Setlist Playlist of the Day: The Band's 22-Song Set in Tokyo 1983

On this day ten years ago, The Band released their staple record, Live in Tokyo - 1983. The two-disc live archive release included live-recorded content from the set The Band played with the Cate Brothers on September 2, 1983, in Tokyo, Japan. Original members Levon Helm, Richard Manuel, Garth Hudson and Rick Danko all graced the 23-track release. The show was in support of The Band is Back tour. Every setlist was a bit different from each other, which makes this particular run special.

To commemorate the iconic record, we dug into the archives and found the September 2, 1983 setlist from which the album was based on. The 22-song setlist highlighted tracks from their first three studio albums, Music from Big Pink, The Band and Stage Fright. They opened up with “Rag Mama Rag,” which was a consistent show opener.

The roots-rock group performed their single “Up on the Cripple Creek,” which was tracklisted in their eponymous second album. Other classics include "The Weight," “The Shape I’m In,” “It Makes No Difference” and “Chest Fever.” There were very little encore performances throughout the duration of the tour, but each setlist was gratuitously stacked.

The Band covering Bob Dylan's "I Shall Be Released" in 1983

Deep cuts also graced each setlist, such as “The W.S. Walcott Medicine Show” and “Voodoo Music." The setlist contained a good amount of covers, with the second track being “Long Black Veil” by Lefty Frizzell. The Band jumped into other notable covers, including performances of Sleepy John Estes’ “Milk Cow Boogie,” Chuck Berry’s “Back to Memphis,” Bob Dylan’s “I Shall Be Released” and Eddy Arnold’s “You Don’t Know Me,” among other gems. The fact that covers dominated the setlist does not take away from other staple hits that were sprinkled in there, too.

The Band performing "The Weight" in 1983


They wrapped up the set with a classic from their 1975 record, Northern Lights – Southern Cross, “Ophelia.”

Check out the full setlist below:

The Band setlist from September 2, 19
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Last updated: 23 Apr 2024, 09:46 Etc/UTC