The music of The Band will be brought to life at Tipitina’s on Saturday, September 6, by members of Levon Helm’s Midnight Ramble Band performing as The Weight.

Guitar player Jim Weider, who was in The Band from 1985 until the group disbanded in early 2000 and has been a member of Helm’s band ever since, said he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to perform the music that has shaped his life in New Orleans.

“We want to carry on the music,” he said. “I’ve spent so much of my whole career with The Band. The music is so powerful, and I grew up with it, and I think it shouldn’t be forgotten. Let’s keep it going. I know Levon would have dug that.”

The Midnight Ramble Band had already been booked for a private event on September 5 when Weider said he was struck with the notion of performing the next night for the general public.

“I haven’t played Tipitina’s since I played with The Band in the late 80s,” Weider said. “I thought, God, we’re there again, why don’t we just fly the rest of the guys down and do a show?”

The Weight piano and harmonica player Brian Mitchell and bass player Byron Isaacs are also in the Midnight Ramble Band, so drummer Randy Ciarlante and accordion and saxaphone player Marty Grebb were the missing keys to the equation.

Once all of the members of The Weight were on board with the Tipitina’s show, Weider said he started looking forward to bringing the music of Helm and The Band back to New Orleans.

“We’re doing all the songs of The Band from Big Pink all the way through Northern Lights – Southern Cross, so we’re covering a bunch of the records,” he said. “We’re going to have like five vocalists and the great Marty Grebb from Bonnie Raitt’s band. Jimmy Vivino from the Conan O’Brien Show is guesting with us, and Papa Mali is going to open up the show.”

Tickets are $35 at the door and can be purchased by clicking here.