Eric Clapton, Bob Weir, Elvis Costello, Lucinda Williams, and Trey Anastasio are among the artists set to honor Robbie Robertson's life and music on October 17, at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles.
According to the press release, “Life Is a Carnival: A Musical Celebration of Robbie Robertson promises to be a night of electrifying performances featuring superstar artists performing a diverse range of Robbie’s most beloved songs, from his iconic solo work to classic tracks from the Band.”
A portion of the proceeds from the star-studded event will be donated to The Woodland Cultural Centre, which operates arts, history, and education programs on the Sixth Nations Reserve in Canada.
The line-up also includes Van Morrison, Mavis Staples, Ryan Bingham, Mike Campbell, Eric Church, Warren Haynes, Jim James, Jamey Johnson, Noah Kahan, Daniel Lanois, Taj Mahal, Van Morrison, Margo Price, Robert Randolph, Nathaniel Rateliff, Allison Russell, Benmont Tench, and Don Was.
It is being produced by Robertson's longtime friend and collaborator, filmmaker Martin Scorsese, alongside Jared Levine, Keith Wortman, and Scooter Weintraub.
The event will take place just over 14 months after the founding member of the Band passed away at age 80 following a battle with prostate cancer. The Kia Forum also happens to be the site of the final three performances of Bob Dylan and the Band’s 1974 reunion tour.
In his final Guitar World interview, Robertson talked about his experience in the Band during their years as Dylan's backing band: “It was a deep education on the magic of music and life. You couldn’t have written a more amazing story, and that forged the Band. The shit we went through was incredible.
“Hooking up with Bob Dylan was like entering The Twilight Zone of music. You thought, “They’re going to wake me up tomorrow because all of this is impossible.’”
Tickets for Life Is a Carnival: A Musical Celebration of Robbie Robertson go on sale on Aug 2 and can be purchased from Ticketmaster.
“My phone rang – Nuno told me to get to Sao Paulo right away. I arrived 30 minutes before guesting on Get the Funk Out”: Mateus Asato on landing the Bruno Mars gig, playing with his heroes and how his pink Suhr went from reject to best-selling signature
“All the labels said, ‘You’re dated.’ If we weren’t doing so well, it would have been crushing, but we were playing to sold-out crowds”: How forgotten ’80s heroes Zebra earned their stripes as the people’s power-trio
