If it’s Saturday night in Woodstock, NY, the happenin’ place to be is more often than not Levon Helm’s house.
Since January 2004, Helm has hosted evenings of music dubbed The Midnight Ramble Sessions at his home studio, “the barn.”
Last September however, Helm took the Midnight Ramble on the road to Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium and invited a bunch of friends, including Buddy Miller, John Hiatt, Sheryl Crow and Sam Bush, to sit in.
Fortunately for his fans, Helm also invited PBS to the shinding and the network captured the entire performance in glorious high definition.
“Levon Helm – Ramble at the Ryman,” a veritable tour through the American songbook, is scheduled to air as part of PBS’ special programming in August.
The show features tunes from Helm’s days with The Band, as well as selections from his 2008 Grammy-winning album Dirt Farmer and classics by artists like Chuck Berry and the Carter Family. Songs on the set list include “Ophelia,” “Evangeline,” “Wide River to Cross,” “Time Out for the Blues” and “The Weight.”
Check the listings for your local PBS station for air times. Until then, here’s a clip from the show featuring Hiatt and Helm performing “The Weight.”