NME August 3rd, 1974 "Crosby Stills Nash Young and a Stadium Fulla People and (This contribution to suitelorraine.com is from CSNY UK connoisseur
Paul Higham.) (This article in many respects sounds like what many of us were
lucky enough to witness on the 2000 tour. ***** TIME DOES indeed fade away. Four years and lots of solo albums
later 52,000 fans are sitting in the Milwaukee baseball stadium
on a Sunday afternoon, the sun playing hide and seek and the dark
clouds ominously threatening rain. The Beach Boys are finishing
up their all-American set as the crowd gives half an ear to the
californian sounds, nervously awaiting THE comeback tour of the
year. In just a few minutes Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young will
be onstage answering the musical question of 1974. ‘Can they still
rock ‘n roll? between the tunes we wanted to do and the songs the audience would
want to hear and trying to balance Stills said later, "is the new arrangement of ‘Pre-Road Downs’.
It’s like a different song – so hot, it When its' over, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young – the guys who
aren’t supposed to get along –
Neil Young's Dog and No Fist Fights"
by Barbara Charone
The more things change... the more they truly do stay the same.
- Lorraine.)
Backstage the boys in the band look more like expectant fathers
nervously pacing the waiting room than rock musicians – as if
any minute the nurse will tap one of them on the shoulder and
say. "Mr. Stills? You’re the proud father of a baby boy.’ Yes
kids, even superstars get n-n-nervous. "Round about now I start
getting butterflies," Stephen admits, looking healthy in the ever-present
football jersey, smoking Marlboros and drinking beer.
Graham Nash, looking dangerously thin, quietly paces the backstage
area. "This is no good he says to one of the aides. "We can’t
get to the gigs two hours before we go on. I can’t take all this
hanging out; it makes me crazy. I want to come to the gig and
play."
California Marijuana Institute says David Crosby’s white T-shirt,
his floppy moustache forming a lopsided grin as he sits in a caravan
busily tuning acoustic guitars to "Deja Vu". Outside the caravan,
lookinguncannily like those pictures on the Buffalo Springfield
covers, a short-haired Neil Young cruises round the campground
in a nifty dune-buggy, passing time.
So where’s, all the signs of personal squabbles? Fans cross their
fingers in hopes that our temperamental’
warriors will emerge unscarred from this reunion tour. Yet the
backstage atmosphere is calm and friendly
if a trifle apprehensive. The rhythm section looks ready to boogie:
bassist Tim Drummond beating out
rhythms on the caravan door and drummer Russ Kunkel hitting table
tops, while a familiar-looking gent
stands to his right wearing a T-shirt that proclaims ‘I’m the
conga player’. "Hell," says Stills, pointing to
Manassas-crony Joe Lala, "I couldn’t leave the Sicilian at home."
When asked how the CSN&Y tour
was going, the Atlantic Records man laughed and said, "Just great.
David talks less, Stephen lays back
more and Neil’s outfront." So c’mon Stephen, when do the fist-fights
start? When do the rumours begin?
"Listen," Stills says emphatically, "we’re having a great time.
A Great Time. And all of us are handling it
as best we can." A huge grin breaks across his face. "It’s hard
but we’re all OK. Really. The biggest
problems, in fact, have been technical – getting the stages built."
So is this reunion permanent or just a quick jaunt around the
country to pick up on extra bucks?
"Don’t hold your breath," Stills says – only to add "I really
think everybody’s grown past all that.
We haven’t had a serious disagreement. Besides it’s too much fun
not to make it work. We’ve all grown up. We’re all better players
now.
We got back together," he pauses. "Well, it was financially worthwhile
– and we were enjoying everybody’s company too much not to do
it." What about these huge outdoor arenas destroying any chances
for intimacy? "Well it’s a flash when you drive off the freeway
round the corner and see an entire baseball stadium jam-packed
full of people and you know they’re all waiting to see you. The
newness of this situation is beginning to wear off and, we’re
learning how to reach all these people.
"Before the tour we rehearsed every day for a solid month. It
was great fun, cause we’d get up every day
about 11 and go swimming. Neil built a soundstage outdoors so
we just rehearsed going back and forth
the two out. I mean the first show was four hours," he cracks
a toothy grin, "so that’s what happened.
We just ran out of room to do all the songs. But everyone is very
realistic about the songs we do, whatever we play best together."
AS STILLS talks, threatening winds send paper cups and cigarette
packs flying, while out front 52,000
fans grow over anxious. "Please dear God," he implores, excusing
himself to get ready for the show,
"don’t let it rain." Back to the waiting room atmosphere where
tour co-ordinators finally signal time.
The crowd goes crazy as the band kick off with "Love The One You’re
With" – Neil on organ, CS&N
on guitars, the rhythm section pumping everything outwards. The
booming PA reaches a perfect balance
as cheers greet the gruff Stills vocal.
It’s the first of 31 songs they do in little over three hours,
outdoing even past CSN&Y performances.
Time between has greatly increased the in-concert capabilities
of the band. What were once chaotic,
muddled jams, are now perfectly audible, shit-kicking guitar duels.
