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Posted on 08/11/2004 7:39:02 PM PDT by Dr. Scarpetta
A summer night of love for protest songs of the Sixties
They came from the 1960s. Most were in their sixties.
But the crowd listening to Crosby, Stills & Nash in Bethlehem, PA did cross generations, and even the youngsters were singing the tunes that gave a bittersweet taste to those years seemingly long ago.
The band, however, brought them to the stage at MusikFest's RiverPlace Tuesday night.
With a vengeance.
They opened with "Carry On," and on a sour note to boot. Oh lordy, if this was the sound they were going to offer all night long, this was also a good time for them to retire for good.
But they pulled themselves together and, despite their old men bellies -- at least on Stills and Crosby -- and despite more gravel in their throats than they had when they mesmerized the megacrowds at Woodstock in 1969, these guys hadn't lost it.
And they were, after all, playing to an adoring group of fans. Many wore CSN and CSNY T-shirts, for Crosby, Stills & and Nash, with the Y bringing up the rear with Neil Young.
Nash did most of the singing Tuesday night, but Stills and Crosby were no slouches when it came to mixing it up with a pile-on style of harmonies. It was difficult to understand how such musicianship was possible outside of a studio setting.
And Steven Stills must have done a lot of practicing in the last 35 years to be able to whale away on his guitar the way he did. No, make that at least four guitars that he used in just the first set of songs.
The "Carry-on" opener, which most folks the age of these guys would recognize immediately oozed right in to "Questions."
Both songs had more of an edge to them than when originally brought out by the group. In fact, the sweet folksiness CSN was known for had a pounding rock beat that was occasionally distracting. Good stuff, but not what it had been.
Their third song was a new one -- "MILITARY MADNESS." It was a protest song, as many of their songs were. This one stung.
IT RAILED AGAINST THE WAR IN IRAQ and its chorus went like this:
"MILITARY MADNESS IS KILLING MY COUNTRY. /Solitary sadness creeps over me."
The last chorus ended in a mantra of "NO MORE WAR! NO MORE WAR! NO MORE WAR!" ever louder; ever harsher.
You can easily tell the politics of Crosby, Stills, & Nash. Just go to their official Web site. At the bottom is a banner urging visitors to "VOTE FOR KERRY."
Crosby was the clown of the bunch. He looked out over the extensive crowd and wondered aloud, "Boy that goes back a long way. That's OK, we go back a long way, too."
Crosby sang a solo bashing Enron and corporate executives who steal from the little guy and get away with it.
"Ain't no different than taking your money with a gun," he sang.
Later he said, "In my time, I think I've (angered) every group of people in the U.S. Government, except one. Being the fair and even-handed guy I am, I thought I'd sing one for the CIA."
And he did.
They ended the first set with Steven Stills' "Love the One You're With," and drew the audience into the chorus.
It was a love fest with a group who had been at the center of the love generation.
And the music wasn't bad either. Tony Nauroth is local desk editor for The Express-Times. He can be reached at 610-258-7171 or by e-mail at tnauroth@express-times.com.
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Crosby sang a solo bashing Enron and corporate executives who steal from the little guy and get away with it."Ain't no different than taking your money with a gun," he sang.
Think he took Terry McAuliffe to task for turning a $100,000 investment into $18million and watching the company go under?
I guess Melissa Ethridge doesn't want anymore kids, so these blowhards need to do SOMEthing to feel alive.
Next time say YES to the prune juice enema at the Home. Dudes.
I'm just amazed that Crosby is the alive.
Old Hippies never die, they just smell that like they have.
I'm thinking that Mr. Tony Nauroth isn't old enough to have been around for the original version.
Good rule of thumb: never take advice from somone who had to replace his liver.
Correct!
Thank you so much for serving!
Fellow wingnut here, a KC-135 Crew Chief and my wife was a weather observor. How about you guys?
Pwaah! They don't have to anymore...snicker.
They say if you remember the sixties, you weren't really there.....
I wonder why we grew up and they didn't?
First two albums were masterpieces...like The Band's first two.
Then...phhhttt
Agreed! The first one especially -- a great evocation of the gentler side of hippie culture. I think they've pretty much coasted on the rep of those two discs for the past 34 years...
Give me a frickin' break and go away already. Not only do I not care what they did in the '60s, but what they did is about as profound as pinching a loaf after taco night at the local bar. No matter how they spin it, I am underwhelmed by it all.
actually young is as left as the other 3 are.
after all he is canadian.
shame too. i play guitar and do alot of his stuff but it kills me that he is anti bush.
thats kool.
i still have long hair.
i just wear it on the inside now, kinda crowds out my lonely few brain cells though.
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