Episode 38: Musician Gary Solomon: Dylan, The Band & Me

Singer/songwriter Gary Solomon was just 19 when he found himself in the crowd at The Last Waltz—The Band’s iconic 1976 farewell concert. Filmed by Martin Scorsese and widely considered the best concert film of all time, it was stacked with legends like Robbie Roberston, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Van Morrison, Muddy Waters, and Neil Diamond. In this episode, Gary shares what it was like to witness that historic night firsthand, and digs into other iconic shows that shaped a generation—from Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Revue to Simon & Garfunkel’s 1981 Central Park reunion. This is music history through the eyes of someone who lived it.

Things we talked about in this episode:

The Last Waltz documentary (1978); live show from 1976

The Band: Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko, Levon Helm, Garth Hudson & Richard Manuel)

Bob Dylan and The Band during The Last Waltz

Joni Mitchell and Neil Young sing “Helpless” during The Last Waltz

The Winterland Ballroom, San Francisco

Gary Solomon’s upcoming dates for The THE BAND Band

Gary Solomon’s Bob Dylan show

Episode Credits: 

• Our thanks to Gary Solomon for joining us in the studio today. You can learn more about Gary and his upcoming dates with “The Band’s” shows at thethebandband.com.
• A Bend in the Road is written, hosted, and produced by Roberta Panjwani and created by Roberta Panjwani and Diane Sims.
• Our Assistant Producers for this episode are Melissa Egan and Elias Rosner. 
• Our Editors are Roberta Panjwani and Elias Rosner. 
• Our Technical Directors and Audio Engineers are Matt Giannotti and Elias Rosner.
• Our Digital Media Producer is Melissa Egan.
• Original Music is written and performed by Diane Sims.
• Logo and Website created by Parker Gaidimas.