The Band on SNL — October 30, 1976

Nearly fifty years ago -- on Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 1976 -- the great rock band The Band gave their final performance (with the original lineup) at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco, CA. 

It was a nearly six-hour long show where The Band played their greatest hits ("Up on Cripple Creek", "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down", "It Makes No Difference") with with many guests including Eric Clapton, Joni Mitchell, Muddy Waters, Ronnie Hawkins, Van Morrison, Neil Diamond, Neil Young, and Mr Bob Dylan (amongst others). 

The concert was filmed by Martin Scorsese (the same year that Taxi Driver was release) and it became a landmark documentary, considered one of the greatest concert documentaries ever made, called The Last Waltz.

This one concert -“The end of an era” was how many people referred to the close of 1976. The dreams of the 60s and early 70s had faded, and we were ready for a revelation, a revolt, a changing of the guard. Punk rock—and, later, hip-hop—wanted to give music and culture a good slap in the face. It felt like everyone wanted to break something. - performed and recorded just over a month before my birth -- was a singular moment in music and cultural history. Robbie Robertson, the lead guitarist and chief lyricist for The Band wrote, in 2016:

“The end of an era” was how many people referred to the close of 1976. The dreams of the 60s and early 70s had faded, and we were ready for a revelation, a revolt, a changing of the guard. Punk rock—and, later, hip-hop—wanted to give music and culture a good slap in the face. It felt like everyone wanted to break something.

The end of that era, that faded world, was what I was born into -- and its intense to think about, how my beginning was at the end of something.

I love the music of The Band, and I went to see a re-release of The Last Waltz with my friends in 2002. As mentioned, the concert took place in San Francisco but, about a month earlier, The Band appeared on Saturday Night Live and was introduced by the writer-actor Buck Henry who mentioned that their final show was coming up. 

What an amazing moment in culture -- and in the history of SNL, NYC, and the culture at large.

Two Classy Brits Talk About the NYC Mayor-Elect

I was going to blog a little bit how about the Mayor-Elect, Zohran Mamdani, is from my childhood neighborhood, Morningside Heights. Zohran grew up there and went on to greatness, and I grew up there and went on to ... anyway, read 'bout Zohran's Morningside Heights childhood ...

... and then listen to my favorite Two Classy Brits talk about Zohran's historic victory and the road ahead for NYC. 

Classic Mr NYC

Well, I'll be darned. Mr NYC's powers of prophesy have hit again. 

In 2021 I blogged about the late 1980s Broadway musical Chess, about how it was a big spectacle with great songs and a muddled plot, and how it didn't last very long. Towards the end of my post I speculated (if I may be so gauche as to quote myself): "Maybe one day it'll come back to Broadway, if the plot can be brought under control and if there is interest in a show about something that clearly is now a historical era."

Guess what? There is a revival! Currently in previews and due to open on Broadway soon. And apparently it has an all-new book, a reworked story, which it very much needed.

Hmmmmm? Do you think perhaps the producers behind this revival saw my blog post and it sparked the idea to bring Chess back? Probably not. But a blogger can dream. 

But wait, 'dere's more! 

There's a new mini-series on Netflix called Death by Lightening about the 1881 assasination of President James Garfield. His Vice-President was Chester Arthur, former head of the Port of New York who become the 21st President of the United States and created the Civil Service. 

I've blogged about Arthur a few times, including about the fact that he was the only other President besides Washington to take the oath of office in NYC. In this mini-series Arthur is played by Nick Offerman, giving this long overlooked historical figure his due -- but after Mr NYC gave it to him first.

Eric Adams, We Hardly Knew Ye

As the bizarre spectacle of Eric Adams' time as mayor comes to its ignominous end, The Daily Show did us a big favor of putting together several of his most memorable moments.

Goodbye Eric Adams, we hardly knew yet -- and hope we'll never hear from or see you ever again. 

East 149th & Exterior Street -- November 8th, 2025, 9:30 AM

Mr NYC Ahead of His Time

In 2017 I interviewed the journalist Ross Barkan when he kicked off his campaign for State Senate in Brooklyn. He made the bold decision to stop just commenting on politics and instead jump into the fray, slap down his credentials, and put himself before the electorate, ready to serve.

He lost -- and returned to journalism.

But Ross' campaign turned out to be an acorn from which a great oak grew. Ross' campaign manager in that race was ... drumroll ... Zohran Mamdani.

Zohran, as we know, would go on to be elected to the New York State Assembly from Astoria, Queens in 2020 and is now the Mayor-elect of New York City. 

Mind-boggling. 

Ross has written a wonderful column about his relationship with Zohran during the 2017-2018 campaign and afterwards. It is, as he notes, head-snapping to have known someone when he was an anonymous staffer and is now a world-famous, history-making political figure. 

I can only imagine.

But it is amazing to realize that, when I interviewed Ross back in 2017 (twice actually and later on in 2020), he was nurturing a one-in-a-million political talent who would go on not only to make NYC and American history but vanquish a fifty-year old political dynasty. 

And to think, to ponder, to be amazed by the fact that there is a semi-direct link from a post on this 'umble blog covering a mere State Senate race to, less than a decade later, worldwide coverage of a history-in-the-making election ... curious the fates are.

History has its eyes on us. And to prove, yet again, Mr NYC is ahead of his time!

Pauline Collins RIP

I was sad to learn this week that the wonderful British actress Pauline Collins has died at age 85. 

She had a long career in movies, TV, and the stage. Her most notable role was for the play and then the movie Shirley Valentine in the late-1980s. In fact, in 1989 she won the Tony Award for Best Actress and had the honor of being given it by Mr. Steve Martin:

But I first saw Pauline in the early 1970s TV series Upstairs, Downstairs where she played the parlor maid Sarah -- a young and motivated working class woman who refused to accept her station in life. She was so good in the role, her performance so touching and heartbreaking, she etched a memorable, multi-layered character that I remember decades after I first saw it. 

She was great. RIP.

Hizzoner-Elect in His Own Words

This may be one of the best victory speeches I've ever heard, not only in NYC politics, but ever:

 

And since NYC is the greatest city in the world, the ultimate international city, the world took note:

Us Morningside Heights kids gotta goin' on! 

Election Night Live Blog

I didn't get to do this four years ago because life events intervened but here, tonight, marks the return of the Mr NYC Election Night Live Blog.

By the way, this is the highest turnout NYC election since 1969 -- over 2 millions voters turned out. The eyes of the world are on NYC tonight -- the future is made here.

9:03 PM - Polls closed. The memory sticks are being loaded. Let the games begin! 

9:09 PM - Zohran has 51%, Cuomo has 39%, Sliwa at 8%.

9:16 PM - Democrats leading in Comptroller & Public Advocate elections and Borough President elections -- except Staten Island. Same with City Council.

9:24 PM - Zohran is a tiny bit under 50% now with 51% of the vote in -- 8% over Cuomo. Nothing interesting down-ballot.

9:32 PM - Now with 60% of the vote in, nothing's changed percentage-wise. 

9:36 PM - CNN is calling the Mayor's race of Zohran -- but still more votes to count.

9:47 PM - It's official -- Zohran will be the next Mayor of NYC!

The first Muslim elected mayor, that's wild -- and that's what's great about this city and America!

Is it too early to start calling him Mayor Z?

10:01 PM - Zohran is closing in on getting almost 1 million votes. That's crazy. Koch, Giuliani, Bloomberg, De Blasio, and Adams got nowhere near that many. 

SNL Does the Mayor's Debate