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

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.

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.”