"Hello Milwaukee," Crosby bellows to the enthusiastic crowd as
they launch into ‘Wooden Ships’,
Stephen and David playing right to each other, contorting their
faces as Crosby supplies the vocal
passion and Stills the guitar licks. At the instrumental break
CS&N form a circle, Crosby and Nash
furiously supplying rhythm guitar, Stills playing those delicate
leads straight off the first album.
The rhythm section adds a new fullness to the sound and it’s just
about the best thing anyone’s
heard in ages. Stills supplies a football finish with a victorious
leap in the air.
Without hesitation it’s "Immigration Man", Neil switching from
organ to full-bodied electric guitar,
earning cheers from the crowd. Someone throws Stills a football
jersey. A slowed down, funked-up
"Cowgirl In The Sand" impresses everyone as Young tosses in immaculate
lead guitar work. Stills
follows with a steaming solo, and these guys haven’t traded punches
with anyone this good since
the last time they played together. Carrie Snodgrass’ parents,
up from a Chicago suburb, watch
the show glued to Neil’s side of the stage, sipping beers and
grinning proud in-law grins.
A hard edged "Black Queen" convinces everyone that this reunion
is a much improved CSN&Y.
Crosby’s amp busts, leaving Stills and Young to battle it out,
while every so often Nash strums
his guitar looking like he’s having difficulty with the chord
changes (was that an E?).
The first electric set ends with a hellfire-and-damnation version
of "Ohio".
The crowd-pleasing acoustic set follows as a store full of acoustic
guitars encase the players,
sitting on those familiar wooden stools. And throughout the concert
a strong sense of deja vu
permeates the songs. "On The Way Home" kicks the set off, then
it’s straight into the stone-cold
classic "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" earning huge cheers when Stills
hits the high vibrato. It’s a bit rough
but the audience loves its clapping in unison to the finale do-do-do’s.
In a stunning rendition of
"Helplessly Hoping", Crosby’ Stills, Nash and Young sing "they
are one person, they are two alone,
they are three together, they are for each other". "It’s great
to see you back together" fans yell as
their heroes grin sighs of relief. Young’s "Only Love Can Break
Your Heart" is especially good.
Stills contributes delicate piano fills-while Neil gives off a
strong vocal, coming together with Crosby
and Nash for an acapella finish.
Crosby starts up "Guinevere" while an airplane circles overhead
carrying a banner that reads
‘Stay High and Have a Good Time’, driving Crosby and Nash into
hysterics. "Prison Song" is the
obvious follow-up. "Did you see that sign," David says backstage,
busy looking for some smoke,
as if it’s an OK from God.
Young says, "I’d like to do a song I wrote about my car. It’s
for all the cars in the parking lot today."
"Long May You Run" follows, then CS&;N leave Young alone to do
"Need and the Damage Done".
"I sing the new songs better than the old," Neil tells us and
then sings in another newie "I’m not the same,
man I used to be". During "Change Partners" the sun comes out
and everyone cheers. This song, like Nash’s"Military Madness"
and Young’s "Don’t Be Denied", is made better with help from their
friends. Stills’ moment of truth comes with "Word Games". Crosby
and Nash stand to the side of the stage screaming words of encouragement
like "Go get ‘em Stephen." Crosby is elated that the acoustic
set has reached a stadium full of people. "Did you see that man,"
he’s saying to Elliot Roberts, it worked! They’ll calm down if
you play acoustic long enough." Meanwhile Stills is having an
easy time of it, fingers flying over newly discovered notes while
Neil backstage is the picture of a domestic family man, playing
with son Zeke.
THE LAST third of the marathon show is again electric, featuring
some new compositions by Stills and
Young. A revamped "Deja Vu" earns all the applause as it starts
slowly, building towards a spellbinding
finish. Stephen lays down a melodic solo; although his personality
is more laid back his musical presence
is even more prominent. Young’s piano break is followed by a jazzy
3/4 tempo change.
A new Stills number "My New Angel" follows, constructed around
an archetypal Manassas rhythm.
With Neil Young on organ and Stills on electric piano, the two
have an incredible keyboard duel while
Graham and David play electric guitars and bop around the stage.
Old standards like "Long Time Gone" keep the electricity buzzing.
Crosby and Nash get all passionate
singing "Long Time Gone" while Stills contributes some funky wah-wah
piano. "Pre-Road Downs"
finds the four of them standing in a circle playing hell out of
their guitars. "One of the things we play best,"
never fails." "Revolution Blues" from Young’s new album is infinitely
better than the recorded version
‘while "Carry On" closes the show, bringing everyone to a wild
frenzy. The applause is, how you say,
deafening. "Chicago’ is the encore but the boys are called back
again. By now they’ve been going
strong for some three and a half hours and they finally end with
Neil’s new "Walk On".
stand stage centre arms around each other like days of old, grinning
broadly. There were no onstage
fist fights, no backstage brawls. All four individuals haven’t
looked so happy onstage in years –
but more importantly, haven’t played so, well in too long a time.
The magic is still in the music and it’s
never sounded better.
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