to say, Levon's playing is still fantastic and surprisingly loud (Levon is very slight and it's hard to believe how powerful his drumming can be). Aside from Ophelia, the band stuck to newer Levon material ranging from straight-up country to power blues. It was all totally authentic and wonderful sounding.
As my girlfriend said to me on the way to the car, "That's the way all concerts should be." Enough said; we would be very lucky if they were all done like the Ramble. If you're in the upstate NY area and you enjoy classic rock, southern rock, country rock or the blues, you have got to get yourself to Levon's place for the Midnight Ramble.
