Levon Helm Rambles On

These home concerts can give you a kind of alternative-universe look at what it would have been like if rock & roll had never taken off commercially and its most able performers were simple, everyday people who were more than content to play for a few people at a time. In this universe, there are no agents, no labels, no bookers; there is no curtain of cash separating the musicians from the audience. Helm shows obvious delight as he plays blues and bluegrass and Springsteen covers and doo-wop, and when there is, as often happens, a famous musician in the house, she or he blends into the proceedings with as little fanfare as possible. Dr. John has been there, as well as Donald Fagen, Emmylou Harris, Rickie Lee Jones and former Band organist Garth Hudson.

Toussaint told me that playing at Helm's house party was one of the highlights of the past year: "The whole atmosphere was Levon -- it was just so honest to the bone. Take your shoes off, relax, you're with friends. You can't have stage fright. You can't do anything wrong."

"These shows," Helm says, "every one of them is a celebration. You know, you can take the things you have for granted. But when you lose something, like I lost my voice, and then you get it back . . . well, there's nothing quite like it." But I also must ask him about the practical economics of these home concerts. Clearly, they are peak experiences for the audiences, but does the money work out?

"Right now, it's OK," he says. "Everyone goes home with some pocket money. Enough to buy firewood, anyhow."

"But can you actually make a living like this?" I ask.

"We're going to find out, I guess," he says, laughing.