Save The Last Waltz For Me
The Band's farewell has become a Thanksgiving tradition in Jersey City and Montclair
What does Thanksgiving mean in 2025? In New Jersey, there’s turkey, family get-togethers, giving thanks, “Alice’s Restaurant” on the radio… and recreations of The Band’s farewell concert, “The Last Waltz,” by local musicians.
On Thanksgiving 1976, at Bill Graham’s Winterland, The Band presented their final concert. The lineup included some of rock’s biggest stars, including Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, and Neil Young, and the show was filmed and later released as a feature film by Martin Scorsese. Recreations of The Last Waltz have become a holiday tradition across the country, usually mounted by local musicians.
In Montclair, Rostafa & Co. presents its version of The Last Waltz at The Montclair Art Museum on Saturday, November 15. A week later, Jersey City’s White Eagle Hall will present the 12th annual The Last Waltz concert on Friday, November 21, produced as always by ALEOproduction.
According to musician, actor, and organizer ROSTAFA, the Montclair staging began in 2023 and has grown each year, from fifty musicians its first year, 75 its second, and 85 for this year’s production. The concert benefits Toni’s Kitchen, a food ministry of St Luke’s Episcopal Church that provides reliable access to healthy food for residents of West Orange, Montclair and Bloomfield. With the current government shutdown and suspension of SNAP benefits, Toni’s Kitchen’s mission is more urgent than even.
”This show has grown not just by the numbers or influences, but by reminding citizens of the glory & dangers artists need for connecting community to form a common memory,” ROSTAFA said. “Also, Make The Road NJ should be included in the conversation for their fight for fair housing for those who deal with landlords, homeowners, increased property taxes, and so on.”
“I’ll name drop some musicians,” ROSTAFA continued. “ Ed Alstrom (organist for NY Yankees) will be Dr. John; Billy Hector as Eric Clapton; Lydia Crown as Joni Mitchell; Wild Bill Winters as Neil Diamond; myself as Bob Dylan; Michael Murphy as Neil Young; and Joshua Kessler as Ronnie Hawkins. Over 80 musicians are involved this year.”
Showtime is 8 p.m. and advance tickets can be purchased for $43 ($35 for museum members,) and $50 at the door. Last year, moving to the Montclair Art Museum, the concert was able to double its attendance from the first year and sell out for the second straight year.
Jaime DeJesus and his ALEOproduction began staging The Last Waltz at a small bar in Hoboken a dozen years ago, but the concert returns to White Eagle Hall again this year on Friday, November 21.
Musicians from Hoboken, Jersey City, and even Asbury Park come together each year to recreate the performances of The Band, Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Van Morrison, Neil Diamond, and the other superstars who performed in 1976, as well as The Band. This year’s lineup includes 41 musicians, with Christina Alessi, Liam Brown, Sylvana Joyce, Gerry Rosenthal, Jeffery Fernandes, Tommy Strazza, The Defending Champions, and many more.
”The 12th year is much different, yet very much the same,” said Jaime DeJesus. “We have come to call it our Friendsgiving. The audience, players, and everyone else in between looks forward to it, as our lives continue to evolve. We are raising children, becoming tenured, finding meaning and depth in our lives. And we do it together with each others’ love and support. It’s one of the most meaningful things I do with my life.”
Advance tickets are $40 for the 8 p.m. show.
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