Crosby, Stills, Nash outdo a storm

by Martin Moynihan, The Knickerbocker News, June 21, 1977

Old things, new things, wet things, blues things, electric things, acoustic things, late things and good things. Crosby, Stills and Nash were back together and playing at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center.

David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash, who have appeared in different combinations over the years, have a distinctive sound that’s a product of Stills’ rather hoarse voice, Crosby’s deeper voice often tinged with anger and Nash’s tenor.

They also provide a pleasant diversity in their music, blending ballads with acoustic instrumental accompaniment and solid rock, sometimes driving and sometimes lilting.

Add a bit of blues, close rapport with an adoring audience, solid backup and a lot of performing (they played for nearly three hours with one intermission and no warm-up band), and that was CSN at Saratoga.

Some 18,000 persons braved thunderstorms and traffic jams to pack the amphitheater, stand huddled under the protection of the roof or brave the elements on the lawn to hear the concert. There were a lot of latecomers, with traffic still backed up on Route 9, trying to get into the entrance at the Hall of Springs side of the complex, when the 7 p.m. concert started. The storm and downed trees hampered traffic flow, according to security personnel, and the sale of lawn tickets still appeared brisk at intermission.

Despite a couple of examples of missed timing in the early stages of the concert, Stills and Crosby and Nash seemed to work well together on stage, and worked well separately. It was actually, and typically, a concert of three individuals doing solos, duets and trios.

The concert was heavy on the popular material recorded by Crosby and Nash and/or Stills and/or Neil Young, along with a mix of songs recorded by other groups and from the new Album “CSN.”

Highlights of the show would include “Wind on the Water,” a song Crosby and Nash performed at SPAC last season with lyrics and a film protesting the killing of whales, “Deja Vu,” with vocals by Crosby and Nash and a driving instrumental section led by Stills’ guitar, the anti-war “Military Madness” that Nash managed to make sound rollicking and upbeat, and a crowd-pleasing conclusion of “Carry On,” “Wooden Ships” and “Teach Your Children Well.”

Touring with the three, and doing just an excellent job, are Craig Doerge, keyboards, George Perry, bass, and Joe Vitale, drums and flute.

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