(From nj.com) Levon Helm was so deeply beloved by his fellow musicians that when he died in April,
few fans wondered if he'd get a star-studded celebration of his life.
The only real questions: Where would it be? When would it be? And who
would turn up to pay respects to the man who practically invented
roots-rock drumming?
We've got answers, and they're bound to make Helm's many Garden State
fans happy. "Love for Levon," an all-star concert, will be held at the Izod Center in East Rutherford on Oct. 3.
The list of performers testifies to Helm's wide influence: there are
pop singers, jam band veterans, bluesmen, and country stars already
committed to the concert, and the show organizers are promising
"legendary surprise guests," too.
Hitmaker John Mayer, pop-jazz pianist Bruce Hornsby, Nashville bad boys Dierks Bentley and Eric Church, gospel-soul singer Mavis Staples, classic rock guitarists Joe Walsh and Jorma Kaukonen, and psych-rockers My Morning Jacket
will all sing and strum for Helm. John Hiatt, Patty Griffin, Lucinda
Williams, Orange bluesman Robert Randolph, "Walking in Memphis" hitmaker
Marc Cohen, and gravel-voiced Ray Lamontagne will appear, too. No
members of the Band have been promised yet, but it's not outrageous to
hope that his surviving mates might make the trip to the Meadowlands to
say goodbye.
This is a benefit concert. The Helm estate is attempting to retain
control of his Upstate New York home and barn, and to keep the Midnight
Ramble going. The Ramble, a heralded series of concerts held in Helm's
studio, has drawn respected names to Woodstock: Elvis Costello, Donald
Fagen, Rickie Lee Jones, and many others. Tickets for "Love for Levon" go on sale Wednesday, Aug. 29 at 11 a.m. Tickets will sell from $46.50 - $221. A presale for CitiCard holders begins on Friday, Aug. 24 at 10 a.m.
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