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Robbie Robertson Tribute Concert Will Be Filmed by Martin Scorsese For an Upcoming Release

Life is a Carnival: A Musical Celebration Of Robbie Robertson takes place in L.A. on October 17. Robertson and Scorsese collaborated for decades, including on iconic concert documentary The Last Waltz about The Band's final performance.

Robbie Robertson

Robbie Robertson

Don Dixon

The late Canadian and Six Nations music legend Robbie Robertson is Martin Scorsese's latest film subject.

The Oscar-winning director is filming Life is a Carnival: A Musical Celebration Of Robbie Robertson, a tribute concert taking place tonight (October 17) at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles. Previously announced as an executive producer of the concert, Scorsese will also direct filming of the concert for an upcoming release, Variety reports.


Robertson, who died in 2023, was a longtime collaborator of Scorsese's, beginning with their work together on 1976's The Last Waltz. That film, considered one of the best music documentaries of all-time, followed the final performance of Robertson's influential Americana group The Band.

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In the decades that followed, Robertson would go on to score and assist on a host of Scorsese projects like 1980’s Raging Bull, 1983’s King of Comedy, and 2019’s The Irishman. The final instalment in that partnership was 2023's Killers of the Flower Moon, which netted Robertson his first Oscar nomination for best original score.

In filming Life is a Carnival, Scorsese brings their collaborations full circle. The tribute concert will feature performances from musical legends like Van Morrison and Mavis Staples — both of whom appear in The Last Waltz — as well as fellow Canadians Allison Russell and Daniel Lanois.

The concert also comes ahead of a Last Waltz Tour kicking off on October 19, honouring Robertson and featuring Benmont Tench and Mike Campbell of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers.

In a final interview with Variety before he passed, Robertson reflected on a life of work with Scorsese.

“I mean, we’re in awe ourselves that our brotherhood has outlasted everything,” Robertson said. “We’ve been through it. We’ve been there and back. Our story is a trip. … I am so proud of our friendship and our work. It’s been just a gift in life.”

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Owen Riegling
Courtesy Photo

Owen Riegling

Country

Owen Riegling, The Washboard Union, MacKenzie Porter to play CCMA House in Kelowna

The lineup for the two-day event that is part of Country Music Week 2025 is crammed with past CCMA Award winners and many of this year's top nominees.

The Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) has announced CCMA House: Live at Waterfront Park, a two-day all-ages event set for Sept. 12 and 13 that appears poised to be a highlight of Country Music Week 2025, in Kelowna, B.C. A truckload full of established and emerging Canadian country stars will perform, including Jade Eagleson, Andrew Hyatt, James Barker Band, Alexandra Kay, JoJo Mason, Madeline Merlo, Tyler Joe Miller, Jess Moskaluke, Meghan Patrick, MacKenzie Porter, Restless Road, Owen Riegling, SACHA, Thelma & James, The Washboard Union and more.

Introducing the event (produced by Thick as Thieves Entertainment), Amy Jeninga, president of the CCMA, states that "Kelowna’s stunning waterfront provides the perfect backdrop for a celebration of community, connection, and the incredible depth of talent in country music." A vendor market, food trucks and a fully licensed area are also features of CCMA House.

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