Photograph: James D. DeCamp/Dispatch photos
Neil Young rules! Don't take my word for it. Ask the 20,000 or so fans who packed Value
City Arena on Friday night to hear Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young revive a rock-and-roll
dynasty not heard onstage for more than a decade.
Young's tunes, which dominated the program, received most of the evening's loudest
accolades. His presence constantly energized the band; and he burned down the hall more
than a few times with incendiary guitar solos. In short, he out-rocked, out-serenaded and
out-entertained the other three. It is no surprise that Young was the impetus for the
quartet's first release in 11 years, last year's Looking Forward, and the resulting
reunion tour. The four tunes he donated to the project are the album's strongest cuts and
were the most memorable of the new material performed on Friday.
Of the four musicians, Young is the only one who has won a solid following among post-
baby boomers and sustained commercial success. Still, the others had their moments during
the very satisfying, 3 1/2 -hour concert that was projected throughout the house with
startlingly clean, studio-quality video. Their showcases frequently tapped a deep
reservoir of nostalgia.
Stephen Stills received one of the loudest reactions all night for the acoustic set's
Suite: Judy Blue Eyes, which featured a near-deafening sing-along for its trademark
"do-do-do's'' and a fiery, if indulgent, acoustic guitar solo. Fond memories were his
salvation. Not only are Stills' contributions to the new album clinkers, but his vocal
technique during the concert was touch-and-go.
Stills was the only one of the four to trade guitar solos with Young, though his
commonplace, 1960s-styled blues-rock riffs mostly paled in comparison with Young's more
original playing. Graham Nash had the crowd singing with a sentimental Our House as well
as the irrepressible Marrakesh Express. Though its sweetness has faded somewhat, his voice
was especially inviting during the latter song, which was reminiscent of his classic
performances with the Hollies.
David Crosby, whose personal travails and anachronistic style have made him an easy
target for lawmen and stand-up comedians, charmed nonetheless with his lack of
pretension and a couple of fine performances. Dream For Him, wherein a father tries to
explain his divorce to his son, was touching; Guinnevere, a duet with Nash, was sublime
and one of the evening's true highlights.
Though the group's surprise performance of the Byrds' classic Eight Miles High paid
tribute to Crosby's pre-CSN&Y past, his vocal was far overshadowed by Young's guitar
solo, an inventive interpretation of Roger McGuinn's original. In fact, nearly everything
rock-and-roll shaman Young touched turned to magic. He soloed passionately throughout --
concisely during Carry On and at length during the 17- minute version of Down by the
River.
Slowpoke and Out of Control, two of his songs from the new album, were vital statements
from a songwriter in his mid-50s. His version of the vintage Old Man took on added
resonance; his Cinnamon Girl was celebratory; and his After the Gold Rush, performed on
pump organ, was spooky.
Most importantly, though, Young made real a few key lines from Old Man: "Love lost
/ such a cost / give me things that won't get lost.'' And he made a grand event even
grander.
"Pop Musings
Young rocks free-wheeling CSN&Y"