There's no easy way to explain this: A band -- made up of former members of The Band -- is coming to Dallas

The Weight is the name of a song by The Band, but it's also the name of a band, made up from former The Band band members, which is playing the Kessler on Nov. 6. Oh, good grief. Take a breath. Let's start again from scratch.

If you've listened to FM radio during the last half century, we're betting you've heard a song called "The Weight." You might not know it by name, but you probably recognize the opening line:

Pulled into Nazareth / was feelin' 'bout half past dead

Lyrically, the song is filled with unusual characters, biblical allusions and surrealist imagery. No, we don't know who "Fanny" is. We're unsure why Crazy Chester needs someone to take his dog. Does the Devil go downtown with Carmen? No idea.

What we can tell you is that "The Weight" is a folk rock song released in 1968. It was featured in the hippie motorcyclist film Easy Rider, and it's been covered by, like, every musician ever from The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and the Allman Brothers to Diana Ross and the Supremes. It's an american standard.

Writing credits originally went to acoustic guitarist Robbie Robertson, but over the years there was dispute over credits for most of The Band's songs, with lead singer Levon Helm claiming it was a collaborative effort. But, like most long-surviving musical partnerships, "The Band" meant a lot of different things to different people. Over three decades, the lineup consisted of a dozen musicians, including a brief stint with Nobel Prize winner Bob Dylan, providing guitar and vocals from 1965-67. Band members came and went, lived and died, and made beautiful music both as a unit and through solo efforts and side projects.

The Weight, the band, is sort of a The Band tribute band.

It's true that The Weight plays mostly songs originally recorded by The Band. It's also true that its lineup contains former Band members, as well as members who were connected to The Band's founders through their solo projects. But, it isn't pure fandom that drives its tribute.

Take guitarist Jim Weider and drummer Randy Ciarlante for example. Neither were original members of The Band, and neither was around when "The Weight" was written and released in the early '60s. Weider replaced Robertson as lead guitarist in 1985, lending his songwriting talents to three studio records. Ciarlante arrived in 1990, and also played with Levon Helm's Midnight Ramble Band. Both toured and recorded with The Band through 2000. Brian Mitchell, Marty Grebb and Albert Rogers round out The Weight's five-piece outfit, each having collaborated with original members of The Band, as well as a long and impressive list of music legends. Together, as "The Weight," they not only play tunes made famous by The Band, but consider their work an artistic interpretation.

It poses a fascinating question: Where and when does a band -- any band -- begin and end?

Is Paul McCartney merely a Beatle with Wings? Will Noel and Liam Gallagher celebrate Christmas with their Mam this year? Did Syd Barrett ever dial up Roger Waters, only to slam down the receiver on the first ring?

We've fallen too far done the band bust-up rabbit hole. When The Weight takes the stage at the Kessler, you will hear hits from The Band's extensive catalog like "Rag Mama Rag," "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down," and -- you guessed it -- "The Weight."