Neither Staples nor Helm knew that this would be their last performance together—the collection marks one of Helm’s final recordings before his death—and listening back now, a little more than a decade later, tunes like “This May Be The Last Time” and “Farther Along” take on new, bittersweet meaning. The result is an album that’s at once a time capsule and a memorial, a blissful homecoming and a fond farewell, a once-in-a-lifetime concert—and friendship—preserved for the ages. “It never crossed my mind that it might be the last time we’d see each other,” says Staples. “He was so full of life and so happy that week. He was the same old Levon I’d always known, just a beautiful spirit inside and out.”

The pair’s mutual love and admiration is on full display on Carry Me Home, which features a mix of Staples’ and Helm’s bands operating at the peak of their powers as they work their way through an eclectic setlist of tunes made famous by the likes of Nina Simone, The Impressions, Bob Dylan, and The Rolling Stones.

“My dad built The Midnight Rambles to restore his spirit, his voice, and his livelihood,” says Helm’s daughter, Amy, who sang backup vocals with her father and Staples at their performance. “He’d risen back up from all that had laid him down, and to have Mavis come sing and sanctify that stage was the ultimate triumph for him.” Opened to the public in 2004, Levon Helm Studios—which still hosts regular concerts and recording sessions to this day—is a magnificent, rustic space with broad wooden beams and a soaring, vaulted ceiling. Helm and fellow Band-mate Garth Hudson designed the room to be both sonically and socially perfect, an intimate gathering place where musicians and their fans could join in a shared night of musical transcendence.

When it was all over, Staples could hardly believe how quickly the time had flown. She dreaded the thought of leaving Woodstock, of leaving Levon, but duty called her back on the road, and so she ended her week the way it began: with a long embrace.

“We hugged and hugged and hugged,” Staples recalls. “I just held on to him. I didn’t know it’d be the last time, but in my heart and in my mind, Levon will always be with me because I take him everywhere I go. Yes, indeed. I can see him right now. And some sweet day, we’ll be together again.”

Staples and Amy Helm will also be performing together on the album’s release day, May 20th, at Brooklyn Academy of Music and at the Dirt Farmer Festival on May 21 with the Midnight Ramble Band and others. All upcoming dates for both artists are listed below. You can find full details here for Staples, and here for Helm.

Mavis Staples dates:

11/6/22 – Kite Festival – Kidlington
13/6 – Subscription Rooms – Strout
14/6 – Usher Hall – Edinburgh
16/6 – Union Chapel – London
17/6 – Union Chapel – London
19/6 – Isle of Wight Festival – Newport

Amy Helm dates:

11/6/22 – Louisiana – Bristol
13/6 – Subscription Rooms – Stroud
14/6 – Usher Hall – Edinburgh
16/6 – Union Chapel – London
17/6 – Union Chapel – London
20/6 – St. Pancras Old Church – London

Tickets go on sale here on Friday September 21, and you can check out the full list of dates below.

The 9 date tour kicks off in Manchester on December 6, before concluding in Killarney two weeks later. Although there has been no notable news of the new album, Hozier did release the Nina Cried Power EP earlier this month, with the title track featuring a collaboration with Mavis Staples.

Earlier this summer, the elusive singer teased fans with progress of a new record, before embarking on several dates over in America. “Very excited to announce the upcoming tour for later in the year, which will coincide with the releasing of new work,” he said at the time. “The completion of the record is fast approaching and I’m eager to share it with everyone.”

06/12/2018- O2 Apollo- Manchester

07/12- O2 Glasgow- Glasgow

09/12- O2 Birmingham- Birmingham

11/12- Eventim Apollo- London

15/12- Olympia Theatre- Dublin, Ireland

16/12- Olympia Theatre- Dublin, Ireland

17/12- Olympia Theatre- Dublin, Ireland

19/12- Ulster Hall- Belfast

20/12- INEC- Killarney, Ireland