CSNY on saturday

[Dr_Evil_Mouse]

Sounds like a great show, and wow, too bad about the peckerheads; at least security did what they're job is supposed to be, instead of hastling pot smokers (I dunno, maybe they were doing that too). I wonder if all their talking was to prevent any criticism from the stage of King Frat Boy from entering their ears.

[Big Wooly Mammoth]

I actually got beat up at a CSN show at Kingswood in 1989 for standing. After screaming "sit the fuck down" for 10 minutes some bozo two rows behind me decided taht he'd force me down. When I turned around my head was met with a barrage of punches from 3-4 people. Security broke it up and gave us 1st row centre seats - but it was hard to enjoythe show with a pounding head ands sitting with a ripped shirt.

okay - back to last night....

The show started at 8:05 and ended at about 11:20 with a 20-30 minute set break.

Before our house Nash says that he met Joni Mitchell for the first time in 1967 at the Chateau Laurier hotel and dedicated the song to her.

Then, before only love can break your heart Neil says that the song is about what happened 3 months later when the romance ended. He was teasing Nash who he kept referring to as Willy. (and a quick google search tells me why - Graham William Nash, nicknamed Willie by his bandmates).

Star Spangled Banner was played with nobody on stage with much smoke being pumped out while they set up the giant mic stand and yellow ribbon as was used during Neil’s 1991 tour Crazy Horse tour. And I swear that I saw Jan and Django on stage for a moment, but when I looked back they were gone.

For lets impeach the president the words were scrolled on the screen. The lyrics are quite powerful, and surreally true unfortunately.

The Living with War songs were well done with the CSN. The setlist from beginning to end was quite the political statement, and I think the order worked quite well.

My only complaint - I could have easily listened to another hour or two of music from these guys. There are just so many good songs in their repertoire, some good ones are bound to be missed. But that’s probably more of a compliment than a complaint. (And I was wiped out when I got there after a day suffering from pretty bad allergies and having taken an antihistamine which knocks me out.)

Our seats were great - 28th row floor middle section. We were the last row before the soundboard so there was nobody behind us to complain about us standing. (I got beat up for standing at a CSN show in 1989 at Kingswood, so I’m always a bit fearful when standing at their shows.) The sound was quite good - could hear the acoustic numbers and the rocking tunes just as well - all crisp - nothing muddy.

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[phorbesie]

very good and accurate review meggo...hehe we won't forget that one

DEM i did reflect last night how in fact security guards are not all bad, despite how we usually rag on them...in a situation like last night, it was very nice to have them step in so quickly and dispatch of those idiots trying to ruin our concert.

i really enjoyed the show as well. i was bummed to miss part of guinevere and carry me (which is just the most beautiful song ever) but other than that and above-mentioned crap it was a great show. crosby and nash still sing beautifully, but were pretty stationary on stage...looking a little aged. however, neil was jumping and stomping around rocking out and stephen was too. many times the two of them faced off and rocked out together on their guitars. it was great.

the whole theme of the show was war and peace. from the backdrops (there were mexican, US and canadian flags, peace sign, broken peace sign, missiles, soldier helmet periodically as backdrops) to all the tunes played, it was definitely completely a message concert...the new tunes as well as the old.

at one point they brought an enormous microphone onto the stage, and a family came out and tied yellow ribbons to it, and bowed their heads in silence/prayer. then the words to the song 'impeach the president' were up on the screens for everyone to sing along. meanwhile videos of bush and a collage of pictures of americans killed in iraq filled the big screen, with a running tally of the dead at the bottom. that song was definitely a highlight of the show.

other highlights for me were:

immigration man

helplessly hoping

teach your children (and pretty much everything that followed that!)

southern cross (my always hoped for song)

find the cost of freedom

keep on rockin in the free world (this was awesome and long, and the crowd was totally psyched and singing along)

woodstock encore

the second set rocked!

good times.

big thanks to meggo for driving us and to a great crew to go to the show with!

followed by a rockin john henrys set at irene's and lots of great people there to hang out with afterwards. yeah!