On Thanksgiving Day in 1976, The Band performed the group’s final concert together at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco.  They’d been on the road for 16 years, starting in dive bars and dance halls and ending up in arenas and stadiums.  It was in late 2016 that Doug Yeomans and Bob McLennan first sat down to discuss the possibility of doing a reenactment of the legendary concert and movie from Martin Scorsese.  The premier of the show on November 17, 2017, was an incredible experience for all the performers and the audience.

We delivered a great encore performance in November 2018.  In 2019, we came back for the third show with an Extended Version that included additional songs that were performed in the concert in 1976, and are on the 40^th anniversary album, but did not make the movie.  The additional songs are classic, unforgettable songs that should have made the movie and we’re very pleased to present them to you along with the original movie performances.  We missed 2020 due to Covid but we were back in 2021, 2022 and 2023.  Every year we have a couple changes to the show, either cast or song selection, but we remain true to the 1976 concert and the movie that was released in 1978.

The amazing talent from WNY is on full display in this entire production.  The cast numbers 32 incredibly talented singers, musicians and performers.  As the Buffalo News stated in 2018, “this is a new Thanksgiving tradition”.  The show has sold-out every year of its presentation and for 2024, it’s already on the way to another sellout.

SAM Foundation