I seem to have
spent a life-time defending a favourite musician, Stephen Stills.
Buffalo Springfield, Buffalo Springfield Again, Crosby, Stills
& Nash, Deja Vu, Stephen Stills and Manassas; these records
were life changing landmarks in popular music. Still, as far back
as 1976, the critical tide seemed to turn against Stephen as the scribes
sharpened their pens and dismissed him as a creative force.
He
rallied gamely for CSN and was also strong on Daylight
Again. There were flashes of his old self on 1994s After
The Storm, but his output since has been erratic.
In
concert Stills always seemed to rise to the occasion, I was bowled
over by him when CSN did the Allies UK tour in 1983. He still sounded
strong when I saw him with CSN in 1992.
What
he lacked was a great new record, worthy of his name. Finally, my
faith was rewarded with 2005s Man Alive, a pleasant surprise
and a real return to form. Probably his best ‘solo’ endeavour
since Manassas.
After
the highs of Man Alive I was then alarmed to see a sick looking
Stephen touring the UK with CSN in the summer of 2005. He looked tired,
overweight and unsteady on his legs. Stephen’s vocals, often
criticised in recent years, sounded hoarse; even I had to confess
that he was a shadow of his former self.
At
7.45 pm Stephen quietly walked out onto the City Hall stage, a great
old venue with a good atmosphere and nearly full house. Dressed in
a brown combat jacket, polo shirt and trousers, Mr. Stills, sporting
a shorter haircut than in days of yore, strapped on his Gretsch White
Falcon.and led his band (Vitale, Passarelli and Caldwell) into Helplessly
Hoping. Relaxed and cordial Stephen opened his throat and sang
strong and true. What a relief! The crowd were right behind him as
the band exited the stage to leave him alone. A solid Treetop
Flyer followed, Stills slowly pacing about as he convincingly
played his Martin. Next Dylan’s Girl From The North Country
was given a surprise outing, a favourite of Stills’ apparently.
Stephen snagged his finger nail and fluffed the intro a little before
regaining his balance, ‘Um, this could be a strange evening’,
he muttered. Next Change Partners was belted out in strident
fashion, though the song sounded a little tired to me.
Stephen
looked healthier than the last time I’d seen him, having lost
some weight since his cancer scare. The classic 4+20 followed,
with Stills admitting his embarrassment at singing the lyric at his
age. It remains a classic and Stills handled it well. The traditional
Blind Fiddler, with added lyrics, followed. This has been
updated since the Stills Alone days and was a real showstopper
despite the sadness of the content. A delightful Johnny’s
Garden recalled Stephen’s time living in Surrey back in
the early 1970s. He dedicated the tune to John the Gardener, Ringo
and Peter Sellers. Daylight Again and Suite: Judy Blue
Eyes rounded out the 45 minute acoustic set. The latter was weakened
without Crosby and Nash’s harmonies but Stills gamely took on
the mantle. His guitar playing was typically excellent while his voice
sounded strong. He even had the courage to make a decent fist of the
falsetto, ‘It’s my heart,’ section. The band returned
for the songs coda prompting a standing ovation. Stills left the stage
for the interval promising some rock and roll in the second half.
Mr.
Stills duly returned with band in tow and, sunburst Fender in hand,
ripped into Isn’t It About Time, from the second Manassas
album, Down The Road. I’d hardly recovered before Stephen
launched into a stunning Rock ‘n’ Roll Woman.
This magnificently elongated version lifted the whole show. I’d
never seen him play this classic before. A surprise version of Tom
Petty’s High And Dry(?) followed; ‘I like to
do this’, said Stephen.
Surprisingly,
Man Alive was only represented by Wounded World. The song
was co-written with Graham Nash; ‘We were commiserating about
our daughters going off to College’. This solid blues work out
segued into Rocky Mountain Way, the Joe Walsh, Joe Vitale
tune.
Stephen
then took a left turn with a welcome airing for the Stills-Young Bands’
Make Love To You. In this setting the song worked spectacularly
well, with its smoky, jazzy, bluesy feel. Stills’ snaking guitar
lines were a treat while Todd Caldwell excelled on the B3. Bassist
Kenny Passerrelli grimaced with glee while Joe Vitale was as solid
as ever. The surprises continued with the Springfield’s Bluebird,
again Stills mesmerising the crowd with his playing. The inevitable
For What’s Worth closed the set to thunderous applause.
Stephen
and band strolled back out for the crowd pleaser Love The One
You’re With, all English reserve was forgotten as people
danced in front of the stage. Stills shook audience members’
hands before exiting the stage again. On his return he said; ‘You’ve
been so nice I guess I’ll have to come back again soon’.
An irresistible Dark Star was the final song with Stills
ripping out solos while Vitale excelled on drums and percussion. The
band members contributed backing vocals throughout and provided a
strong uncluttered support for Stephen to work with.
It
was a wonderful concert and a pleasure to see Stephen Stills roll
back the years, one more time, with an effervescent performance. Sure
one can always have the odd gripe, for instance I would have loved
to hear Spanish Suite, or Ole Man Trouble but you
can’t have everything. It was a pleasure to see Stephen in such
good form again.
Set List
1. Helplessly Hoping
2. Treetop Flyer
3. Girl From The North Country
4. Change Partners
5. 4+20
6. Blind Fiddler
7. Johnny’s Garden
8. Daylight Again
9. Suite: Judy Blue Eyes
1. Isn’t It About Time
2. Rock ‘n’ Roll Woman
3. High And Dry?
4. Wounded World
5. Rocky Mountain Way
6. Make Love To You
7. Bluebird
8. For What It’s Worth
9. Love The One You’re With
10. Dark Star
