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Crosby, Stills & Nash
CS&N make nostalgia sound fresh at the Palace

By Jeffrey Lee Puckett © The Courier-Journal
Reviewed May 14, 1997

Since we're bearing down on the 30th anniversary of the Summer of Love, it's perfect timing for Crosby, Stills & Nash to once again be making the rounds, turning on both the original counter-culture survivors and the hippy-come-latelys.

CS&N's current tour, which stopped last night at the Palace Theatre, is an apt reflection of the crowd it draws. David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash played a bunch of very old songs with the enthusiasm of very young men.

The set list was familiar to even casual CS&N fans: "Marrakesh Express," "Carry On," "Wooden Ships," "Southern Cross," "4 + 20," "Dark Star" and "49 Bye-Byes," to name a few. There were also several songs from either solo or duo CS&N projects, including "Immigration Man," "For What It's Worth" and "Love the One You're With."

What wasn't familiar were the new, rocked-out arrangements given most songs. Stills filled nearly every song with growling, bluesy solos, and the band's rhythm section -- especially bassist and native Louisvillian Gerald Johnson -- laid down a very funky bottom end. Wisely, CS&N kept the heart of the songs true, taking care of everyone's nostalgia jones while making it feel fresh in the process.

They also proved themselves to be utter pros at pacing a show, starting out heavily electric before slowing things down to showcase their harmonies, which were best heard on the Beatles' "In My Life." They then regained momentum, ending with an impressive final 15 minutes.

A loud version of "For What It's Worth," from Stills' Buffalo Springfield days, closed the show on an up note and set up the first encore, "Southern Cross," which got the stragglers out of their seats. But it was the second encore that proved CS&N aren't just in it for the money; "Carry On" was genuinely exciting and easily the show's highlight.

There were some lowlights, too. Several new songs just didn't have the spark, although Nash claimed they have around 45 written for a new album. Let's hope that "No Tears Left" and "Half Your Angels" aren't the two best. Stills' "No Tears Left" sounded like an outtake from one of those weak-kneed Eric Clapton records from the 1980s, and Nash's "Angels," about the Oklahoma, City bombing, was predictably maudlin.



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