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Crosby, Stills & Nash in Austin

Photos by Jaime Butler

Crosby, Stills, and Nash
ACL Moody Theater
Austin, TX
August 18

Crosby. Stills. Nash. Names that make up one of the most well-known trios of the last 40 years. And though CSN may have been minus their Y, Austin City Limits Live at the Moody Theater was still the site of a fantastic concert from a staple of the folk rock community Saturday, August 18.

David Crosby, Stephen Stills, and Graham Nash treated a full house to two sets of their Hall of Fame catalog, each well over an hour of mostly old, some new, and covers from Buffalo Springfield and Bob Dylan cover (“Girl from the North Country”). It was a full night of music and memories, enjoyed by everyone from the front row to the tippy tops of the balcony.

Crosby Stills & Nash play a huge part in many a boomer’s teen years, and most of those people were at the show, not shy about showing their love of the band and dancing along. The three may be 40 years older, but they still hit all the notes and harmonized beautifully, and the crowd helped in those harmonies, singing along to nearly every song. From the nautical “Southern Cross,” the first set closer of “Love the One You’re With,” “Our House,” or the encore closer of “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes,” the band sounded sharp and gave the audience their money’s worth.

It’s interesting to hear a song like “Almost Cut My Hair” now, and though it might have meant something more when it was first written, David Crosby still delivered it with passion. But these songs are far from dated, as are the talents of the band. Stephen Stills brought the crowd to its feet several times with his solos, and the entire band was given a chance to shine, including David’s son James Raymond on keyboard. Local boy Shane Fontayne, a guitarist who has played for Sting and Bruce Springsteen in the past, also received a rousing ovation when introduced.

Two highlights were “Marrakesh Express” from the first set, and hearing Graham Nash give a shout-out to Russian female punk group Pussy Riot before going into “Almost Gone.” “Deja Vu” gave the band a chance to shine with long solos, ending with the hauntingly nostalgic verse of “We have all been here before…”

Yes, many of us had, and just as many look forward to the next time we’re all here again.