Rory Gallagher Turned Down An Appearance At The Last Waltz

New Music | 6th Apr, 2023

Rory Gallagher is regarded as one of the greatest guitarists of all time. A champion of the blues, Gallaghers dazzling showmanship captivated his audience since the 1960's.

Respected by his fellow guitar players, Gallagher was the master of self sabotage, shunning every commercial opportunity that came his way.

Rory Gallagher (Old Grey Whistle Test 1973)

Invite To The Last Waltz

1978s The Last Waltz concert was one of the many chances Gallagher had to reach a wider audience with his music.

Unfortunately it never happened.

Directed by Martin Scorses and advertised as The Band's "farewell concert appearance", The Last Waltz features The Band joined by more than a dozen special guests, including Ronnie Hawkins and Bob Dylan, as well as Paul Butterfield, Bobby Charles, Eric Clapton, Neil Diamond, Emmylou Harris, Dr. John, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, Ringo Starr, Muddy Waters, Ronnie Wood, and Neil Young.

The Last Waltz has been listed among the greatest concert films of all time, still being viewed by a new generation of music fans.

Gallagher At The Last Waltz

According to bassist Gerry McAvoy, Bill Graham, who was the promoter of the event, asked Rory to join the line-up, as both Scorses, a blues fanatic, and Robbie Robertson (The Band) were fans of the Irish guitarist.

Rory Gallaghers Self-Sabotage

Gallaghers career is filled with missed opportunity. Devoted to the blues, Rory shunned the limelight and while he could out play most guitar players he lacked the ego that his fellow guitarists such as Hendrix and Clapton had in abundance.

An appearance on The Last Waltz would have seen Gallagher share the stage with some of the biggest names in music and widened his audience.

Gallagher turned down the invitation to appear, despite pleas from bass player Gerry McAvoy. Rory had two shows booked in Portland and Seattle and refused to cancel either.

What would an appearance in The Last Waltz have done for him - Gerry McAvoy (Riding Shotgun)

Unfortunately we can only imagine what a performance from Gallagher would have been like. The music on the night was a mixture of slow paced and mid paced songs with the exception of Further Down The Road, featuring Clapton with The Band.

Avoiding the limelight Gallagher could have performed an acoustic set which would have sit nicely with the other performances on the night.

However, if Gallagher was to perform in 5th Gear there would be no other performer in the line-up that would come close to the energy of Rory Gallagher The Performer.

- New Music -