Crosby, Stills and Nash at Central Park Summerstage
It was a magical evening the other night (July 29, 2008) at Rumsey Playfield in Central Park for Crosby, Stills and Nash live at Central Park Summerstage. Not only was it a magical evening, it was an extremely warm and humid evening! Even Graham Nash and Stephen Stills made remarks about how warm it was (Nash asked if it gets this warm often in New York City and Stills commented that it felt like an evening in New Orleans).
What was magical for me was how great these guys sound. If you think about their ages (Crosby will be 67 in a few weeks, Stills is 63 and Nash is 66), the types of lifestyles they have led and the health issues that Crosby and Stills have had to deal with, it is remarkable they are still going...and going so strong. There seems to be no slowing down these guys - and that’s good! Despite the uncomfortable evening, CSN delivered the goods to an absolutely jam packed Rumsey Playfield - I’d even say it was over crowded. Their voices sounded so great, it was easy to forget these guys got together over forty years ago. Only a few times did I hear signs of age. It’s obvious that Stephen Stills’ voice is the one effected the most by the passing of time (and other things!), but he still makes it happen with his rugged, rasp. As for his guitar playing, Stills has few equals. A CSN concert would not be complete without commentary on the world we live in - specifically the war, President Bush, etc. - but, their views did not dominate the proceedings, they only complimented them. Their band, which featured longtime drummer Joe Vitale and David Crosby’s son, James Raymond, on keyboards, was terrific (by the way, James Raymond is the “R” in the band CPR; David Crosby is the “C”!).
The only thing that frustrated me was my inability to relax and focus on the performances. The crowd, which was packed tightly, too tightly if you ask me, seemed like they were there for a social gathering and not a Crosby, Stills and Nash show. That’s the vibe I got from milling around the outer perimeter of the crowd. Unless you got down to Central Park early in the afternoon to wait in line to get a good spot in front of the stage, you were forced to deal with the many folks on the outer parts of the field who were there to socialize with CSN providing background music. The constant crowd noise drowned out the between song banter and took away from the show’s quieter moments.
Here is the set list:
“Marrakesh Express” (Crosby, Stills & Nash, 1969)
“Southern Cross” (Daylight Again, 1982)
“Long Time Gone” (Crosby, Stills & Nash, 1969)
I think the next song was the Stephen Stills Manassas song “Isn’t It About Time” (Down The Road, 1973)
“Military Madness” (Graham Nash song from Songs For Beginners, 1971)
not sure about this one, but I think it was called “A Small Prayer”
“Lay Me Down” (Crosby Nash song from Crosby Nash, 2004)
“Cathedral” (CSN, 1977)
“Deja Vu” (Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Deja Vu, 1970)
“Love The One You’re With” (Stephen Stills song from Stephen Stills, 1970)
INTERMISSION
“You Don’t Have To Cry” (Crosby, Stills & Nash, 1969)
“Helplessly Hoping” (Crosby, Stills & Nash, 1969)
“This Is My Country”
“Our House” (Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Deja Vu, 1970)
“Guinnevere” (Crosby, Stills & Nash, 1969)
“Wasted On The Way” (Daylight Again, 1982)
“Wounded World” (Stephen Stills song from Man Alive!, 2005)
“Almost Cut My Hair” (Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Deja Vu, 1970)
“Wooden Ships” (Crosby, Stills & Nash, 1969)
ENCORE
“For What It’s Worth” (Buffalo Springfield song from Buffalo Springfield, 1966)
“Teach Your Children” (Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Deja Vu, 1970)
This tour will continue for another week and a half, ending on August 9. Then starting in late September, (David) Crosby (and Graham) Nash will embark on a fall tour, bringing them through this area for shows at the Shea Center for the Performing Arts in Wayne, New Jersey October 11, the Capital One Bank Theatre at Westbury October 14 and the Performing Arts Center at Purchase College in Purchase, New York October 16. Plus, there will be shows in New Brunswick, New Jersey, Torrington, Connecticut and Westhampton Beach, New York. The new Neil Young film “CSNY / Deja Vu” is out there and will probably be on DVD real soon. Already out is the companion live album CSNY / Deja Vu Live. The film and album document Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young’s “Freedom Of Speech” tour which was a vehicle to promote Neil Young’s politically fueled album Living With War.
