At 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 28, Stage Fright will be joined by nine guest musicians to recreate The Last Waltz, the famous farewell concert given by the Canadian-American roots rock group The Band on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 25, 1976, 49 years ago.

This BYOB concert will be in the Coolidge Theatre at the Deane Center for the Performing Arts at 104 Main Street in Wellsboro.

The five members of Stage Fright share vocals and harmonies. They are: Joe Callahan of Wellsboro on guitar; Sean Monroe of Horseheads, N.Y. on bass guitar; Mike Watkins of Addison, N.Y. on keyboard, accordion, mandolin and fiddle; Mike Nickerson on drums; and Joe Narde on percussion. Narde and Nickerson are both from Corning, N.Y. Monroe, Callahan and Watkins write the music and all collaborate on the arrangements.

The nine guest artists are: singers Karin Knaus of Westfield and Kira Woods of Corning, N.Y.; singer, guitarist and banjoist, Josh Sperrick of Corning, N.Y.; singers and guitarists, Trevor Clark of Corning, N.Y. and Molly Cary and Brandon Lusk, both of Wellsboro; singer and harmonica player, Bryan Nickerson of Blossburg; Dave Driskell of Wellsboro on sax and piccolo; and Jason Bump of Wellsboro on drums. 

Performing live, first as the backing musicians for Bob Dylan and then as headliners, The Band’s original members had reached a crossroads in 1976 after creating some of the most influential music of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Their Thanksgiving concert was a celebration and the last time this revered rock group would ever perform live again.

The Last Waltz was presented at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco, California, the same venue where The Band first debuted in 1968. It would go down as one of the most spectacular events in rock history. The 5,000 people attending were served turkey dinners and then danced to music by the Berkeley Promenade Orchestra and heard readings by poets Michael McClure and Lawrence Ferlinghetti.

The Band’s show began at 9 p.m. and ended at 2 a.m. the next morning. The musical collaborators and significant influencers from every stage of the group’s career were invited to perform. Among them were musical legends Bob Dylan, Muddy Waters, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Van Morrison, Eric Clapton, Dr. John, Neil Diamond, Ronnie Hawkins, Bobby Charles, and Paul Butterfield. Taking part in two spontaneous jam sessions were Ringo Starr, Stephen Stills and Ron Wood. 

The farewell concert kicked off with “Up On Cripple Creek” and continued with other hits by The Band such as “The Shape I’m In”, “It Makes No Difference”, “Life is A Carnival”, “Weight” and “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.” It ended with them performing “Don’t Do It (Baby, Don’t You Do It).”

Those selections and others by the famous artists that entertained during the Last Waltz concert will be performed on Nov. 28. Among them will be many of the songs from Bob Dylan’s and The Band’s album “The Basement Tapes”, which celebrated its 50th anniversary on June 26th of this year. That album was officially released in 1975, nearly eight years after the legendary 1967 sessions were recorded in the basement of “Big Pink” in West Saugerties, New York. The recordings were a prolific collection of traditional songs, original compositions, and rootsy explorations that offered a counterpoint to the era’s psychedelic music. 

A special musical performance dedicated to the memory of Garth Hudson, The Band’s original founding member who died on January 21 of this year, will be featured on Nov. 28. 

Also commemorated on Nov. 28 will be the 50th anniversary of the Nov. 1, 1975 release of The Band’s Northern Lights–Southern Cross album with a performance of three of its songs.

Stage Fright presented their first tribute concert to The Band 10 years ago in August of 2015. They perform songs from the Band’s entire catalog, including all their usual hits, along with their under-appreciated gems.

The concert is BYOB with audience members encouraged to reserve a table, bring their own favorite beverages and snacks and sit with family and friends to enjoy the music. 

Children 12 and under are admitted free when accompanied by a paying adult; however seats must be reserved to accommodate them.   

For tickets and to reserve a table or for more information, call 570-724-6220 or visit https://www.deanecenter.com.