Nostalgia At Saratoga: Crosby, Stills and Nash Do It Again
by Tom Greeley, Rutland Daily Herald, June 26, 1977
You can go back—David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash proved that last week with a brilliant edition of their reunion tour at the Saratoga Center for the Performing Arts.
If not for the toll the years have taken on their individual appearances — Crosby’s hairline has receded even further, and he has developed a sizeable paunch, while Stills appears pale and drawn — it might have been 1969 again.
The magic in the band then stemmed from its ability to mesh the extraordinary talents of three disparate and accomplished performers into one product, where a single force didn’t overwhelm the others.
Through the years, the group – including the period when Neil Young provided a fourth integral part – splintered because it couldn’t handle that problem. Monday it was evident the three have it solved.
The harmonies were as tight as ever, with Stills dueling Crosby and Nash without the strain that marked the much-ballyhooed 1974 reunion of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.
“Déjà Vu,” which began the acoustic set, features some of the most intricate three-part vocals performed by any rock performers, and the song falls flat if it isn’t performed precisely.
In 1974 it would have been a mistake for the band to attempt this number. It was performed so tightly Monday that the crowd halted the concert with a prolonged standing ovation. The three shook hands, waved to the people, slapped backs, and the show gained unstoppable momentum.
Crosby, Stills and Nash each gave the audience at least one stirring emotion — or perhaps conjured up an old memory—and all seemed to delight in the experience.
Stills displayed his driving guitar and raspy vocals — almost entirely in tune, a rarity — on the fast-paced encore, “Carry On,” a classic of the 60’s.
Egged on by the crowd, he even highstepped across the stage during his guitar solos, while Crosby and Nash watched with obvious delight.
Crosby has long been one of the revolutionary philosophizers of rock culture, but like his audiences, has mellowed with age.
An unabashed supporter of the Carter administration, Crosby’s revolutionary zeal is a thing of the past. He still delivers with enthusiastic flourish those lyrics that sting the establishment. While it might be 1977, the crowd responded Monday like crowds always have.
It was on its feet and roaring during Crosby’s classic “Long Time Gone,” especially when he admonished the patrons to:
“Speak out,
“Speak out against the man.
“Speak your mind now,
“That is if you still can.”
Nash’s activity in the movement to save the world’s dolphins and whales is the band’s only contemporary political commentary. It was expressed with a movie, accompanied by the band, showing the natural grace of the creatures, a moving and successful interlude to the show.
Nash adds a British flavor to the band, and his work on the keyboards was a highlight Monday. Two of the highest peaks reached during the show were when he cooked through “Military Madness,” the top song from his first solo album, and during the final encore, “Teach Your Children,” one of the most recognized songs of the trio’s history.
If these three performers would ever have to write a resume, it would include some of the top bands of this generation. Crosby and Stills were part of Buffalo Springfield, Nash helped found the Hollies, and Crosby also played with the Byrds.
Add the trio’s own storied tradition together, and it is evident that crowds turn out to see Crosby, Stills and Nash for their past achievements.
Interspersed through yesterday’s memories, however, were impressive cuts Monday from the album the trio has just released, the first original material to be put out by the group in over five years.
Some of the new music, including Stills’s explosive “Dark Star,” Crosby’s acoustic “Shadow Captain,” and Nash’s searing “Cathedral,” rated audience reactions that pushed the voltage meter almost as high as “Wooden Ships” and the other Woodstock-era songs.
That was encouraging, because it portends great things for three talented artists who could live forever on yesterday’s laurels, but obviously don’t have to.
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