March 19th 1979 The New York Post It is a measure of Stephen Stills' understanding of his limitations
that he surrounded himself at the Palladium last night with an
ensemble that virtually carried the show for him. Not that the former member of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young didn't
put in his fair share. His guitar work was more consistently interesting
and exciting than one has come to expect of him. And certainly by mid-set he appeared loosely comfortable twirling
about, stalking the stage running up the aisles with his wireless
guitar. But when Stills wasn't soloing, the focus immediately fell on
keyboard/vocalist Michael Finnigan and singer Bonnie Bramlett.
Their voices added sustenance to the harder, soulful sound Stills
was trying to put across. There was only one low point in the hour and a half set. It came
with the playing of Stills' new single "You Can't Dance Alone".
Somehow it seems to be working out that the artists you can least
imagine having any fun disco dancing are the ones who are least
successful creating disco songs. Such is the case with Stills
and "You Can't Dance Alone". The set included several other new songs, including one written
in response to the recent CBS pop festival in Cuba, in which Stills
was evidently a disillusioned participant. Yet even such familiar numbers as "Love the Once You're With"
and "For What It's Worth" got tough new treatments- again rounded
out by Finnigan and Bramlett. As part of his encore, Stills offered two anti-nuke songs to his
own banjo and 12 string guitar accompaniment. The contrast worked
well, gaining him attention for his message without disrupting
the continuity of the concert. Opening was Irakere, an 11 man Cuban outfit that plays in a Latin
big band style. Their horn work, in particular was excellent, though painfully
over-amplified. Their set, however was too long
Lorraine's concert review of this show
STILLS SHINES WITH FINE SUPPORT
by Ira Mayer
with too many ill-chosen stagey routines.