The first live
show I recall going to was at the Free Trade Hall in Manchester in
1968 to see the Pink Floyd. Since then I’ve seen some wonderful
concerts even if the venues have been a little weird to say the least,
but I’ve always subscribed to the fact that there are no bad
concerts, just poor performances. The whole build up and anticipation
of a show is a part of the gig, just as much as the sitting/standing
in a theatre/arena is the grail of being in relatively close proximity
of one of your favourite musicians. A thousand questions are in the
air before showtime – set list guesses, who is in the band,
instruments on display on the stage plus the usual personal reminiscences
– “I saw him/her/them in (fill in the year) and it was
a blast/cool/ absolutely fabulous/electric/crap” (delete where
applicable).
So now you
have a rough idea of the scene immediately before Stephen Stills’
show in Birmingham on a mild autumn evening. I have to say at this
point that if you are expecting a review full of objectivity and subtleties
– forget it! Here I was, not 15 feet away from the stage that
was about to be occupied by my first real musical hero – Captain
Manyhands was in town without the Harmony Twins and even Shakey and
I wasn’t going to miss this!!
In complete
contrast to the years of excess that Stills was famous/infamous for,
the stage was a picture of sparcity and restraint – just drumkit,
bass guitar and keyboards. The entrance too was very understated.
As the house lights dimmed four shadowy figures wandered on from the
wings to a warm if restrained welcome. It was only when the spotlights
went on that the good captain and his crew was fully recognised and
the applause grew. Looking very smartly attired (thank God, the Hawaiian
shirts have gone!) and carrying less weight than before his cancer
operation, Stills positively radiated good humour and bonhomie to
his audience. Picking up his distinctive white Gretsch, he began with
“Helplessly Hoping”, which despite some wobbly
notes was fine. His voice was stronger than I remember but still much
gruffer than his younger days. After the song the band left the stage
(obviously they needed a lie down after such a grueling opening set!)
leaving Mr. Stills to give us his acoustic set filled with well known
numbers and a surprise in Dylan’s “Girl From The North
Country”. The focal point in the set was not the songs
but the guitar playing – the sound, the tone and the sheer mastery
of his instrument showed just why he is regarded as one of the leading
players along with contemporaries like Clapton, Hendrix and Page.
The way he rung every ounce of feeling out of “Treetop Flyer”
was a case in point. “Daylight Again”, “Johnny’s
Garden” and “Blind Fiddler” further
showed his guitar chops, before delivering the defining moment, or
as he put it “into the abyss” – “Suite
Judy Blue Eyes”. You could almost sense the audience draw
in a collective sharp intake of breath and ask how can CSN’s
signature song be delivered as a solo? But because of that collective
will the song worked. Yes the harmonies were missing but I swear the
audience mentally inserted them at the right point! The band returned
for the kicker at the end and the set finished on a high. Stills walked
off to warm applause with a huge grin on his face leaving the audience
to mull over what had just taken place over the past hour or so.
Set two needless
to say was the electric part of the show and it began with a long
forgotten gem in “Isn’t It About Time”
from the days of Manassas and mighty fine it sounded. Again the only
real surprise was Tom Petty’s “The Wrong Thing To
Do”, but there were two hairs-on-the-back-of-your-neck
moments when Stills played “Rock And Roll Woman”
and “Bluebird.” I can now die a happy man as
I’ve seen my hero play my two absolutely all time favourite
Springfield songs live! Forget the credit crunch, my own little world
is simply filled with happiness and warmth!!! An excellent “Wounded
World” segued into “Rocky Mountain Way”
with the obligatory “For What It’s Worth”
closing the set. At least this time, Stills has restored the song
to its proper structure and not the audience participation number
it had been turned into in past shows. A single encore of “Love
The One You’re With” brought the curtain down despite
the audience demanding more. Handshakes all round from the band to
the audience, a quick series of bows and Vitale, Passarelli and Caldwell
were gone along with their captain.
I loved the
whole show. Stills was gracious in his appreciation of the audience
(you’re either bored stiff or incredibly respectful”),
a humorous observer of the American election (“I’ve limited
myself to two political songs tonight!”) but very scathing of
McCain/Palin calling the latter “Bush in a dress” but
above all one hell of a guitar player. OK, so vocally he’s nowhere
near as sweet as his other two buddies, but don’t write him
off just yet. There is definitely life in the old dog yet.
