CSN: This time it's for real

Author: Barbara Charone
Journal: Sound
Date: July 1977

After all the abortive reunion efforts, Crosby, Stills and Nash have finally delivered the goods. Neil Young was really never part of the group anyway. Too many egos spoil the delicacies. While the '74 comeback tour was driven by a rather pathetic search for the big American buck, this '77 jaunt is for real.

I arrived at the Garden full of speculation and doubt. I wanted to like the show for there is nothing worse than seeing former heroes reduced to nostalgic memories, mere shadows of what once was great. But luckily this revitalized CS&N were different right from the very start. Integrity is back. And it never felt so good.

For starters, the sold out crowd provided a pleasant contrast to the violent Zeppelin audience that had filled the Garden a week earlier. Firecrackers and smoke bombs were replaced by marijuana and a communal sense of togetherness. I know damn well that sounds rather trite and I was ready to puke at the Woodstock vibes this trio have always projected. But this time the feelings are genuine. Die hard cynics would be hard put not to be positively affected by the excellent sounds.

Although a large portion of the show revolves around their illustrious history, their newer numbers are most impressive. They presented a well balanced cross section of each individual's musical preference and a peaceful fusion.

Opening with a rousing 'Pre-Road Downs' it was obvious they were in the finest of voices. Backed by the best rhythm section CS&N have ever toured with, drummer Joe Vitale and bassist George 'Chocolate' Perry made every number rhythmically better. Keyboard player Craig Doerge rounded out the sound superbly.

The second number was 'Love The One You're With' and indeed the general audience reaction seemed to be one of collective shock., they were actually hitting the right notes. Continuously Stills is the biggest change in the band, now playing the definitive guitar hero, supplying musical phrases and adding that necessary earthiness to Crosby and Nash's sweet sound.

Sounds like 'Along the Lee Shore' and 'I Used To Be A King' were more full bodied, by passionately by Stills and the admirable rhythm section. Shallower material now has more substance and guts. Their current single, the mild-mannered 'Just A Song Before I Go', was given an impressive onstage airing, pleasant but unexceptional.

The first really excellent song was the new 'Shadow Captain', where the vocals were truly incredible. The highlight of the first set and perhaps the whole show was Stills' 'Turn Back The Pages' where he exhibited a powerful guitar finesse that was most impressive. 'Who remembers names, who remembers faces,' Stills spat out, but it was obvious the audience remembered it all. Most positively, they seemed to enjoy the show for today rather than a misplaced sense of yesterday. The song earned Stills a standing ovation.

They closed the first set appropriately with 'Long Time Gone'. Woodstock lives but this was definitely the seventies, even though Crosby got a bit too carried away with a passionate vocal more concerned with screaming than singing.

The second set began divinely with an acoustic 'Suite: Judy Blue Eyes'. Although Stills sang perfectly, 'don't let the past remind us of what we are not now,' this new CS& N seemed the best yet. It was certainly the best I'd seen them since their initial rise to prominence. Stills acoustic guitar playing was brilliant and the audience thrilled when the trio hit most notes perfectly on key.

One standing ovation followed another. 'You Don't Have To Cry' contained all the gentle sensitivity of the original recorded version. There followed a Nash/Crosby rendition of 'Guinevere' which was beautiful as Nash contributed ever-perfect vocals and Crosby played guitar. The biggest audience response of the evening came with 'Our House' where the entire SRO 20,000 strong crowd belted out the verses to the tune much like old Faces audiences used to sing 'Maggie May'. It seemed more than appropriate when the full house sang 'with two cats in the yard, life used to be so hard, now everything is easy 'cause of you'. With disillusionment running rampant in the seventies, it felt great to be reminded that sometimes an old hero will never let you down. There followed a superb new Nash song 'Cathedral', written when Nash visited Winchester Cathedral while under the influence of acid. Beginning slowly with Nash on piano, the song breaks tempo and takes off like a bitch while the three of them literally sing the shit out of the song. Totally overwhelming. Next up was the Stills solo spot beginning with an old Springfield tune 'Four Days Gone' where Stephen played piano backed by Perry and Vitale. Then Stills sat stage centre on acoustic delivering his infamous rousing medley of 'Crossroads' and 'You Can't Catch Me' owing more to Robert Johnson than Cream or the Rolling Stones. 'Helplessly Hoping' was next up, again the vocal sound even in the cavernous Madison Square Garden, was superb. 'Carry Me' featured the trio on able bodied acoustic guitars while 'Blackbird' was vocal euphoria. The mysterious backdrop projection slide screen was finally put to use for 'Wind On The Water' as whales and assorted fish plunged the deep while CS&N sang the song perfectly. Stills added musical substance that was sometimes lacking when C&N toured as a duo although there is no denying the potency of this song. The audience wholeheartedly agreed.

'Dark Star', the b-side of the new single was next, driven by a lilting Stills guitar riff where his electric actually seemed to speak. 'Deja Vu' was the most disappointing song of the evening, inferior to the recorded version although visually it looked amazing when the acapella vocal part was hit by one big white spot on the trio.

Even better was a rhythmical 'Military Madness', always a good live number, made exquisite by this new line-up. Stills and Nash faced each other armed with electric guitars for the beginning assault. Fag in mouth, eyes closed, Stills finally lived up to his guitar star reputation, now more truth than fiction. Nash again excelled vocally.

Predictably they finished with 'Carry On', again Stephen excelled on guitar, Nash on heavenly high harmonies. Needless to say, the applause was rapturous complete with burning candles and matches of admiration. What a pleasant contrast to the frightening Garden which only a week before held the Zeppelin crowd.

Greeted by tumultuous applause, they returned for 'Wooden Ships', again in fine vocal and musical form. They deserved a second encore and received one, giving the audience 'Teach Your Children' where they sang as loud as the band. Even after 2½ hours the audience still refused to go home.

This successful Crosby, Stills and Nash reunion had been a long time coming. And it will be a long time gone.