Hamilton’s Westdale Theatre hosting tribute to music legend Robbie Robertson Feb. 2

One of Canada’s most iconic rock ‘n roll legends and one with deep roots in the Hamilton area will be receiving a proper tribute February 2 when the Hamilton Originals present the Songs of Robbie Robertson and The Band at the Westdale Theatre.

Robertson, whose mother is from the Six Nations on the Grand River, just southwest of Hamilton, achieved stardom with Bob Dylan and then with The Band as a singer, songwriter and guitarist, penning mega hits such as The Weight (1968), The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down (1969) and Up on Cripple Creek (1969) and helping to establish the ‘Americana’ musical genre.

Robertson then embarked on a successful solo career with some of the most poignant songs of the generation, including Somewhere Down the Crazy River (1987) and Broken Arrow (1988).

Robbie Robertson

Robertson, who died August 9, 2023 in Los Angeles after a battle with prostate cancer, was also a prolific film collaborator, producing music for Raging Bull, Wolf of Wall Street, 2023’s Killers of the Flower Moon, as well as the documentary on The Band, 1978’s The Last Waltz, among many others.

He is a member of the Rock and Roll Music Hall of Fame with The Band and a member of the Canadian Music Hall of Fame with The Band and as a solo artist. Robertson, who was born in Toronto in 1943, is also a member of the Canada’s Walk of Fame and the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Donations received at his funeral were directed to his mother’s First Nation.

The Hamilton Originals features singer-songwriter Jacob Moon, who has performed for and with Rush, Gordon Lightfoot and Ron Sexsmith and achieved a level of fame with his 2009 YouTube version of the Rush hit Subdivision. He performed the song at Rush’s induction into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame ceremony in 2010.

Other members of the Hamilton Originals – all noted musicians from the area – include Chris Chambers, Sean O’Grady, Selena Evangeline and Rich Roxborough.

The show will be from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. on February 2 at the Westdale Theatre, an icon in its own right in the Westdale neighbourhood since 1935.