A performance of I Shall Be Released by Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and The Band has been praised by fans as an “amazing” version.
The classic Dylan track, which featured on Greatest Hits Vol. II, has been performed dozens of times by the veteran songwriter. It’s a version with Young and The Band backing him that has caught people’s attention though, with the track featuring as part of The Last Waltz. The ensemble behind the show is staggering, and Dylan’s appearance is one of many fantastic moments found in the show. An upload of this I Shall Be Released version to YouTube had fans praising Dylan, Young, and The Band for their rendition, with many saying it leaves them in tears. The two veteran songwriters and The Band would all perform together two years before this at a show at Kezar Stadium.
But this rendition of I Shall Be Released from The Last Waltz has been hailed by listeners. One person wrote: “Oh my God, the amount of talent on that stage. Just imagine being at that show!” Another added: “Wow! :iteral chills. Not only a star-studded line-up but a truly iconic gathering of legends, to see the likes of Ronnie Hawks beside Joni Mitchell is like watching Poseidon brush shoulders with Athena herself.
“The end of a great band, but much more than that, the end of an era, or in the words of the great Robbie Robertson the beginning of the end of the beginning of the end. This is not the funeral for an era of music, nor music itself. It’s a celebration of the start of everything great to be strummed, drummed, blown or sung.”
A third wrote: “This is the best version of this song ever. A really heartwarming moment.” It was Mitchell, Young, The Band’s Rick Danko, and Neil Diamond that left one user impressed post of all, with the ensemble dubbed “amazing” by stunned viewers.
One wrote: “Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Rick Danko and Neil Diamond singing into one microphone, holy shit, that is so amazing. I love The Band. I love this performance. I love every member of the Band. One of the all-time greatest groups that there ever ever ever was. I love these five men dearly and every piece of beautiful music they created.”
The Band, Young, and Dylan would perform together during 1974 at Kezar Stadium, with the concert a triumph for all involved. Even a few vocal flubs from Dylan can be forgiven for the amazing range of talent on the stage. In a review from Cult Following, the show was praised, with particular focus on “a trio of musicians who moulded the future of music and the sound they provide here is a plain imitation of that.” You can watch the group perform I Shall Be Released below.
